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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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SMFB93 I feel lost with uni and am worried I'm amounting to nothing
  • replies: 5

I have nearly finished a three year degree at university,and yet I dislike it immensely and have lost much of my drive to finish it (it is worth noting that I only started this course because it was the only one I was accepted into). I feel that my d... View more

I have nearly finished a three year degree at university,and yet I dislike it immensely and have lost much of my drive to finish it (it is worth noting that I only started this course because it was the only one I was accepted into). I feel that my dislike of the course is potentially more of a reflection of my dislike for the uni itself.I never lived on campus,therefore the opportunity to make new friends appeared to be very slim for me,as most,if not all other peers in my lectures conversed mainly about residence stuff. From my first year onwards,I felt completely alienated from the university lifestyle,leading me to feel rather apathetic towards uni in general. I lived in a sharehouse for much of last year,which improved my social life a bit,but I am now back with the parents,as part of an ailing plan to move out of my hometown (where my uni also is). This has really isolated me to the point where I doubt if I even made any friends at all in the time I was in a sharehouse. This year has been,for the most part,a confused mess. I still don't have a clear life direction or set goals at the age of 21.I understand that to be normal for someone my age,but I am at a complete loss as to what to do with my life. The only times I've really felt happy this year have been when I've been at music festivals/gigs (I'm a massive heavy metal fan) and the occasional meetings with friends (which have steadily declined since I moved back home). I am sick of having no ambition,being tied down doing a degree I hate,and feeling isolated and alienated.

Dizzyy I think its time to admit it
  • replies: 2

I think I'm depressed, there! i finally said it (well I guess not really said more typed) I think i've been depressed for a long time, the reason I keep saying "I think" is because nothing particularly traumatic has happened in my life, in fact I hav... View more

I think I'm depressed, there! i finally said it (well I guess not really said more typed) I think i've been depressed for a long time, the reason I keep saying "I think" is because nothing particularly traumatic has happened in my life, in fact I have quite an amazing life so why am I sad?? why am I so ungrateful?? when so many more people have it enfinity times worse than I do. and that fact just makes it 10 times harder because if I do have depression, My parents would never understand, they wouldn't believe me. They have laid out this perfect life for me what right do i have to be depressed?? anyway I guess what i'm looking for is ways to get help without my parents knowing, like can i got to a therapist without them with me?? any ideas?? Thank You xx

Liam007 Return after long abscence
  • replies: 8

So I kinda disappeared from the site for a long time I'm not sure face to face counseling does anything for me anymore, not sure what I'm going to do now. I now hate myself and feel like a useless individual, I have some fast food service experience ... View more

So I kinda disappeared from the site for a long time I'm not sure face to face counseling does anything for me anymore, not sure what I'm going to do now. I now hate myself and feel like a useless individual, I have some fast food service experience and that's it, I can never match up to others or be anywhere near on their level I thought I might give my formal and graduation assembly chance they are this term coming up but after certain events occurred I've ditched the idea and have completely made up my mind about not going to them. No one at school cares about me so I don't care anymore

expressionless How can I help myself?
  • replies: 1

I'm 17 and I've been anxious for many years. The past few years however (around the middle of high school) I've been feeling really depressed. I have constantly been told "try to make a change" and "try to be happier" by my parents, especially my dad... View more

I'm 17 and I've been anxious for many years. The past few years however (around the middle of high school) I've been feeling really depressed. I have constantly been told "try to make a change" and "try to be happier" by my parents, especially my dad, but he doesn't understand. I dislike school, and I don't particularly like socialising. I keep trying to figure out ways that I can connect with people, because I feel like all my thoughts and feelings, draw me away from truly connecting with others, which is probably why I always feel alone. I do have friends, but I find it so incredibly hard to INITIATE things often outside school. I'm not confident, I feel horrible almost 24/7 and I've tried so many things, natural/herbal medicines, yoga, breathing but they either don't work or I can never keep them up! Any tips? I need all the help I can get

Sam132 It's taking over
  • replies: 4

Hi I have been suffering from anxiety for about four years, I have never told or talked to anyone about this and in the past year this anxiety has turned into depression. I used to be a hard working student at school that always tried his best even t... View more

Hi I have been suffering from anxiety for about four years, I have never told or talked to anyone about this and in the past year this anxiety has turned into depression. I used to be a hard working student at school that always tried his best even though I still got bad marks but lately I have started to not care about my school work or what the teacher think about me. during the day my depression seems to go away like I don't get bad thoughts or anything I think this is because I am busy talking to friends but at night when I'm in bed I lay there and cry and think about all the stupid things I've done and said in my life and its near impossible to get asleep. My mum has noticed that my grades have been dropping and she has arranged a meeting with the school counseller to try and figer out what is going on. I think I might tell him about everything I am going though but I don't think I will be able to say one word to him without breaking into tears.

princessamelie12 Master's student in struggletown
  • replies: 2

I'm 22- final semester master's student- this semester being my thesis semester. Since about March I've started to fall into a bit of hole (metaphorically speaking). As well as doing master's I've been dealing with two lots of family illness (one com... View more

I'm 22- final semester master's student- this semester being my thesis semester. Since about March I've started to fall into a bit of hole (metaphorically speaking). As well as doing master's I've been dealing with two lots of family illness (one completely unexpected)with immediate family as well as other mental health issues. My degree basically means I have no time for anything else but to study everyday and work part time (had to keep a high GPA through-out). Also did off semesters so I essentially did sem 1 2014, winter sem 2014, sem 2 2014, summer sem 2015 and sem 1 2015. Last semester I did 15 contact hours a week and 45,000 words of papers over 4 courses plus a 3 hour exam. On top of this I've also been applying for multiple jobs a week- working everyday and trying to play sport and maintaining my relationship. I've got a bit of a history of mental health issues, which seem to have been made worse by the family illness that I've also been dealing with as well dealing with rejection of not getting jobs (the applications have taken me up to 5-10 each- some of them demanded 1,500 word applications). On top of this, I've been sick basically since last year (was in hospital for a couple of days), I've been on antibiotics 12 times since the middle of last year for various things, and now I've got even further complications which means I'm in alot of pain most of the time. I'm on medication for this but it's been quite ineffective thus far. Some days I really struggle to get out of bed and do basic things- either because I'm in pain or because I'm feeling very very depressed/anxious. Have called in sick for work a number of times. I'm concerned about what's going to happen after I finish my thesis and going into the workforce next year. I'm bisexual and I've already found myself trying to "hide" myself to make sure I'm not being discriminated against in job applications. I thought I would essentially outgrow mental health issues- but they have just seemed to have stayed around. My partner is really caring and considerate and tries to help me- and he's also very successful (3 years older). I feel very happy and proud of him for being successful at his work, but at the same time, it also makes me feel like I've achieved nothing in comparison. Tried to speak to some professionals in my area but haven't been able to connect with them or I've been put on waiting lists. I think my resilience going to run out very soon. Advice would be much appreciated.

respite Worried I won't be treated Seriously...
  • replies: 4

Hi,I think I'm suicidal or atleast very depressed... I don't want to really talk about it right now I'm worried I will be too "cool" about it if I go to the doctors tomorrow but I really think I need help.Any experience or advice to help relay my ser... View more

Hi,I think I'm suicidal or atleast very depressed... I don't want to really talk about it right now I'm worried I will be too "cool" about it if I go to the doctors tomorrow but I really think I need help.Any experience or advice to help relay my seriousness to them. 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.

lel-iwish I've just been so anxious.
  • replies: 4

I am pretty sure I have depression. But I have been feeling so anxious lately. I've been doing this thing where I count stuff and when I don't I feel like I am about to have a panic attack and now slight messes really bother me. At school, I have to ... View more

I am pretty sure I have depression. But I have been feeling so anxious lately. I've been doing this thing where I count stuff and when I don't I feel like I am about to have a panic attack and now slight messes really bother me. At school, I have to have my pencils lined up or in my pencil case and it really really bothers me when my friends throw paper around. It doesn't make any sense to me as I am a naturally messy person. I got in trouble with my mum for leaving a mess in the car on the ride to school this morning and when she told me off, I was so nervous. I felt like I couldn't breathe and my heart was beating really fast so I started to count the number of trees we drove past (24 until I lost count) and it kinda calmed me down. Also when I lose count, I get really anxious again and I feel like something really heavy in on my chest. I'm not sure why I am feeling this way or when it started. Please help.

j_dawg Anxiety??
  • replies: 12

Hi I'm new here So it's exam time at the moment and I've been feeling pretty stressed out. I'm that competitive person who wants to be good at everything. Anyway, I've been getting stomach aches, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches and sleeplessness ... View more

Hi I'm new here So it's exam time at the moment and I've been feeling pretty stressed out. I'm that competitive person who wants to be good at everything. Anyway, I've been getting stomach aches, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches and sleeplessness for these few weeks. Is that a symptom of anxiety? Before the exams, but heart races, I'm sweating and feeling faint, too. Is there anything I can do, or anything that you can recommend to help stop these feelings? I'm not sure if it's just me, but it doesn't seem too serious to go to a doctor, compared to some other people's problems here.

Rhinosamigos Not sure if depression or anxiety?
  • replies: 2

Hi, I am a 15 year old guy living in Newcastle and i'm not sure if i have anxiety or depression. I always get really self conscious about how i look all the time because of my red cheeks that my mum refuses to do anything about. Then I get really sad... View more

Hi, I am a 15 year old guy living in Newcastle and i'm not sure if i have anxiety or depression. I always get really self conscious about how i look all the time because of my red cheeks that my mum refuses to do anything about. Then I get really sad or depressed about it. Then because of high school as well there's a few episodes in there. But I always laugh with my friends all the time, not sure if it's a fake laugh or a real laugh anymore. I have totally forgotten what being excited for things feel like, when i got my braces off i didn't feel any different. I didn't get a boost in confidence at all. I always look in the mirror and point out the bad things at me. I've told mum about this and she just says "Snap out of it".