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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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isy_73 Its a cycle...
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone! Lately I haven't been too well. My best friend has anxiety and depression, but it runs in my family too. This year is stressful for me so I've been experiencing panic attacks and with a lot going on, I've also been feeling very depressed... View more

Hi everyone! Lately I haven't been too well. My best friend has anxiety and depression, but it runs in my family too. This year is stressful for me so I've been experiencing panic attacks and with a lot going on, I've also been feeling very depressed. It's on and off though but sometimes it lasts long periods (if that makes sense...) and there are many factors that trigger it back. I feel like I'm very emotionally unstable because of this so one bad thing happens and my world crashes down and I remember all the other stuff and I feel awful. I isolate myself from my friends. I don't tell anyone anything because I feel like my other friends won't understand and will just brush it off, but some times I just really need some support. Some nights I just cry!!! My best friend suffering from mental illness also, I tried to talk to her about the panic attacks I've been having, and she kind of just hovered and didn't say anything and acted awkward. I'd like to be able to open up to someone because I just really need some support but I feel I don't trust my friends well enough and my mum wants me to focus on other things but I haven't told her the half of it so she doesn't understand that my mental wellbeing is a flow-on effect to these other things like school.... My best friend because she has anxiety too, but worse than me, lacks in confidence and its quite triggering for me. All our outings have to involved getting all dressed up with heaps of makeup and always getting new outfits. This isn't really teaching me to be confident in myself and it actually makes me feel very self conscious and down in the dumps :(. I know it might sound silly but it's actually something I've been struggling with for a long time because I have 0 confidence and low self esteem. This is a really negative influence in my life but I don't know what to do. Should I tell her i'd like to take some time to think because I have some things going on, and maybe keep my distance? It doesn't make me feel good about myself at all and makes me feel worthless. I wish I had some friends I could talk to about this. I hope you guys understand! some days I just want to take a week off school and just refresh because mental health has a flow on effect to other things so never postpone renewing your mental health (as some people are trying to tell me to do). I just need to escape! I hope you have a lovely day everyone. Sending hugs xoxoxo

Bluebird2492 No Motivation and Feeling Emotionally Numb
  • replies: 1

I have never sought help before - I'm a 23 year old who has always pushed through my limitations. I know I have anxiety/stress - I do have anxiety attacks where I can't breath. I always push through, because in my family there is no room for this kin... View more

I have never sought help before - I'm a 23 year old who has always pushed through my limitations. I know I have anxiety/stress - I do have anxiety attacks where I can't breath. I always push through, because in my family there is no room for this kind of feeling. But my normal high stress overdrive I have been living in constantly for at least four years has transformed into something I can't cope with. Feeling absolutely and utterly numb. Nothing charges my emotions - I am a void of dark bitterness, and its affect me terribly (my friends or lack of friends, my relationship, my humour, my drive/will power, my dedication to succeed & my uni).I think the transformation was triggered recently - I'm doing a masters in environmental management but I see no point to it anymore, a lot of this has to do with my on-off job lifestyle for the last four years. It has contained me from even considering my money as something to promote fun - I haven't had a 'holiday' in 7 years, I don't buy anything unless absolutely necessary because the money is expenses and safety net. I'm starting a new job and I feel nothing towards it - no excitement, not even anxiety just a 'meh' feeling. I have no charge for my field (environmental) because it is impossible to find a job that just feels like it fits me. My last job burnt me out, put stress on my relationship and left me a deflated husk on a chair for a week. I have no motivation to care about this new job or my life - I'm not even sure where I want to be in my life anymore. I just feel empty.I used to love painting, acting (drama), and absolutely adore writing. My partner is making me write a novel to keep me up beat because its the only thing that I feel any emotion towards. But because of my masters I lack time to pursue these activities. I know I am a motivated, in charge type of person - but my life seems so very dull, empty and not worthwhile I do wonder if simply locking the door and never going out again is a possibility. I'm trying to ignore it and convince myself this is how life is...but I don't want it to feel this way anymore. Is my career/job life always going to feel so limited, am I always going to feel numb like my emotional insides are repressed in a jar? How do I kick some motivation back in?beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Oliver22 Feeling very alone
  • replies: 7

Hi, I'm 21 and have been with my partner for nearly 2 years. He has depression and lately I am unsure how to help him and myself deal with it. When we first got to together it was all fine, we seemed to both be able to communicate and sort out any pr... View more

Hi, I'm 21 and have been with my partner for nearly 2 years. He has depression and lately I am unsure how to help him and myself deal with it. When we first got to together it was all fine, we seemed to both be able to communicate and sort out any problems. But in the last 6 months, he blames me for everything and nothing say or do I right. When we fight he can be very nasty and completely unreasonable. I try getting him to talk to me but he doesn't want to open up to me and discuss how he really feels. I don't want to break up, but it is getting really hard on both of us. He doesn't seem to care anymore, and sometimes it feels (in my opinion) that he wants to be miserable and would prefer to push me away than find a solution or way to sort things out. Lately I have been feeling down and withdrawn, and I am worried for myself. I have no motivation and it scares me! I don't feel i can talk about it with him, and I don't want to put any added pressure on him. I really love him, but don't know what is best for him, especially as I am not coping myself. Any advice on what to do about him and how to look after myself would be helpful, I don't know what else to do! Thanks

Hope1dream2 Teen pregnancy
  • replies: 4

During pregnancy I was perfectly fine with studies I studied well kept my head in the game but after having a baby it feels like everything is falling apart. I can't focus on anything, I don't even see the future I wanted in reach anymore and have so... View more

During pregnancy I was perfectly fine with studies I studied well kept my head in the game but after having a baby it feels like everything is falling apart. I can't focus on anything, I don't even see the future I wanted in reach anymore and have so much stress. I feel like just giving up. I don't feel like I can confide in my parents or anyone, there's so much bottled up inside, I just can't deal with taking care for a 4 month old and at the same time having to study is just troubling me. I am so close to graduating but I fear that I won't reach there, the motivation I had to study is no longer there.. even my grades have dropped. I just don't know what to do, everything is falling apart, I just feel like I cannot cope with all of this. The only pathway left seems like the one of giving up, is there anything I can do to bring my motivation and hopes up again? To come back into my aim? Normal 0 false false false EN-AU JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Pontius Who am I?
  • replies: 4

OK. What I am about to say might sound strange, but I will try to explain it well... I have a house in my head that looks like a castle. There are lots of people living inside and some of them are versions of me, and some are not. Probably a good ide... View more

OK. What I am about to say might sound strange, but I will try to explain it well... I have a house in my head that looks like a castle. There are lots of people living inside and some of them are versions of me, and some are not. Probably a good idea to say now that all the people know about all the other people (or so I believe) and have shared memory etc. Also, I think I created them all. Anyway, they all speak and have different personalities (there are at least 25 and they all have names). There are all sorts of people -- young, old, modern, medieval, female, male etc. I do not mind having them most of the time -- they are good company. One of them is 'me' (the one who is writing this). In the house she is called 'DR,' and she keeps everything running and has to deal with the outside world (i.e. you, school, tests etc.). However, there is a little issue because, for example, one of us wants to be really religious, and the ​rest of us don't really go in for that sort of thing. What should I do? Who should I listen to? I am a little confused. And who am I? Thank you. Pontius​

mrkd1991 My story
  • replies: 9

I figured I'd post about myself, excluding some details as to not distress or offend others. I am 24 years old, happily engaged, I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar type 2, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder,... View more

I figured I'd post about myself, excluding some details as to not distress or offend others. I am 24 years old, happily engaged, I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar type 2, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, dissociative disorder. I struggled with severe verbal and physical abuse growing up, bullying in school, countless suicide attempts, severe panic attacks, alcohol and drug abuse/addiction. I have seen countless specialists, taken numerous different medications but nothing helps. At present I am un managed and un medicated. Keeping up with the different aspects and changes of all my problems is very consuming, life often seems pointless.

stargirl Anxiety
  • replies: 2

I just started highschool and I have anxiety disorder. I struggle to fit in and am considered a freak. how can people be so mean? Normally I just sit in the corner and cry during recess.

I just started highschool and I have anxiety disorder. I struggle to fit in and am considered a freak. how can people be so mean? Normally I just sit in the corner and cry during recess.

Pontius My Story - It Gets Better
  • replies: 5

I have had depression on an off for the last three years. I know that in the middle of it all it is so hard to think that anything could get better, and I know people stuff this sort of thing down our throats all the time, but it does get better. At ... View more

I have had depression on an off for the last three years. I know that in the middle of it all it is so hard to think that anything could get better, and I know people stuff this sort of thing down our throats all the time, but it does get better. At the moment I am pretty OK. I am quite sure that sometime in the future, maybe even soon, I will spiral down again, but at the moment I feel so lucky to be alive. If you had told me I would feel like this one year ago I don't think I would have believed you. But please hang in there everyone. There are so many choices I could have made that would mean that I would not be here today, but right now I am so glad I made the choices I did. I can't help thinking that, though we have to die, it's better dying in the light, isn't it? I feel so lucky today. I have been in some pretty dark places so I understand this may not help, but I hope it will.

beep891 Confused
  • replies: 4

I just joined this website because I've been feeling kind of different lately, and I don't know if it means I'm slightly depressed or what, I'm just super confused. I've been feeling so stressed out with all the work I have to do for uni, I literally... View more

I just joined this website because I've been feeling kind of different lately, and I don't know if it means I'm slightly depressed or what, I'm just super confused. I've been feeling so stressed out with all the work I have to do for uni, I literally feel like i'm constantly on the verge of tears thinking about how much I have to do. I've failed subjects in the past which has added an extra year and a bit to my degree, and i'm terrified of doing it again, but i'm sitting here looking at all the work I have to do and I can't stop crying. I've also been talking to someone online for a few months, he originally made me so happy because we would talk constantly, but lately we don't talk as much, although it's still everyday I feel that things are different. He told me a while ago that he's talking to other girls, and I didn't realise how many, he won't tell me an exact number but I know it's a lot, and it makes me really upset, which I've told him but it doesn't stop him from talking to them. I feel like he may be one of the main factors making me so upset lately, but at the same time, if I go a day without talking to him I hate it! I'm so confused and sick of feeling so down, not sure what to do, as much as I love my family and friends this isn't the kind of thing I'd talk to them about.

User1 Don't want to talk about it
  • replies: 5

Hey guys , for a long time now I know I have been unhappy , I always use to shrug it off and just keep on moving. I don't understand why I am not happy , I have an amazing family , I am 19 work full time , have ambitions , have the car of my dreams .... View more

Hey guys , for a long time now I know I have been unhappy , I always use to shrug it off and just keep on moving. I don't understand why I am not happy , I have an amazing family , I am 19 work full time , have ambitions , have the car of my dreams .... All in which I worked for. Yet I just feel so alone , beyond alone. I believe deep down it is the fact that I never really have had a relationship with anyone. I feel like my time of prime years to be getting out and about are running out and I just want to be happy. I feel like an idiot for getting down about it when I have so many good things in my life . I have amazing friends but sometimes they seem like they don't make an effort especially one friend who means the world to me. It breaks my heart every time I see people together being happy , and again I feel like an idiot because that's a good thing , good on them for being happy . I am a nice guy , not bad looking and I just have no confidence in myself anymore. I just wish I knew what people thought , because you look around and people who treat people horribly get what they want and I am just not that type of person. I'm not trying to talk about how good I am , I'm just saying I respect people and get very little back and I can't stand it anymore . I have started pushing my friends away because I just don't want to talk. I just need help , I'm not doing to well and I don't feel comfortable talking to people about it in person. I just want to be happy