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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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SeanOD i dont know how to move on
  • replies: 8

sorry if i put this in the wrong area hi my name is Sean and i have been well dumped not long ago and i don't think i have been able to move on, it's been 3 months now and well i still love him not as much as i did but its still there so here is the ... View more

sorry if i put this in the wrong area hi my name is Sean and i have been well dumped not long ago and i don't think i have been able to move on, it's been 3 months now and well i still love him not as much as i did but its still there so here is the story we are still really good friends we still do thing together his dad don't know about his son being bi but he knows im gay and he calls me son he think of me as a son things could not be better right i have been on dates afterwards but all i think about when im on them is that i want him to be there when i kiss my dates goodbye all i think about is his lips not theirs maybe there is just something wrong with me I don't think of him all the time i just don't think i can feel the same thing for some one else i don't know i guess i could just stop seeing him but i only have two friends and he is one of them sorry about my rant i just wish i knew what to do

vanny316 A sudden and rash choice
  • replies: 7

How would you feel if one of your close friends one day tells you that it's better to cut off their friendship just so that it wouldn't be surprising if she/he died?If that person did it to you...what would you do after your initial reaction of heari... View more

How would you feel if one of your close friends one day tells you that it's better to cut off their friendship just so that it wouldn't be surprising if she/he died?If that person did it to you...what would you do after your initial reaction of hearing them say that it is better to not have she/he in your life? I did that one day because I wanted to suicide and wanted the least amount of people I care about to be surprised or really hurt...I tried to do that so they wont be as surprised but now here I am..still alive and crying over what I did because i regret it....that friend supported me..and understood me the most out of everyone else. and now it seems like she is angry or mad at me....i cant stand it...i know it is all my fault....but i want to try to gain my forgiveness back 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.

ElizabethAnne Lost my Dad to cancer, broke things off with the guy I was seeing. Help please.
  • replies: 6

Hi guys, I'm a 19 year old girl from Perth. I'm not going to go into grief or what I'm going through at the moment (suddenly loosing my Dad to Melanoma in March.) This thread was more about relationships. I have never had a boyfriend, because I've al... View more

Hi guys, I'm a 19 year old girl from Perth. I'm not going to go into grief or what I'm going through at the moment (suddenly loosing my Dad to Melanoma in March.) This thread was more about relationships. I have never had a boyfriend, because I've always been so picky my whole life, and never felt anyone was 'right' for me. And not to say I've never had the opportunities, I just never felt right pursuing them. Anyway, in November last year I met this guy, we started seeing each other regularly just hanging out. And we both felt like we had known each other for years. We were both insanely attracted to each other, and there was profound chemistry between us. Into about 2 weeks of hanging out I figured I should tell him what a big part of my life was at the time, which was being my Dads full time carer, as he has cancer and my parents aren't together. I felt so comforted by him. He was so affectionate. He suddenly became the highlight of my week when I was constantly going through so much pain, month by month, watching my Dads health decrease. He soon started sleeping at my house, became really friendly with my Mum and sister (who I live with).Met my close friends, my cousin, both my Grandmas. Two months in he told me he isn't ready for an official boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, and he doesn't believe in titles. It was a red flag to me but I needed him, and convinced myself that later down the track he might change his mind. Dad passed away four months into knowing him. He still stuck by me. And we got closer and closer. He has seen me at my worst. It became really disheartening getting more emotionally attached to this guy without knowing what we were. I had never been to his house. Never met his family, yet they all knew about me, and wondered why they hadn't met me. And he knew it was getting harder for me to introduce him as a 'friend'. Going on six months, I did the hardest thing I've had to do and tell him I couldn't go on like this. Why was he so afraid of committing? He has never been in a relationship either.He kept telling me he wishes he had met me in 4 years, when he was 25 and finished Uni so that then he could marry me. And that 'you meant more to me than you knew, but that's only because I didn't tell you.' Please shed some of your perspective on the situation. I miss him so much. It's been 2 months. I couldn't just be friends with him it's too hard. I want him back so bad but it's not fair to me feeling like it can't go anywhere.

2000soph Depression
  • replies: 3

Hi who ever is reading this I am 15 years old. I have been dealing with depression for a few months now and I haven't hardly got no one to talk to as none of my friends or family understand how I'm feeling. i am stressing about school with all my exa... View more

Hi who ever is reading this I am 15 years old. I have been dealing with depression for a few months now and I haven't hardly got no one to talk to as none of my friends or family understand how I'm feeling. i am stressing about school with all my exams and asssessments coming up as I have been really unfocused a lot with my brother facing prison for 15 years. i have lost all my trust and faith in myself and friends as there has been fights with the group I hang out with and they are really the only friends I have. i feel I have no one anymore that I ruin everything as I have lost a really good friend and by boyfriend who I loved so much. I just need help before its to late as Im scared invade I do something stupid. Can any of yous help me please I really need it? Has anyone got any ideas how I can be happy again as it feels impossible I have tried talking to a counsellor, parents, friends and family also doing some physical activities to keep my mind of things but none of these are helping me. Does anyone have any other strategies i could try to help me. Thank you

MacMac__ What is wrong with me
  • replies: 1

Hi bb people. I am experiencing a lot of pain in my life at the moment and feel like I have been in bad situations since the day I was born. I had a horrible childhood growing up not knowing my biological father, moving from town to town with my alco... View more

Hi bb people. I am experiencing a lot of pain in my life at the moment and feel like I have been in bad situations since the day I was born. I had a horrible childhood growing up not knowing my biological father, moving from town to town with my alcoholic mother and her abusive partners. When I was 13 I decided That I had had enough and stayed in one of the towns with a friend at the time while my mother moved interstate. I lasted about a year then moved back with mum and after a while she decided to go back to the original town we lived in and I stayed. Again. Ever since that young age I have been independent. I just feel like everything is too hard. I wasn't able to finish year 12 because I couldn't afford to not work and my life just never goes right. I'm scared I'm going to feel like this forever.

JustJack Newcomer
  • replies: 11

Hey my names jack im 22 years old and i just wanted to share some stuff. Im not looking for sympathy im just going through a hard time and feel i need to talk to people likeminded.As a child i was abused on 2 seperate occasions. My parents were both ... View more

Hey my names jack im 22 years old and i just wanted to share some stuff. Im not looking for sympathy im just going through a hard time and feel i need to talk to people likeminded.As a child i was abused on 2 seperate occasions. My parents were both alchoholoc, ive witnessed my mother get beaten which my psychiatrist says was my first emotional trama. I have two children which live on the other side of the country, which im ridden with guilt about. I hate social interaction, most the time i feel crap about myself. I cant remember the last time i had a possitive thought.. probably when my children especially my 2 year old looked at me with such admiration and love. Ive been hospitalised many times for suicide attempts...abused drugs meth, inhalents, alchohol, perscription meds.. i dont have a job.. i dont have any friends i just feel so low all the time i dont want to go out.. i feel again like im reaching breaking point, im having trouble coping With life.. i dont know how much longer i can do this. Ive had enough.. 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. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE 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","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

HoneymoonErin Anxiety on my Class Trip.
  • replies: 5

Here's the thing, I'm going to Cambodia with my class, a bunch of year 10's and none of them know about my anxiety not even the teachers who are going and I know I will be freaking out the whole time from the second I get on the plane to leave. I don... View more

Here's the thing, I'm going to Cambodia with my class, a bunch of year 10's and none of them know about my anxiety not even the teachers who are going and I know I will be freaking out the whole time from the second I get on the plane to leave. I don't know how to manage it alone for the two weeks. I'm already panicking about it every night. I'm too scared to tell somebody how I feel about getting on this plane because I feel incredibly embarrassed about it. I never deal well with going overseas even with my family and I'm too scared and anxious about what this will be like without my mum with me. I don't want to annoy anybody around me with panic attacks and just really bad anxiety about everything, the plane, the food, I get really worried about eating foreign food, I'm not sure why, I think because I'm worried about getting sick from it. I tried everything to get myself off this trip but now I have to go and I'm not ready for it. Does anyone have an tips for getting through this trip with as little panic attacks as possible, should I tell someone going? I don't want to be judged by my classmates for freaking out over little things. How can I distract myself from grabbing the person next to me constantly or pulling my hair out and things like that? Thanks for reading.

brookey What do you guys do when you don't have any hope left?
  • replies: 9

Hi everyone, this is my first post here so I'm not really sure how to go about everything but I guess I just wanted to word vomit out some of my feelings I've been having lately. I've been having problems with depression since I was 17 (now 24), and ... View more

Hi everyone, this is my first post here so I'm not really sure how to go about everything but I guess I just wanted to word vomit out some of my feelings I've been having lately. I've been having problems with depression since I was 17 (now 24), and I am starting to feel really hopeless about ever being able to lead a life where I'm not constantly plagued by feeling so terribly depressed all the time. It is a little frustrating because on the surface of my life everything is going so well. But on the inside I always feel terrible. I am currently seeing a psych and I think that has been helping somewhat, but I still am having a lot of trouble overcoming these thoughts.I just feel like I don't matter to anyone and that my life is pointless. I feel like I'm never going to be in a relationship and that now that all my friends are coupling off I'm going to be alone forever. Obviously I know that this might not necessarily be true, and that it's probably just the depression talking, but it can still feel really overwhelming sometimes. How do you guys cope with these kinds of feelings/thoughts? I'd be so grateful if anyone had any personal experiences they could share as I'm really on struggle street trying to cope! thank you 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. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE 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","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

gremz Getting physically sick when working
  • replies: 4

I spent most of yesterday crying about this worry yesterday and I want to know if there's anyone else there that understands what I'm talking about.It seems like every time I get a job, I get sick. In 2013 and '14 I got a new job at two separate plac... View more

I spent most of yesterday crying about this worry yesterday and I want to know if there's anyone else there that understands what I'm talking about.It seems like every time I get a job, I get sick. In 2013 and '14 I got a new job at two separate places. Both times I lasted a few months while my health slowly deteriorated. It'd start with a cold which seems quite normal, but 2 weeks later I'd have another one. It'd be like any illness possible, I'd get it, and no one else ever caught it from me or had it originally. My immune system would get weaker and weaker and eventually I'd be forced to take so much time off I'd get fired. Then I have to spend the next few months trying to build my immune system back up while battling a depression triggered by being constantly sick, in pain, having nothing to do or wake up for and feeling incapable of even the simplest jobs.I decided not to work this year until I finished my course (I'm studying Community Services). I only have one unit this semester so I started my student placement early. I hadn't been sick since January this year, until I started working. Now maybe I am just really unlucky, but so far I have contracted 3 different bugs in the 3 weeks since I started. I've only been doing 2-3 7 hour work days. No one else that I have come into contact with have been sick either and I take vitamins weekly.Feels like I'll never be able to hold a job.

Uhuru Think i have anxiety but can't find strength to tell anyone else
  • replies: 5

Ok so I think that I might have anxiety.I know I cannot be sure without getting a proper diagnosis but over the past year or so I have been doing more & more research into anxiety&the signs&symptoms associated with it.The way I feel has been building... View more

Ok so I think that I might have anxiety.I know I cannot be sure without getting a proper diagnosis but over the past year or so I have been doing more & more research into anxiety&the signs&symptoms associated with it.The way I feel has been building up for about 3 or 4 years now.It’s really hard for me to describe exactly how I feel as I have never ever spoken to anyone about these feelings.Over the past few years I have become so much more anxious about everyday activities.I dread doing tasks that I use to do with ease, I ALWAYS feel worried&uneasy, I'm always tired&find it next to impossible to concentrate.I think a lot of my anxious feelings generate from fear of other people judging everything about me.The problem is I have dug myself a very big hole over the years&now I am struggling to get out.I have hidden my feelings behind a mask to everyone in my life.They see me as this always happy girl who's kind&caring.No matter how I'm feeling, I always internalize it. Whenever someone asks me how I am or if I'm ok, I instinctively put a bright smile on my face&respond happily "yeah I'm fine!".I think it might be my body’s way of protecting itself.I wish someone knew how I felt but I just can’t bring myself to tell anyone because I fear that they wouldn’t understand&think I am overreacting as for them it would seem completely out of the blue.I have been crying myself to sleep a lot, as that’s the only time I really have alone to contemplate my feelings without others discovering me. However I find that I have been having episodes where for a short period of time (e.g. an hour or two) I feel positive & on top of things & it is in these moments that I try to convince myself that I am perfectly fine & don’t need help – moments like these make me question my sanity & who I really am.When I’m with friends & family my face is neutral on the outside but on the inside I’m screaming for help.My aunt is really worried about my cousin as she thinks he has social anxiety. She texted my mum about this & she discussed it with my brother cause his gf has depression.They were talking about how it must be so hard for him to manage with school & staying healthy. All the while I was sitting facing the wall with tears silently streaming down my face.I hate to say it but I envy my cousin cause at least people know about him & are getting him help.I am the only one who knows how I feel & I want to change that but I have built up to many walls & don’t know how to break them down.