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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

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emily_m Am I good enough?
  • replies: 2

So I have struggled with my mental health for years now, i am medicated and seek help from professionals when i can afford it. For the past couple of years i have been struggling with my confidence and whether or not i am good enough. I feel like a f... View more

So I have struggled with my mental health for years now, i am medicated and seek help from professionals when i can afford it. For the past couple of years i have been struggling with my confidence and whether or not i am good enough. I feel like a fraud, I feel like i always start things and never complete them because i actually know nothing. I know that i have completed somethings but in my head it just doesn't count. I feel like i always prevent myself from doing my best because, i don't know, i am scared of what others will think when i fail? I used to be alright at guitar, but i never gave myself the time because the others were better than i ever was so i didn't play as much, I dropped out of high school in year 11 because i couldn't see myself being capable of finishing, I got halfway through a TAFE course and then stopped because i felt like i was never going to remember anything and that everything i had done up until that point had been fake. I am doing another TAFE course at the moment, mostly to try prove to myself that maybe i can do it, but i get SO much help from my Mum and others around me that i feel like i actually don't know what i am doing and i'm very much unable to complete it without the help of others. (I know help is great, but i hate relying on it). All i want is to be able to believe in myself. i want a career that i love and i want to be/feel capable. I want to feel like the others around me, they are so amazing and confident in their work and life. I want to feel like i have a purpose in life, at the moment i just feel like i don't. Everyone else around me has plans and are working towards their career goals. While i am here going job to job, with no idea what i want to do and no belief that i'll ever be able to achieve anything. I am just not sure what to do at this point. All I think about is this and if I will ever be good enough.

mynameisjosh socially dissatisfied and struggling to balance university life
  • replies: 1

I'm a 20 y/o male and have my whole life ahead of me. Im studying what will lead me to my dream job. I have an amazing and supportive girlfriend. I work 3 jobs, volunteer and am generally active in the community. Yet most days i feel pretty lonely. I... View more

I'm a 20 y/o male and have my whole life ahead of me. Im studying what will lead me to my dream job. I have an amazing and supportive girlfriend. I work 3 jobs, volunteer and am generally active in the community. Yet most days i feel pretty lonely. Im so caught up worrying about the things i have to be doing currently to ensure a successful and happy future, yet I'm not feeling happy in the present. My girlfriend is busy (like me) so we don't get to spend much time together. My best friends live in another city and are not good at texting. Where i currently am, i feel as if i don't have any good friends. Everyone i've met, although they are nice, i don't have a connection with. Most people i meet don't have the same priorities as me. I exercise, drink rarely and am usually focusing on work. The people that are like minded to me, feel like competition. Am i really making good choices if I'm constantly feeling socially dissatisfied? If I'm not then what do i sacrifice? i don't want to lose any opportunities as thats what ive been working so hard for.

amy132456 I feel empty and lost
  • replies: 1

This guy had reached out too me over social media in 2021. He is about 5 years older than me. I’m still in high school. anyway i very quickly became attracted to him and felt like i had a real connection. Me and him hung out and i started to develop ... View more

This guy had reached out too me over social media in 2021. He is about 5 years older than me. I’m still in high school. anyway i very quickly became attracted to him and felt like i had a real connection. Me and him hung out and i started to develop strong feelings towards him but i always knew in the back of my mind that he didn’t feel the same. We engaged in sexual activities most of the times we hung out which i was fine with. But it was never consistent talking between periods of time we wernt together. It would be on and off. Whenever we hung out i got hits of happiness and when we wernt together i’d feel alone and depressed. Recently he has gotten into a relationship with a girl and i was quite distraught when i found out. A couple months later he messaged me (while he’s still in a relationship) and asked me to hang out. we hung out and we had sex. He cheated on his girlfriend with me. i’m not sure what this means. does he still care for me? does he like me more than her? I’m really lost and i’m feeling really distraught and stressed about the whole situation. Someone please help

OceanPhoenix Venting
  • replies: 3

So recently I have been struggling to cope with the pressure placed on me by others. I'm constantly expected to get into a great university and everyone around me believes I can do it except me. Its been hard for me for a very long time to get into g... View more

So recently I have been struggling to cope with the pressure placed on me by others. I'm constantly expected to get into a great university and everyone around me believes I can do it except me. Its been hard for me for a very long time to get into good studying habits and become motivated but as of recently, I have managed to commit to a schedule but every day I'm scared that I will lose my motivation and just drop off into old habits. It also does not help that my parents are putting pressure on me to do well in some subjects and that they are really pushing me to great lengths to get into the uni I and they want. For example, they want me to approach people at my school to get a statement of support for something but I hate asking and struggled to approach people especially adults with particular matters. My parents say that I'm mute and don't know how to speak up for myself and they are right but I do not know how to fix that like when I was younger (Year 7ish) I could not even look people in the eye so am I supposed to speak to people! Not to mention that my parents are my only support system right now since my old friend group dropped me and the people I hang out with now although nice it's obvious they are close and I'm an outsider. Like I just do not know what to do in regards to my parents, university, and like just speaking to people in general. Then there is body image but mainly body weight. As of recently I have been really picky with my weight and I have tried dieting in the past but after losing the weight I would gain it right back. I have turned to search for more extreme measures to lose weight as well but I just wanna lose weight so badly. Not only that I can't even tell if I'm just being lazy or just unmotivated because everyone around has told me I'm just lazy and I cannot tell the difference. Also anytime my parents comment on my weight or make comments relating to food I get really angry and irritated and defensive about it. Plus at school, I have become more nervous about eating in front of others outside of my "friend group" and I try hiding my food. Sometimes my mum will also make comments like when I went dress shopping for formal she would say "if you lost like 3 kgs the dress will look better on you" among other things that make it seem she is interested in how I look but on most occasions it just makes me feel self-conscious.Honestly, any advice would be appreciated, and thanks for listening.

hm_ Compulsive Behaviours and Stressful Thoughts
  • replies: 1

Hi Everybody.Lately, I have been feeling and doing things that are strange compared to how I used to be. I have compulsive behaviours, such as swiping up on my phone to check if I have any tabs open every few seconds, picking at my skin continuously ... View more

Hi Everybody.Lately, I have been feeling and doing things that are strange compared to how I used to be. I have compulsive behaviours, such as swiping up on my phone to check if I have any tabs open every few seconds, picking at my skin continuously and some other behaviours similar to this. In addition to this, I have been feeling a lot of self-doubt about my abilities, obsessing and not forgiving myself for small mistakes. When someone used to make an annoying or mean comment, I would just brush it off. But now, I cry about it and think that everything mean people say about me is true and that I am a fraud, even though these people barely know me. Even little jokes by my family calling me dumb when I do something silly affects me, even though I know they don't mean it and I used to laugh about it before. At first I thought that I am just going through a rough patch, but it is getting worse. These feelings and behaviours reduce my motivation to do anything, which in turn makes me feel lazy and unworthy. I just feel stuck on what to do and where to go from here because I am not really sure what's going on.

DevHarp Always arguing with parents.
  • replies: 4

Towards the end of 2021 my mental health was at the lowest point it has been in my entire life, filled with intrusive thoughts such as suicidal thoughts and major feelings of worthlessness etc. These were brought on by many factors including lots of ... View more

Towards the end of 2021 my mental health was at the lowest point it has been in my entire life, filled with intrusive thoughts such as suicidal thoughts and major feelings of worthlessness etc. These were brought on by many factors including lots of arguments with my parents I decided to see a professional about these feelings for the first time and it really helped. Recently, I have noticed similar occurring. Although im now 17, the dynamics between my parents and I have not changed. Coming home from school every day is miserable as I prepare to be shouted at some time in the evening by usually my dad. Neither my mum nor dad knew how I felt back at the end of 2021 as I went by myself to see a professional (school counsellor.) I'm worried that I will go down the same path and end up feeling the same way as I did back then and im scared. It's the same thing every evening though, it starts of as a small conflict and somehow ends up into a shouting match. I'll admit that some of the conflicts is completely my fault but in the heat of the moment I can't seem to control myself. I want to talk to my parents about how I feel but I don't know how. I also want to talk to a school counsellor again but don't know how (the last one was booked by a teacher I felt comfortable talking to.) I know my parents love me and give me amazing opportunities but it's hard to see that sometimes when I'm always in conflict with them.

this_aint_it_chief Self esteem and Acne
  • replies: 18

I have quite low self esteem, that tends to fluctuate a lot. I'm in year 10, and everything is just so much pressure. I have a high forehead, my skin is oily in some patches and dry in others, but worst of all I have acne. It's at a mild/moderate lev... View more

I have quite low self esteem, that tends to fluctuate a lot. I'm in year 10, and everything is just so much pressure. I have a high forehead, my skin is oily in some patches and dry in others, but worst of all I have acne. It's at a mild/moderate level, but I have quite a few marks left on my skin from acne. My gaurdian said that I can go see a dermatologist in a month if it hasn't cleared up, but idk if I can wait that long. Even though people tell me my acne isn't bad, it's one of the worst in my year level at school, and as I've had it for 4 years now, it's made my self esteem terrible to a point where I've cried about it each day for nearly the past week. On top of that benzoyl peroxide doesn't work, my skin is waayy to sensitive for that. I just need to get this all out, and ask you guys how I can possibly cope for another month, potentially longer, without feeling ugly every time I look in the mirror. IDK if this is all irrational, but I hate looking in mirrors now because I can't deal with seeing my face and knowing how bad I look...

LonleyAngel Opions on what i feel
  • replies: 2

Hi all, its been around a year scince i last posted and i was just woandering if i caould get saome feedback and your thoughs on how i am at the moment. For context, i have just started year 10 and am truning 15.In the past six months or so i've been... View more

Hi all, its been around a year scince i last posted and i was just woandering if i caould get saome feedback and your thoughs on how i am at the moment. For context, i have just started year 10 and am truning 15.In the past six months or so i've been confused, i think about my identity, sometimes i wish the ones i love would lose their lives wether thats througha n acident just however it can, I'm not really sure if this is why , but i think i want this because i want to understand myself better but also give me an excuse to get out of going to school.I also sometime want bad things to happen to myself for what i think is the same reason as above but also because i think i want to understand others experiences because a lot of if not all of my friennds have suffered with mental helath or family issiues, but i havendt.. to be honest i'm not entierly sure about much, most of the time i'll think about stuff like this or about my mental state and then compelety forget 5 mintues later an d not botherd, I'm stuck and i don't know how to descibe how i feel . Also on a side note i often wish i was in another world, one like the manga and anime i watch and read, i'll often listen to music and imagine i'm someone else in another world, and my charecter has always been through a ton of tramua. I'm also kind of wish i was imortal and unageing so i wound't have to die or age that much. i hope this all makes sense to someone.

noobeeeeee I really don't want to go on my camp which is 1month long
  • replies: 1

So i have to go to a camp later this year for a whole month with my really annoying grade. It is compulsory but i really dont want to go. The reasons i dont want to go include: I hate being surrounded by heaps of people, my grade is really annoying a... View more

So i have to go to a camp later this year for a whole month with my really annoying grade. It is compulsory but i really dont want to go. The reasons i dont want to go include: I hate being surrounded by heaps of people, my grade is really annoying and i have anger issues which can be affected, i personally have other commitments on at the same time, i dont want people to know that i have medical problems, i also have really bad anxiety. My parents are saying i have to go and since the camp is compulsory i dont know how to get out of it

Zayalowe Parents Divorce.
  • replies: 1

My parents are together. They only got married a few years ago, but recently they have been nonstop arguing and yelling at each other. I thought it was just normal fights couples have, but recently I overheard them saying that they can’t be bothered ... View more

My parents are together. They only got married a few years ago, but recently they have been nonstop arguing and yelling at each other. I thought it was just normal fights couples have, but recently I overheard them saying that they can’t be bothered to do couples therapy, I don’t think they will stay together and it’s scary. Most of the time it feels like I cause many of the fights. My sister moved away. She was my only relief from them and now she’s gone and I’m stuck. I can’t go anywhere else. I don’t have friends to stay with. I don’t have any close family or relatives and I don’t know what to do. I can’t focus on school anymore. It feels like I’m always sad but I don’t have the guts to talk to anyone. I don’t want to ask my parents for help because they will just treat it as another waste of money. I don’t know what to do. I live far out of town. I can’t go anywhere. Sorry if I am repeating myself. It feels like whenever I’m at home I’m never happy. It doesn’t even feel like a family anymore and there’s nothing I can do. I feel like everyone’s moving forward and I’m stuck behind. I am scared of what will happen if my parents can’t stay together.