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romantic_thi3f Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies
  • replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are i... View more

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

Sophie_M NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first
  • replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindfu... View more

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

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mandy6 20C
  • replies: 12

Hello group of friendly or problem facing people So, i have been here a few times and although I have changed since my first post I feel this is largely due to the fact that I stopped caring about anything and I started to not give about what people ... View more

Hello group of friendly or problem facing people So, i have been here a few times and although I have changed since my first post I feel this is largely due to the fact that I stopped caring about anything and I started to not give about what people thought. I am in high school and am constantly feeling depressed. I have also begun to stop trusting anyone and am always extremely cynical. furthermore I realized that I don't care if I have friends because whether some one is my friend or not they still seem to treat me the same way. the real reason i have come here is to ask for some advice about a problem. THE PROBLEM: every time i meet someone who has a quality which i dislike or does something i think is either rude or stupid or mean or annoying or just undesirable I consciously avoid doing that thing. for example when someone you know starts talking to you about something really simple as if they are talking about a complex issue and they assume you have no knowledge about it even though it's just something really obvious and then they act like their the best because they told you about this idea. or when people always agree with you even when you start the conversation with a debatable idea and people just don't want to argue so they just agree. or when people don't accept a compliment or fish for compliments. there are more. now i have become a void of nothing because I realised that i actually hate every quality about every person and I can't possibly do something which I hate in other people, but instead i have become this boring nothingness and I hate this more than anything else in the world. the other thing which makes me angry and feel isolated and then depressed is that no one seems to share the same opinions as me on anything, or when I do something differently to everyone else (which happens often) rather than people supporting me they are just condescending and gossipy. what's worse i have a really bad anger problem and am always so angry at things which other people don't seem to give a damn about. what i'm really trying to ask is how do you become an interesting person who who doesn't hate themselves and how do you make friends who aren't phony and furthermore how do you keep them? thanks

Smc12 I don't know why I feel like this..
  • replies: 1

Only recently has the feeling of helplessness taken over me. It's been happening for the past year or so, but has recently increased quite a bit. The worst part is I can't put it in words properly. I feel lost. I feel alone. I feel helpless. I have b... View more

Only recently has the feeling of helplessness taken over me. It's been happening for the past year or so, but has recently increased quite a bit. The worst part is I can't put it in words properly. I feel lost. I feel alone. I feel helpless. I have become so cold and have begun pushing my loved ones away, yet at the same time hope that someone comes along that is right for me and will magically 'cure' this feeling i've been having. I fins myself wanting to cry at random times for no real reason. I take every little comment so personally, even when it's not. I snap at my loved ones. I reject nice, new people from my life in fear that I'll somehow destroy them and tell myself I don't deserve good people in my life. I hate my body image and worry that I may also develop an eating disorder. I get sad for no reason and eat my feelings when no one is looking to know what I'm doing. I'm scared I'll never feel better or even start getting worse. I have some great friends but they seem to not have as much time for me these days, or are too busy spending time with their new partners. My emotions are just all over the place and I don't know how to cope with it all as it's becomming too much.

bepositive This is a big step for me
  • replies: 6

Hello kind person reading this! I am a 17 year old girl who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder 2 years ago. I feel as if i am a burden to everyone because of my poor management of the disorder. Beyond blue is an incredible initiative, and I am ... View more

Hello kind person reading this! I am a 17 year old girl who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder 2 years ago. I feel as if i am a burden to everyone because of my poor management of the disorder. Beyond blue is an incredible initiative, and I am so grateful for this support service.

ifallintofantasy No Trust and Misunderstoood
  • replies: 1

I was born with APD (Audio Processing Disorder) its a learning disorder/ speech impediment that a small number of children have. I had it really bad as child and received speech therapy for it. That part of the disorder is not a problem for me anymor... View more

I was born with APD (Audio Processing Disorder) its a learning disorder/ speech impediment that a small number of children have. I had it really bad as child and received speech therapy for it. That part of the disorder is not a problem for me anymore but the learning part is still. At school teachers assume what I need, and my classmates bullied me because I stand out. Making friends is a big problem for me, they tend to use and reject me. This leaded me to show myself in what they want to see and not be myself. This factors lead me self sabotaging myself and not trusting anyone including family members. I am 24 and not currently in any study, I recently moved in the city, this for me was a meant as new beginning, I was even getting along with my family better but had a recent breakdown. I am so sick of not trusting people around and being misunderstood. Meting new people always put me on edge, I try to be what they like, convinced that is nothing about myself to like or interested. With depression I get insomnia and some panic attacks.

Corey792 Struggling to get my life going
  • replies: 1

Hi all, just sharing my personal battle with depression and the reasons why.I'm currently 20 years old and unemployed with nothing looking up. Growing up my life was filled with so much promise. As a kid an early teen I played rugby league at a high ... View more

Hi all, just sharing my personal battle with depression and the reasons why.I'm currently 20 years old and unemployed with nothing looking up. Growing up my life was filled with so much promise. As a kid an early teen I played rugby league at a high level and was even a NSW and australian schoolboy, I thought for sure this was my career path until I was diagnosed with nerve damage in my lower back which ended any chance I had. I took up soccer and again showed promise and won myself a scholarship in England to play at a semi pro leve at only 16 years of age , but a permanent knee injury took that chance from me. I always had joining the army as my career goal if my dreams of being a pro level sports sat failed (which is every kids dream, but was a strong possibility for me). I doing my HSC I also done my testing to join the Amy as a commando and was very successful so I breezed through year 12 not picking up an star. In doing just a routine check up before my training began everything went wrong. I failed a basic eye test and required glasses so I had to wait 12 months before applying again, this is when my depression started. During this 12 month period my nerve damage in my back also claimed y hips and I'm now unable to apply for the army with this condition which has left me feeling like I have failed in life. This brings me to now, 20 years old and no direction or meaning in life.I have often had suicidal thoughts but the thought of theimpact this would have on family and friends has stopped me. Has anyone else had their dreams taken from them and felt worthless? Thanks for reading, any support or advice would be great, much love.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.

fuzzy8 Confused..
  • replies: 1

Hi.. Okay, so, I’m new to this, some mates of mine suggested they were worried about me. So it thought this wouldn't be such a bad place to start, I'm not really sure why I am where I'm at.. but, I guess this is worth a shot.. I finished high school ... View more

Hi.. Okay, so, I’m new to this, some mates of mine suggested they were worried about me. So it thought this wouldn't be such a bad place to start, I'm not really sure why I am where I'm at.. but, I guess this is worth a shot.. I finished high school last year, and fair to say it had many ups and downs, there were stages a couple of years ago at school where I felt like I was being excluded from my only friends and I would dread recess and lunchtimes and would occasionally spend them crying in the toilets. Later that year, I attempted to change friendship groups and I copped a bit of slack for that, I got through it all and the next year ran somewhat smoothly. The following year I found myself in not a very good place, with no real reason for me to feel such a way. I pretty much just hated myself, I wasn’t enjoying school, and sport, the only thing I really had, was becoming a drag. I felt myself drifting away from everyone, no one noticed me and I would continually hide behind a fake smile and pretend everything was fine. I pushed all that away, and convinced myself that there was nothing to worry about, and got through the rest of my schooling. This year I commenced university, and the year has been interesting, I like my course, but other than that, things haven’t been going great, I’m terrible with making friends and find myself feeling more and more alone, yet I’m surrounded by people. I’ve sunk back into the same place I was, I have some bad days, where I just want to stay in my room and avoid anyone and everyone, where even the simplest task seem too much, I don't have many friends, well, not true friends. I find it hard to explain how I’m feeling and why. I tend to act happy and pretend everything is fine, cos really, I have no excuse for it not to be? Recently and in the past, I have opted to a pretty minor form of self-harm and to be honest, it’s hard to say why, I guess it’s a case of control and actually feeling something. Some people have expressed concern recently, and I'm not entirely sure how to take it.. I’m totally confused about it all, not sure if there’s anything wrong with me, or if I’m just experiencing a couple of bad days, either way, I’m determined to move past it.

virus feeling like a burden
  • replies: 2

Hello! My story is not as traumatic/hard as any other but i feel like my life is just passing by. Since i was a child people treated me different (im half spanish half danish in a spanish school, so teachers and classmates treated me different), they... View more

Hello! My story is not as traumatic/hard as any other but i feel like my life is just passing by. Since i was a child people treated me different (im half spanish half danish in a spanish school, so teachers and classmates treated me different), they would ignore me. I could say happilly good morning and none would reply, they would make fun of me, but never straight up bullying. Just ignored me most of the time. I had 2 real friends first when i was 13, moved to south of spain at 14, had the best two years of my life because i finally had my group of friends. Also, ironically, the worst years of my life ;my mother and i would fight everyday(even christmas and bdays) I moved with my dad, and came back to my old school because i couldnt manage the stress of the constant fightings. There i made two friends After i finished school i went to university. I initially wanted to study mechanical engineering but my grades werent as good so i was placed in another engineering. I had the worst year, i studied very little, had 2 friends i hanged out with once a month, but however a caring boyfriend. I felt stupid, alone and useless, as i knew i was just wasting time on internet. Second year i tried uni again, but failed ,so i stopped halfway and moved to denmark. Now im living in a fraternity and trying to get my danish so i can study mechanical next year. I´ll start uni at 21 or 22 years old. I think i had depression or something similar for two years, i lack friends and im paranoid as to why people dont like me. I try me best to start conversations, being nice and funny yet its hard as hell. Now i have friends in math, but im scared ill lose them once this is over. I want my discipline back. To know how to be social, and not have panick attacks if theres too many people i dont know. I want to be usefull, and be someone people respect and admire. Sometimes i feel like i dont deserve all this i have, i feel sick thinking about all these years ive wasted. I feel anxious thinking my youth is being wasted just because im scared of people, of being myself and because i dont study. I feel like im letting my dad down. Im jelaous of my friends in spain, for they are in their 3 year of uni, have lots of friends and live the youthfull partycrazy life. I thank anyone whos made it up to this point, i feel a bit bad knowing many will think this is nothing compared to other peoples situations. I bid you farewell. virus

Maree97 How can I help my friend?
  • replies: 5

My best friend was diagnosed with depression early last week, and since then I've rarely seen her. She doesn't go to school before recess, and she usually leaves before lunch. She hasn't gone to any history classes at all so she's very behind in scho... View more

My best friend was diagnosed with depression early last week, and since then I've rarely seen her. She doesn't go to school before recess, and she usually leaves before lunch. She hasn't gone to any history classes at all so she's very behind in school and doesn't look like she's anywhere close to catching up. I'm really worried about her. She called me half an hour ago crying because her mum is trying to force her to go to a university opening day but she doesn't want to, and I had no idea what to say or how to make her feel better. I'm her best friend, I should know how to help her but I don't. Should I get her to come over to my house so I can help her with school stuff? Should I call her mum and try to get her to understand? Should I tell my mum and get help from her? (note: my Nan suffers from bipolar disorder so my mother has grown up around mental illness and knows more about it than I do) I'm reading heaps of articles about depression and other mental illnesses online, but that's not helping. I know every body is different and that no case is the same, but can anyone give me some advice on what to do? I'm worried.

Miki_b Fed up I even exist. (Non- suicidal)
  • replies: 1

As the title says , I'm a 21 year old guy who really hates himself inside and out I'm in war with me , but what really gets to me is just the way I look , now I am a straight guy so don't judge , when I look in the mirror I just can't stand it , I'm ... View more

As the title says , I'm a 21 year old guy who really hates himself inside and out I'm in war with me , but what really gets to me is just the way I look , now I am a straight guy so don't judge , when I look in the mirror I just can't stand it , I'm 186cms tall weight 86 , kind of athletic build but no abs and I claim I'm skinny fat , I feel like people who I know is feeding me lies saying that I am good looking oh your body is perfect but seriously their eyes must be screwed I am a guy who has self confidence issues and is to reserved and has an off putting body and vibe that's what I see when I glance at myself , people I know claim that I turn heads when I go by but I believe it's not true, something's seriously is wrong maybe it's just me or maybe their fake compliments just to make me be quite? Is there such thing as this ? How can I get over this stupid habit.

elysev22 fed up
  • replies: 2

New to this so not really sure how to lay this out but here goes. Angry. Sad. Numb. Fine. This is the range of emotions that feels most natural to me. Or atleast the most honest. When i'm happy, during those moments, it feels like i'm trying too hard... View more

New to this so not really sure how to lay this out but here goes. Angry. Sad. Numb. Fine. This is the range of emotions that feels most natural to me. Or atleast the most honest. When i'm happy, during those moments, it feels like i'm trying too hard, or it's so foreign to me that I don't completely feel it, like my body is rejecting it. And as soon as i'm no longer, "happy", I feel so much more myself, and honest. It's like, when I have a good day, it's as if my hormones, or god, or karma, or whatever it is you believe in decides "you know what, you deserve just one nice moment, of calm, and joy, and contentment". So it's like it's given to me, with the promise of it's only a temporary gift, and i'm not to forget it was never mine to begin with. that's what happiness feels like to me. getting better to me seems futile because of this. seeing the psychologists, who all treat virtually the same way, one hour sessions that barely scrape the surface of the same recycled crap i've already been talking about for years to the point where sometimes i don't even know if the words i'm saying are my own anymore. it just, it all seems pointless. and i'm fed up with everyone telling me that "it doesn't have to be like this", that "life is worth living". i'm frustrated and angry, sure, but mostly i'm just full of despair at this point. not even just sadness, that's not a specific enough description, despair is much more akin to how i feel right now. other words like hopeless or meaningless or pointless or worthless could be used too, but its really despair that i feel right now. and have been feeling for 7 months now. the only other way i can think to describe how i feel is the way one feels in a circumstance of unrequited love. something you want so badly but something that you will never have, yet you can't rid yourself of this unhealthy addiction to an idea, and you've never even been with the person before but you're convinced it's what you want, but how can you know you want if you don't even know what it truly is in reality. that's how i feel about happiness. like i've been chasing this romanticised idea. and i'm sick of chasing, to the point where i feel stupid, like i've been chasing something that was never worth chasing in the first place, because it wasn't going to be satifisfying. i have an emptiness inside me which i now worry can't be satiated with anything, an unnatural yearning for something that doesn't exist. thankyou for listening..