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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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atrociousace How to get out of a toxic situation
  • replies: 4

I am currently 22 , and still living with my extremely toxic and verbally abusive mother. I really want to move out but I have no idea where to start, I’ve looked at places online but I can’t find anywhere that is suitable for me and my cat that is b... View more

I am currently 22 , and still living with my extremely toxic and verbally abusive mother. I really want to move out but I have no idea where to start, I’ve looked at places online but I can’t find anywhere that is suitable for me and my cat that is both easy for me to get to and in my price range. I don’t have a license which makes things harder as I can’t just live out of my car nor do i have any friends or family that would take me in. can someone please give me advice on how to get out of this situation?

JustAnYtka I feel like my parents don’t understand
  • replies: 8

This is just a bit of a rant. I came out of my room to see my mum and watch some tv with her. Almost instantly she tells me I need to shower. I’m aware of that. I haven’t showered in ages, I physically cannot. Then I ask if there’s any popcorn left. ... View more

This is just a bit of a rant. I came out of my room to see my mum and watch some tv with her. Almost instantly she tells me I need to shower. I’m aware of that. I haven’t showered in ages, I physically cannot. Then I ask if there’s any popcorn left. She tells me I need to eat something healthy because I had cereal for dinner. It was nutrograin (idk how to spell it.) no, it’s not particularly healthy but it’s not as bad as coco puffs or something like that. I really struggle with eating due to PDA, and she know that when I can eat, I do. When I can eat, I eat a safe food. But when I can eat, she tells me to eat healthier. I know I don’t eat healthy. I know I don’t eat often and I know she’s trying to help but whenever I tell her that it makes it worse, she gets mad at me. When I walked back to my room tonight, she said angrily, “great, just great.” My dad is similar. He says things like “you need to cut down on junk food,” when I’m having a small bowl of ice cream. He eats SO much junk food. Every night. We bought a box of ice creams (on sticks) the other day. They come in 6 packs. The next night I went to get one and there were none left. My mum and sister only had one each. That means he had four, in one night. I’m so sick and tired of them telling me not to do things that 1, I’m not doing and 2, they do. Thanks for reading and sorry for the long post Bee

angrylozenger I feel so numb
  • replies: 3

One of my very good friends just said he liked me and really wanted to let me know so that the friendship doesn't whittle down for any unexplained reasons. I'm very happy that he's said this because he's still choosing to be my friend and i expressed... View more

One of my very good friends just said he liked me and really wanted to let me know so that the friendship doesn't whittle down for any unexplained reasons. I'm very happy that he's said this because he's still choosing to be my friend and i expressed that I am so thankful for that and that's what he wants too. I am actually so happy to have him in my life and im so happy that we can talk everyday and just maintain the level of pleasure we have when we're around each other. However it was very hard to turn him down after reading that. I have a crush on him too but decided not to date him because he's my brother's friend. I was asking on advice before all this happened on whether or not I pursue him but my Dad advised that I don't because of the weird tie. My mum found it normal and that I can date him if I wanted to. I initially thought not because I thought it was weird at first...but then my feelings became stronger. After he expressed how he felt and how I felt, I feel so numb. But I guess I know this is a good decision (I think) even though when I'm high on my feelings, I want to date him so bad. But when I'm not high on feelings, I still tell myself to turn him down. I just hope we can still be exactly how we are after this. I really like being around him so much and he's helped me so much. We've been friends for 2 years but he's known me since I was little. I just feel so hurt that I had to do that.

Guest_0982 Difficulty coping
  • replies: 7

Hey, I’m Ly. I’m in year eleven, and am currently struggling to manage a depressive episode. My doctor has upped my prescription, but until it kicks in, I need to figure out a way to cope. The fatigue and exhaustion is so prevalent that it’s sometime... View more

Hey, I’m Ly. I’m in year eleven, and am currently struggling to manage a depressive episode. My doctor has upped my prescription, but until it kicks in, I need to figure out a way to cope. The fatigue and exhaustion is so prevalent that it’s sometimes hard to move my body. I feel sluggish and slow, and the brain fog makes it difficult to do school work. I have assignments coming up and I struggle even starting them. When I’m mentally well I excel academically, but right now things are hard. My hygiene’s been slipping too. I often find it difficult to shower or wash my hair. Any advice?

jellyfish45 I’ve lost all motivation in my final year of school
  • replies: 4

Hi, I’m a bit new here so please bear with me in this. I am in my final year of high school and i’ve been suffering with a loss of motivation. i’ve been heavily debating by what to do with it and i decided to try reach out for some help/advice on wha... View more

Hi, I’m a bit new here so please bear with me in this. I am in my final year of high school and i’ve been suffering with a loss of motivation. i’ve been heavily debating by what to do with it and i decided to try reach out for some help/advice on what to do. i have tried to reach out a few times for help from the school councillor but i’ve really struggled, few reasons being that i have trouble expressing myself in how i feel, i tend to be someone who tries to rationalise my emotions and my i tend to struggle with recollecting my emotions and experiences. it’s also quite hard for me to open up with my emotions at home with my fears of it being used against me or causing a fight. what’s one of the worst things for me is the fact that i go to an academic school and a whole lot of people have high expectations of me but i think i’m struggling so much that i’ll disappoint everyone and humiliate myself. i’m no longer good at what i once thought i was good and am have come to realise that i’ve never really been talented but just either extremely lucky in some circumstances, or in other times just motivated by fear or other external factors. i feel so burnt out but guilty for feeling this way, but at the end of the day i still end up doing nothing but doing useless things to avoid my duties. then at the end of the day i either go to sleep crying or intentionally going on my phone to forget this anxiousness then this cycle of guilt and being lazy just persists. ill be honest i don’t really know what i wanted from saying this, but i guess i just wanted to let out how i feel in a way that would be easier for me than physically consulting someone without feeling as embarrassed or like a fool/attention seeker as i would if i expressed this out loud to someone. would there be a way for me to cope with these feelings? what should i do? i feel like i’m struggling to validate how i’m truly feeling because i feel like im not actually struggling with motivation but intentionally being lazy just to feel like some sort of a victim. i apologise if this is really hard to understand and just feels like a rant. it’s my first time on this site so i’m not too sure if i’ve done this right or whether this is something i’m allowed to post and please feel free to give me any opinions (even if it’s blunt) or judgement for anything i’ve said. thanks.

Hb5598 Working with worries
  • replies: 10

Hello, this my second post. i am currently in a math class and I can't find motivation for the life of me. I have been falling behind in most classes because of anxiety and clinical depression. what should i do to get some ideas and start catching up... View more

Hello, this my second post. i am currently in a math class and I can't find motivation for the life of me. I have been falling behind in most classes because of anxiety and clinical depression. what should i do to get some ideas and start catching up? from a troubled student who does not believe in himself.

iz_b19 Depression Impacting My Life
  • replies: 2

Hi, Im a 17 year old in year 12 and im struggling with depression. I've been struggling with depression for about 2 years and I'm seeing a psychologist to help and I'm finding a psychiatrist to get medication to help. But recently, the depression and... View more

Hi, Im a 17 year old in year 12 and im struggling with depression. I've been struggling with depression for about 2 years and I'm seeing a psychologist to help and I'm finding a psychiatrist to get medication to help. But recently, the depression and having to deal with (supposed) fibromyalgia at a young age has made my life really difficult and I feel really alone. I have had 23 days off school this semester so far and i have missed out on so much work I cant even begin to explain it. My biggest problem is not how much ive missed, but the fact that i cant find the motivation to do any school work whatsover and when i actually want to do work, my brain wont let me. Concentration has gone completely out of the window and sometimes i cant even speak or write sentences properly its super frustrating. It's like the parts of my brain that I need to function have been taped off with 'restricted area' tape and i cant get passed it. I feel like a pen (you know when the ink gets dry or stuck and it wont come out?) and no matter how hard i scribble or draw nothing, comes out. Ive had to apply for so many extensions on assignments i feel embarrassed and that my teachers think i am lazy. They know about my physical health issues and my mental health ones but they still ask a million questions, and give useless advice. I never hand in a completed draft for any of my assignments anymore. I find it overwhelming to respond or write emails to my teachers because i have to re-explain my mental and physical health situations over and over again because of the policies that the school has with having excuses for not doing work. Ive tried to explain to my parents how i feel and that nothing is working but they only tell me to keep going and 'just do it' but that doesn't work for me. Ive tried the 'do it for 5 mins' trick, and the reward trick, i get rid of as many distractions as i can but somehow even my own reflection distracts me. I know that lack of interest and motivation in things is a common symptom of depression but i feel like it's so severe at the moment to the point where i feel like my life is spiraling out of control and im a ghost who physically cant grasp the wheel. I recently told my parents some difficult things i have been thinking and feeling about life and we talked about maybe going to the hospital which I feel like i do need but I have no idea what it's like there, nor do i have anyone i can talk to about what its like for a young person like me there.

Tsqrdflxkrat Weird stuff has been going on and I dont think I'm ok I need help please whats going on
  • replies: 4

2 weeks ago i started hearing voices in my head. Sometimes they sound different in terms of tone and pitch, sometimes they're the same or very similar to mine. I keep feeling like everything is imaginary and fake, and I'm having trouble on concentrat... View more

2 weeks ago i started hearing voices in my head. Sometimes they sound different in terms of tone and pitch, sometimes they're the same or very similar to mine. I keep feeling like everything is imaginary and fake, and I'm having trouble on concentrating on lots of things. I keep zoning out way more than I usually do. I have been diagnosed with AD/HD so it feels weird, I zone out and see things happening and hear them, but it all seems unclear and far away and unimportant. The voices I keep hearing seem to come and go, but whenever I zone out, they're always there and they seem more noticeably different then than other times. I keep getting dizzy randomly, and I keep forgetting things, even if they've just happened, like I listen to somebody say something and then realise that I don't know any of what they said, or (This is something that happened to me this morning) Waking up, and immediately finding a stickynote on my bedroom door with a message on it (I don't want to say it here). The door was locked (from the inside) and It wasn't locked when I went to sleep, so I'm nervous because I don't sleepwalk or anything. At school earlier today, somebody came up to me and greeted me, saying we had talked before. I do have really bad memory, but I don't think it was memory this time because he greeted me with a different name and got confused when I said that it wasn't my name. This sort of thing has been happening to me alot for the past 2 weeks. Also, a few times I've felt like I'm moving without trying, and at those times when I do try to move voluntarily then I can't, or only very slightly, like twitching my fingers and that's it. I don't even feel like me sometimes, and when I look in the mirror I have trouble recognizing myself as myself. Does anybody know what this is?? Please Helppp

ElieAC Am I running out of time?
  • replies: 6

I’m very nearly 20 and feel as though I haven’t accomplished as much as I should. I used to be the kid that did absolutely everything and did it well. Now I sit around without friends or hobbies wondering if I’ll ever make anything of myself. My grad... View more

I’m very nearly 20 and feel as though I haven’t accomplished as much as I should. I used to be the kid that did absolutely everything and did it well. Now I sit around without friends or hobbies wondering if I’ll ever make anything of myself. My grades at uni are no longer the A’s they once were. My jobs (I have two) pay less than enough to be financially stable. I live alone and know bringing in a roommate would be more financially responsible but I’m an introvert who needs space and would panic having someone else in my home. My problem is I feel that I don’t really have much direction. I’m not extraordinary at anything and I’m just sort of decent at most things so I have no idea what to do with myself. I feel like I’ve not accomplished anything and that I’m running out of time to find a skill or passion that’s worth investing in. If you have advice or have felt like this, I’d love to listen. Sincerely, A very stuck young human.

hm_ Feeling anxious lately
  • replies: 5

Hi Just to be clear, I have never been diagnosed with anxiety and I don't think I have it. Recently, I have been experiencing a lot of feelings of anxiety. It happens mostly when I am going to sleep, because at this time I have nothing to occupy my m... View more

Hi Just to be clear, I have never been diagnosed with anxiety and I don't think I have it. Recently, I have been experiencing a lot of feelings of anxiety. It happens mostly when I am going to sleep, because at this time I have nothing to occupy my mind with. I often rethink my day and obsess over little mistakes I made such as saying the wrong thing in a conversation or making a mistake in my school work or exam etc. I try to control it but it gets uncontrollable and it feels like my life is over resulting in having a lot of trouble sleeping. I have tried meditating and other techniques but it doesnt stop. I have never gotten a panic attack, but my mind starts racing and I get really emotional. Does anyone know how to help? I know it sounds small but I feel like I am being attacked for every small error I make.