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.

FAQ

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

Forums guidelines

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

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Keepdreaming My Anxiety and Bipolar are Literally Ruining my Life
  • replies: 1

So lately I've noticed that my anxiety and bipolar have been getting worse and I've talked to mum about a few things regarding it, but I'm reluctant to tell here everything because I have trouble opening up to people, even my own family. So anyway, t... View more

So lately I've noticed that my anxiety and bipolar have been getting worse and I've talked to mum about a few things regarding it, but I'm reluctant to tell here everything because I have trouble opening up to people, even my own family. So anyway, the rate that my anxiety is at right now is making me on edge 24/7. Along with my anxiety, my bipolar is stopping me from doing almost everything. I used to love being around my friends and constantly texting them, but now I isolate myself. I've told my mum it's because I'm lazy, or I hate people, but it's actually because I've started becoming really nervous around people. I've started having anxiety attacks (without hyperventillation) and so on. In the mornings I will lay there awake, but I'm trapped in a spiral of thoughts (all negative) and I don't actually realise it. Once again, I tell my mum that I just can't be bothered to get up or whatever, but it's actually because I'm having depressive thoughts or existential crisis that I'm unaware I'm even having until I snap out of them (which can take up to an hour). This happens at night too. My mum believes that I am just on my phone for too long, but the reason I can't sleep at night is because of all the negative thoughts. I lay there awake for hours, but out of it, if you know what I mean. I will stay awake until 5am in the morning due to these existential crisis and extra negative thoughts, and there isn't anything I can do about it, I've tried. Another one, and also one of the biggest problems, is I've started not going to school. This isn't because I hate school so much, even though that's what I tell mum, it's because of my social anxiety, mixed with the intense fear that my bipolar is going to make me do something crazy (due to a manic episode) and that the pressure of all my school work is going to push me over the edge (like it has done before). These escalating problems are making it practically impossible for me to function properly. I've gone from constantly being around people and outside, to locking myself in my room 24/7. My social life has been eliminated. The remaining of my confidence and self esteem has magically disappeared, and I constantly feel worthless and hopeless. I, for some strange reason, don't feel comfortable with telling my mum the real reasons behind my actions, and so that's why I have come here. I'm desperate for someone, anyone, to help me, but I don't have the confidence to ask.

skinny93 anxiety 24/7
  • replies: 6

Does anyone feel as if u dont have 1 normal day to just relax and be yourself i seem to go to sleep anxious and wake up anxious .. tight in the chest just feeling like bla all day

Does anyone feel as if u dont have 1 normal day to just relax and be yourself i seem to go to sleep anxious and wake up anxious .. tight in the chest just feeling like bla all day

skinny93 please help
  • replies: 8

Does anyone experience shortness of breathe/ shallow breathing ive had it for a few days now n i dont know if its anxiety or not i dont have any other symptoms just that im having a panic attack because of it ..

Does anyone experience shortness of breathe/ shallow breathing ive had it for a few days now n i dont know if its anxiety or not i dont have any other symptoms just that im having a panic attack because of it ..

JamesK1 Anxiety/Panic Attacks, Feeling Sick/Vomitting
  • replies: 5

Hello, I had posted here a long time ago about my anxiety experiences and my feeling of sickness, I am an 18 year old whos life has been basically destroyed by my anxiety, Whenever i leave the house and meet up with friends/go out i am constantly exp... View more

Hello, I had posted here a long time ago about my anxiety experiences and my feeling of sickness, I am an 18 year old whos life has been basically destroyed by my anxiety, Whenever i leave the house and meet up with friends/go out i am constantly experiencing anxiety, sometimes i feel so sick i physically vomit/dry reach, I have seen two psychologists but have not been prescribed medication due to my age I have tried varioud remedies over the counter but they only seem to help temporarily, It feels like all of this has caused me to become slightly depressed and I am losing hope, It is such a mental struggle every day to leave the house and i am using so much energy every second i am out to try to handle and control my body, Im not sure where to turn to next. Any suggestions are appreciated thanks

illbethemadhatter almost crashed a car and now I can't sleep
  • replies: 5

okay, so I turned 16 the other day, and got my learners permit. The next day, I tried driving for the first time. Reversed out of the driveway, panicked, accelerated,mounted a curb, punctured a tire, and almost ran up the other side of the road, beca... View more

okay, so I turned 16 the other day, and got my learners permit. The next day, I tried driving for the first time. Reversed out of the driveway, panicked, accelerated,mounted a curb, punctured a tire, and almost ran up the other side of the road, because the foot on the accelerator froze and wouldn't move. It scared me a lot and I had a panic attack as I got out the car, but now the thought of driving makes me feel sick to the stomach and I can't sleep, because the scene keeps replaying over and over again. i don't know what to do Advice would be greatly appreciated xx

rose95 moving house anxiety.
  • replies: 4

hello, I'm 20 years old and my mum and I are moving house..and for some reason it has triggered a lot of anxiety for me. I worry and stress and over think everything the house we are moving to is a lot smaller and older than where we live now and I d... View more

hello, I'm 20 years old and my mum and I are moving house..and for some reason it has triggered a lot of anxiety for me. I worry and stress and over think everything the house we are moving to is a lot smaller and older than where we live now and I don't know why, but I can't seem to adjust to it. my boyfriend is amazing but he doesn't really understand anxiety and gets a little frustrated that I'm not as happy and talkative as usual and my mum tells me it's frustrating for her. I don't want to always be upset and worried about everything but I can't help it. so I was just wondering if anyone has experienced this before or has some tips to get through it? anything would be appreciated thankyou so much xx

Meemoo My Story: An Emotional and Physical Rollercoaster
  • replies: 2

Hi,I am a female 16 year old and in my last year of high school. I have had troubles with my weight for as long as i can remember. As of the 24th of January 2016 i weighed 93.9 kilograms, i am a size 16 and i have a BMI of 37.3. According to the Worl... View more

Hi,I am a female 16 year old and in my last year of high school. I have had troubles with my weight for as long as i can remember. As of the 24th of January 2016 i weighed 93.9 kilograms, i am a size 16 and i have a BMI of 37.3. According to the World Health Organisation i am considered obese. I have had my doctor tell me i have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I have appointments with a dietician once a month. The last 6 months have been the biggest impact on my mental and physical health. I did my research and found that i am at a high risk of infertility and type 2 diabetes. Time and time again i have convinced myself "i'm not that big" or "i haven't eaten that much". This self-delusion had only led me further down the path of self-destruction. My mum and my dad have tried everything to snap me out of this vicious cycle prior to the doctors appointments etc. I was extremely stubborn and only thought about the fact that they were hurting my feelings. So, late in 2013, i began to hate myself. I thought i had to be punished for being in the state i was in. So i self-harmed. This caused me to get depressed and very very anxious. I then developed anxiety disorder and cyclothymic disorder. I talked to my best friend and he suggested i address this as soon as possible because it was obvious i was only going to get worse. I did try to commit suicide once, fortunately, it didn't do any damage. It was an extremely dark time for me and i felt like no one could help me. I then decided it would be advisory to see a counsellor. It was solid 9 months of counselling that finally helped me enough to stop hurting myself and stop thinking negatively about myself. The one and a half years after that were a huge rollercoaster of boyfriends, drugs, sex, alcohol and yes, depression and anxiety. In september of 2015 i decided it was time. Time to get my shit together for my own good. I woke up to myself and i accepted the harsh realities about myself. I have only lost 3 kilos but i am very determined to get to my goal weight of 75kgs. It is going to take a while and there will be obstacles and trials but i am praying for a successful year and hopefully, successful years to come. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, i hope you can take something from this as this is a most important lesson to love yourself and those around you and never underestimate all that is being put in front of you. Take all opportunities, there isn't a second to waste

shelka Trouble making friends at university
  • replies: 3

Hi guys, looking for some advice here. I'm starting my third year at a huge university, and I've made no friends in the 4 semesters I've completed thus far. I'm an accounting/finance major, so you can say my classes aren't all that interactive betwee... View more

Hi guys, looking for some advice here. I'm starting my third year at a huge university, and I've made no friends in the 4 semesters I've completed thus far. I'm an accounting/finance major, so you can say my classes aren't all that interactive between students. To give perspective, the teacher starts speaking at 5 past, and finishes speaking at 5 too. There's not much room for socialising, and at most I've made a few acquaintances. I have tried joining a club but was unable to commit (I have anxiety and couldn't balance it with my uni workload). Whilst I have friends outside of uni, I'm getting lonely being by myself every day. I hope someone can help me get out of this rut, because I'm feeling rather hopeless right now.

drummingbird How to tell parents
  • replies: 2

So I'm a fifteen year who is a member of a defence family. Ever since it as five I've had to move from state to state every 2-3 years for my father's work. Ever since grade 4 it started to become harder. I barely noticed it then, but no I look back a... View more

So I'm a fifteen year who is a member of a defence family. Ever since it as five I've had to move from state to state every 2-3 years for my father's work. Ever since grade 4 it started to become harder. I barely noticed it then, but no I look back and realise that this was the time what I now believe to be social anxiety formed. Little things such as worrying about speeches, what was in my lunchbox, and did people judge how I sounded (I have a lisp and a weird ScottishxNorwegian accent). It slowly worsened, and grade 7 was absolutely horrible. Those three years had it become worse, but my confidence around certain people improved. I started to slightly like how I looked, and how I acted, and even figured out my sexuality, which is all good. Speaking to a teacher or doing a speech in class was still a problem though, unfortunately, but still, I had gotten better in some areas. Every time I mentioned this to my parents, they would say I 'was being stupid', 'acting silly', 'trying to get attention', and when there was a thing on the news about increasing anxiety issues in teens, I ticked off every of the symptoms they talked about, whilst my parents called it 'rubbish' and that all the kids with those 'mental issue's were acting 'like idiots'. The only mental issue they acknowledged was ADHD, as my little brother had been diagnosed with it, my 'poor, precious baby' who is nine and obviously the favourite. If you can't guess it, my parents are very against most things. End of 2015, and the dreaded posting of where we would move. I had a panic attack at school when I told my friends, and had to convince the office not to call my parents. It was horrible. Just an hour ago, my mother and I had an argument about when she should drop me off. She wants to drop me off half an hour before the bell goes so that my two brothers can be dropped off a few minutes before their bells go. She tried to tell me that it wasn't fair for them to have to stand around for ten minutes, whilst knowing nobody and looking awkward. I countered with 'what about me?' because it felt really unfair that I had to sit for half an hour without knowing anybody and looking like an idiot. I want to try and tell her that when I talk to people I don't know that I panic inside, and that being in a new environment makes me scared, and just going outside makes me think of everything that could go wrong, but if I do, she'll probably say I'm acting 'childish' or 'immature'.

BBUser86 The start of a big change
  • replies: 1

So I've written so many drafts for this post but none of them seem to really satisfy me so I'll just talk to you, I guess! I just graduated high school, I landed myself a full time job and I'm earning money. What more could a teen want? The thing is,... View more

So I've written so many drafts for this post but none of them seem to really satisfy me so I'll just talk to you, I guess! I just graduated high school, I landed myself a full time job and I'm earning money. What more could a teen want? The thing is, I hate it! I don't want to be apart of this so called rat race. I want my life to have purpose and so I can look back and be content with it. Most people would sayfind my passion, right? Unfortunately, I've never really had a hobby or belief that I've kept with. So I looked at my life experience. Something that has turned my life upside down that I could rant and rave about until I'm blue in the face? My dad. He took his life seven months after I was born due to the overwhelming pressure of bipolar. This is one topic that I'm so passionate about. Growing up, anyone that felt alone or sad could count on me to chat to because I couldn't allowed another family to go through and experience what mine had. I guess this is why I'm here. I'm keen to get involved and do dad proud. I'm excited and nervous but I'm ready for this!! Bring on 2016 and my road to help others