Immediate support
Immediate support

Young people

A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

romantic_thi3f Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies
  • replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are i... View more

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

Sophie_M NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first
  • replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindfu... View more

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

All discussions

Start a discussion

a13xx wanting to drop out
  • replies: 2

Im a year 11 student at the moment doing all VCE subjects. High school or even primary school had been hard for me. Ive had multiple long breaks due to mental illness and long stays in psych wards and paediatric wards. my grades aren’t all that good,... View more

Im a year 11 student at the moment doing all VCE subjects. High school or even primary school had been hard for me. Ive had multiple long breaks due to mental illness and long stays in psych wards and paediatric wards. my grades aren’t all that good, so far with all the SACs ive done the highest ive gotten is 64%. Don’t get me wrong though, i do think i’m quite smart. I’m good at maths and art, i’m a fast learner and at past jobs my bosses have loved me. I’m considering dropping out because I dont plan on going to university. I have no interest in becoming a lawyer, doctor, or working in some office job. I don’t see any point in continuing on going to school since it’s causing me alot of stress. My potential plan going forward is to drop out, find a job and work as much as i can to get experience and a good resume. Hopefully during that i will go to tafe instead of school and do a course in whatever I end up deciding would be my career. However i’m worried about what my parents would think. I live with my dad and i think he expects me to go to school, get good grades, etc. and i’m scared to talk to him about it. The last thing i want is for him to be disappointed in me. I don’t want to be seen as a loser and not do i want to “ruin” my life but it just feels like the right thing at the moment. Any advice? should i really drop out or am i being a bit dramatic. Tough love would be good to hear

Richardb3 i don't want to keep going
  • replies: 12

I have too many problems and some of them feel impossible to solve. I feel stuck and hopeless. I pray to God everyday and get no help. I now know there is nothing out there that wants to help me - I am alone and I am limited.

I have too many problems and some of them feel impossible to solve. I feel stuck and hopeless. I pray to God everyday and get no help. I now know there is nothing out there that wants to help me - I am alone and I am limited.

rescu3me im so done with life.
  • replies: 6

Hi, I just joined. I don't know where to begin. My parents have put me through so much hell, I question why I'm living with them. I don't know how to treat them. Right now I'm sort of silent. I have tried getting jobs as an attempt to moving out and ... View more

Hi, I just joined. I don't know where to begin. My parents have put me through so much hell, I question why I'm living with them. I don't know how to treat them. Right now I'm sort of silent. I have tried getting jobs as an attempt to moving out and being independent but I usually quit in the days job because I just experience another trauma, trauma layered on top of trauma. I get triggered, or I leave with no plan of the coming future. I'm so done. I want to make the most of my 20's and not suffer. It's hard though, because I normally feel like me vs the world. I feel seperate to the world, seeing everyone mingle and create happy moments with their friends and family. Automatic alienation, I feel like a criminal or just like a rubbish bag. I never had a happy kind of life...if I could explain everything I would.. I've experienced chronic loneliness a lot, to the highest degree one could experience. I haven't been diagnosed with this but I am aware I have extreme anxiety and social anxiety. I have been diagnosed w BPD too. I even get paralysed by so many options I create, so that's no fun either. I feel like I'm just drifting, dragging. Powerless, helpless etc. I don't know where I'm going in life. I think of career but at the same time I just want to focus on moving because they make me feel so alone. And that's like through every way possible. When they adore the dog, when they laugh, when they snore (that's the worst, I can't sleep every night.. so that makes things worse.. how can I work? I don't know how I can thrive at home, but how can I thrive when I feel so seperate from the world? I wish I had a perfect family, family that went on outings, people in my life that celebrated me, never ever recognising or experiencing loneliness, etc. I get triggered hearing people mention their friends, or even just walking outside seeing people, seeing what normalcy is like. people on their snapchats, people texting each other. im done.

Baileyjoyce Are the feelings im feeling normal?
  • replies: 8

My name is Bailey im 15yr and I don't know if what I am feeling is normal? Just about a month ago I've started to realise that what I have been feeling may not be normal. I've been feeling emotionless for about 2 years and about a year ago I have als... View more

My name is Bailey im 15yr and I don't know if what I am feeling is normal? Just about a month ago I've started to realise that what I have been feeling may not be normal. I've been feeling emotionless for about 2 years and about a year ago I have also started to lose a lot of interests I had, about 6 months ago I've also realised all of the feelings of being emotionless, overwhelmed, stressed, losing interests and my sleep schedule not being as good as it use to be has started effecting my school work. I have had an unstable younger childhood for my whole life up to a year ago so that may be a reason for these feelings. Are these feeling normal? And if the aren't what should I do?

jademk I need some help
  • replies: 11

I had been struggling with a girl I used to be friends with in the past year, and now she has left the friend group. However some of her close friends are still in my friend group and they are attention-seekers, gossipers, bullies and spread rumours ... View more

I had been struggling with a girl I used to be friends with in the past year, and now she has left the friend group. However some of her close friends are still in my friend group and they are attention-seekers, gossipers, bullies and spread rumours about me and my best friends. We want to leave the group- but we are worried that they will ruin our lives even more. At home, my dad as super high expectations that I can never live up to and puts me down if I don't do as well as expected. I am struggling and I have confided in friends to help me but I'm not sure if its working.... please help someone

MinaLou My friend has an eating disorder and I don’t know how to help
  • replies: 3

They can’t afford the psychologist and hasn’t told their parents, they’ve only recently told me about 3 months ago, even though it’s been happening for several. We’d recently had a solid 3 months of eating 3 meals which I knew was really hard for the... View more

They can’t afford the psychologist and hasn’t told their parents, they’ve only recently told me about 3 months ago, even though it’s been happening for several. We’d recently had a solid 3 months of eating 3 meals which I knew was really hard for them. They lapsed yesterday though. I don’t see it getting better without speaking to a professional but I don’t think they can. What do people with an eating disorder need most from a friend? I don’t know if it’s wrong of me to try change their habits ?

daisybaby888 weaning onto medication and I'm getting extreme side effects... what do I do to cope?
  • replies: 3

I hope I can get some help here because this is the worst I've felt ever. I'm weaning onto a strong does of a medication, I'm seriously struggling and was hoping for advice on how to cope with going on new medication. I haven't slept in days, am gett... View more

I hope I can get some help here because this is the worst I've felt ever. I'm weaning onto a strong does of a medication, I'm seriously struggling and was hoping for advice on how to cope with going on new medication. I haven't slept in days, am getting severe neurological headaches, can't keep food down even with nausea medication, had a panic attack for 14 hours straight, and am now convincing myself I want to break up with my boyfriend. Our relationship is rocky atm yes, but I love him and feel that breaking up with him while I'm in this state is going to do more harm than good for the both of us; but my brain won't be quite. I can barely keep my eyes open and yet I'm convinced I'm stable enough to make such large decisions and it's just an internal battle. I can tell the past week has been super exhausting having to see me this way, he understands because he's on and off different medications all the time and is patient with me. I guess it just sucks that it's impacting the people around me and making me the crawl out of my own skin. I can't even describe the level of headaches it's giving me; I do have pre-existing neurological conditions that it's actually helping to lessen, but that's also why the headaches are so extreme. In the morning before I take my medication I feel normal and like myself which is how I know I'm seriously mentally dissonant throughout the day. I've been severely depressed and anxious for 12 years now but have never felt this mentally unstable for such a extended period of time. Is there anything I can do to help myself? also would like to add that my GP is on holiday, she'll be back in a week and a half, but my social anxiety is too bad to see another doctor.

Nova28 Just need help
  • replies: 3

I don't know what to do, it feels like my entire life is in shambles, I'm practically homeless now but I suffered long before this, I was in an abusive relationship about a year ago where my partner just constantly put me down and controlled my every... View more

I don't know what to do, it feels like my entire life is in shambles, I'm practically homeless now but I suffered long before this, I was in an abusive relationship about a year ago where my partner just constantly put me down and controlled my every action, if I did something she didn't like I would get abused for it, she even coerced me and was very manipulative. When I tried to tell the police they just ignored me but listened to her when she put all the blame on me, so I quit my job and would've stopped talking to my friends if I had any, now I try to make new friends but everytime I get close to someone I get scared and stop talking, I have my own psychologist but have no idea how to tell them any of this, I'm afraid of being ridiculed and just feel safe in this manner.

AlecA I'm feeling lonely again
  • replies: 6

Hello all, Thanks for looking at my thread, I've been diagnosed with depression before but I'm safe to say I've beaten it. But over the past 10 weeks I've been feeling more lonely at school and at home, even though I've got one of the best friend gro... View more

Hello all, Thanks for looking at my thread, I've been diagnosed with depression before but I'm safe to say I've beaten it. But over the past 10 weeks I've been feeling more lonely at school and at home, even though I've got one of the best friend groups I could ever ask for. I'm starting to feel isolated, I've got zero motivation at school, I fear my grades might start to slip again and to put the cherry on the cake I've got an ex-friend starting to hassle me and insult my friends. This may not be the best post out there, I just need help. Cheers.

Cherry13 Looking for some relationship advice...
  • replies: 4

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask for this sort of advice but it would be really helpful to see what people think... I've been in a relationship with my boyfriend for nearly six months and things have not been "smooth sailing". I never f... View more

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask for this sort of advice but it would be really helpful to see what people think... I've been in a relationship with my boyfriend for nearly six months and things have not been "smooth sailing". I never feel appreciated and he takes me and my kindness for granted. We have had a few conversations about how I feel and he has expressed how he can get into moods where he doesn't want to do anything in general and would also rather not speak/text me or even hang out. He believes that he is immature and unmotivated in life but doesn't want to lose me because he knows how great I am. It's important to note that we live 40 minutes from each other and we only see each other once a week (depending on if he's feeling motivated to see me), this means that calling and texting is vital for our relationship to stay connected, however, my boyfriend frequently complains that he's more of an 'in-person' kind of person (as in with interacting with another) and so, I find that he uses that as an excuse to not message me or call. It is very difficult to get him to come over to my house, he will always make excuses from the point of inviting him to the point of him showing up on my doorstep. I'm at a stage of defeat, we have promised ourselves that we will try again but all I see is myself putting in all the effort and him continuously making excuses and not treating me any different. This relationship affects my mental health a lot and it also causes me to fall behind in my job and now that I've begun a new course, I don't need more stress on my studies too. My boyfriend has a bad mentally about himself and I want to help him but he doesn't make it easy for me, I feel like the best thing to help us both is to break up but then I also think that we will be broken-hearted, which will still hurt our mentalities. Of course, we will heal from a broken heart and grow but can we also heal and grow within our relationship... He's expressed that he wants to fix and change things and so should I just see what happens (we do have plenty of time after all) or is this relationship not worth fixing?