Young people

A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Pinned discussions

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.

All discussions

TVN Feeling down
  • replies: 2

Hi I often feel great for a few days then feel down for some periods. Recently I have been feeling more down. I feel less energy to do things and socialise. These are just the things that have been happening recently to cause me to feel like this - S... View more

Hi I often feel great for a few days then feel down for some periods. Recently I have been feeling more down. I feel less energy to do things and socialise. These are just the things that have been happening recently to cause me to feel like this - Started university this year and online university has made it really hard to meet people - My manager hasn’t replied to my message about my availability but she has seen the message. I think I’m fired at this point as many managers just ghost casuals when they don’t want them anymore. It’s not the money that gets me worried but fact she didn’t say why, so I’m just thinking about all my insecurities - Every time I get angry at someone or complain, I go back and think about how I do the same things and I am probably getting angry because I see my weaknesses in them - I know I’m not trying hard enough to study, but I just procrastinate - Bad sleep schedule, I fall asleep anytime around 11pm-5am and wake up around 10am-1pm I know these things can be easily solved by just moving on and not thinking too much. But it just makes me feel so insecure about myself. As in, what did I do to get fired. But then I get more angry at myself for knowing that this is easy to get over with and not just moving on. I feel pathetic. It’s also a sense of guilt. Another example is when I get easily worked up with my younger brother. I yell at him, shut the door and then think about how childish I am. I scared it will effect him on the long run since he is still pretty young. I feel like it already has. He is the youngest of three kids and has really low self esteem. I have been trying improve my mental health by - Using a timetable to plan my days - Checklist so I am not overwhelmed with tasks - Forcing myself to go out and play sports once a week - Spending time on my hobbies but these methods (excluding sports) only last a few week at the most then I lose track which makes me feel even worse. I’ve also tried talking to people around me but with my friends I always feel like I am going to be judged for making a big deal out of nothing and some of them aren’t in a good place either. And my family, I don’t want them to worry too much. Can someone give some advice on what to do? I have thought about consulting a professional, but I’m not sure if I need to and I don’t have GP that I can ask.

DJwoof937 Feeling like a spectator in your own life
  • replies: 2

Hi guys! I am rather worried about a few things I have noticed over the past few years of my life. I will be talking to someone sort of on autopilot, and then i’ll have this oddly lucid moment where I realise I am interacting with someone in real lif... View more

Hi guys! I am rather worried about a few things I have noticed over the past few years of my life. I will be talking to someone sort of on autopilot, and then i’ll have this oddly lucid moment where I realise I am interacting with someone in real life. It is somewhat hard to explain, but sometimes I feel like I am in a game, hearing pre-written dialogue, then responding to it. When I come out of this state, I fully realise that whatever I am saying/doing has a real-world impact, and that I can’t just go back to the last save and try again if something goes wrong. Please, if you either have had a similar experience or know what might be causing it, let me know.

JKB0306 Family Dissapointed In Me
  • replies: 5

So basically I really need help from anyone who can give really good advice So I've been going to my friend's house an awful lot (basically every weekend) because every single weekend my mother and father just play heaps of loud music and it some how... View more

So basically I really need help from anyone who can give really good advice So I've been going to my friend's house an awful lot (basically every weekend) because every single weekend my mother and father just play heaps of loud music and it some how nearly almost everytime turns into a huge argument over something petty. And it gives me mad anxiety every weekend so I go to my friend's house because it's chill there. But now my mother always gets angry and dissapointed/jealous that I spend more time with my friend then I do with my own family......somebody please help me...

cinnamonbunny I can't tell if I'm faking all my problems subconsciously or not
  • replies: 2

Id say I haven’t gone through any serious trauma at all, but I do have quite a bad case of gifted kid burnout syndrome. Nothing is even explicitly wrong with my life. My main issue is that whenever I feel any negative emotions (mostly sadness) I feel... View more

Id say I haven’t gone through any serious trauma at all, but I do have quite a bad case of gifted kid burnout syndrome. Nothing is even explicitly wrong with my life. My main issue is that whenever I feel any negative emotions (mostly sadness) I feel like I haven’t gone through enough to actually “deserve the right” to feel these bad emotions, which leads to me hating myself which leads to me wondering if I actually hate myself or if I’m just subconsciously doing it for attention. This then leads to me sort of wishing I HAD gone through serious trauma or something just to justify me feeling sad, because otherwise I feel selfish and feel like I’m taking up space, and I understand that wanting to go through something traumatic is bad but I feel like that’d be the only way I could actually understand why I feel bad, because right now whenever I cry or feel down I feel like I haven’t earned the right to feel this way. At times i feel like i'm faking whatever i'm feeling subconsciously because I want attention, and while i'm pretty sure it's not true that awful feeling is still there and it's driving me nuts. I don't know if every internal problem I have is fake and thinking about it makes me feel even worse. I'm not sure what I particularly want out of this, but maybe reassurance would be nice. Thank you,

Zing 22 Years old and have been unemployed for 3 years..
  • replies: 5

Kind of a weird title to start this my first post but really kind of struggling here without any direction. I have been unemployed for 3 years and have no idea what to do with myself. I have tried studying to expand my skills and knowledge also I hav... View more

Kind of a weird title to start this my first post but really kind of struggling here without any direction. I have been unemployed for 3 years and have no idea what to do with myself. I have tried studying to expand my skills and knowledge also I have re done my resume countless times and applied for well and truely over 1000 jobs since being unemployed. Recently it has been tough, while unemployed I tried to start my own little online business and it was going well for a few months, now it just has fallen down the drain and I don't know how to fix it.. Obviously I could sink more money into it but I have a small budget obviously. I started a new job recently as well it was going great but after a few weeks of working there they sent me an email saying I didn't have enough experience and let me go.. it was just a punch to the gut. It's really hard to get experience when no one here is willing to give it in the first place. My main focus has been in the IT / Admin field just to clarify that. I have been struggling with Anxiety for a long time and I just kinda try to ignore it most of the time.. but usually it get's the best of me and I have a breakdown. Anyone have any advice ?

wish2424224 moving schools
  • replies: 2

I moved schools this year (im currently in yr 11), and I hate it with my being. I'm stereotyped as the kid from the hood, and constantly never taken seriously by the people I hang out with. I have no friends, and although I guess I do have people to ... View more

I moved schools this year (im currently in yr 11), and I hate it with my being. I'm stereotyped as the kid from the hood, and constantly never taken seriously by the people I hang out with. I have no friends, and although I guess I do have people to hang out with, it's not special. No one is going to wait for me, initiate conversation, and it's more lonely than being alone. Everyone there is crazy racist and homophobic, and those who aren't crazy bigoted just feel so different. I feel like a literal alien, and it's worse considering I live so far away from the school. I travel like a century to get to the school, and it's so draining. I'm always on the verge of literal collapse, and I can feel my body giving up on me, and my mind too. I keep on getting sick probably from all the travel (i take train), and worse is myself. I always felt long bouts of numbness, and always have to constantly put up with stuff at home, but I never realised how much my friends stopped me from literally breaking. Now school feels like a land where I know no one, I can't connect, and it's so damn stressful. Not to mention I feel so damn dumb all the time. The school offers heaps of opportunities, but they cost heaps and I am not going to ask, it's honestly such a waste, and I can't utilise anything the school provides, which defeats the purpose of going there. I never feel like waking up, moving doing anything. I sometimes take days off to lay in bed and do nothing and lost all motivation I've had. I don't do the same hobbies I used to do (due to time constraints because of school), anything I liked I don't anymore, and it sucks a lot. I just want to do nothing all day. My mum and dad told me it's totally cool if I move back, but I moved to this current school for my education and atar. My old school was trashy, but I never minded it. the new school is undoubtedly way better in terms of education, but what's the point when I can't think straight and don't want to do anything. I also, and I know I shouldn't feel really embarrassed if I moved back, like was I too dumb? I couldn't handle it. Cause I really couldn't handle it, and it seems stupid. Also, there's a big money problem, because if I move back I just blew a ton of money because I couldn't handle it. For a school that prides itself on a home-like welcoming environment, I don't feel welcomed. Anyways should I move back?

lbugperson234 RAPID MOOD CHANGES AM CONFUSED
  • replies: 1

this has been going on and off before but lately my mental health has been really bad my mood changes severely and it happens multiple times a day for example in one day ill go from feeling numb and depressed to being super hyper, energetic, doing ri... View more

this has been going on and off before but lately my mental health has been really bad my mood changes severely and it happens multiple times a day for example in one day ill go from feeling numb and depressed to being super hyper, energetic, doing risky stuff I normally wouldn't, too angry, irritable and having intrusive thoughts and then ill be fine but it always starts up again. IM SICK AND TIRED bcuz everytime I've seen a doctor to talk about my mental health they've never properly looked into it and have just brushed it aside saying that I need to do more sport or do something like fix my diet. I already do these things and I do whatever the doctor tells me to do but no matter what my mental health never rlly gets better. Also my parents r no help bcuz my mum always just tells the doctor what she thinks and makes up stuff and she constantly invalidates me. Anyways I'm at the point where I really think I need to get my problem sorted cos I don't think I can constantly live like this.

EntangledWithU Unsure about the future and its driving me mad.
  • replies: 4

For my entire life everything that I loved has been replaced by things I hated. I am about to finish high school, 6 months left and my parents want me to become an accountant and continue their accounting business. They say I am very gifted for math,... View more

For my entire life everything that I loved has been replaced by things I hated. I am about to finish high school, 6 months left and my parents want me to become an accountant and continue their accounting business. They say I am very gifted for math, good with computers and that I should apply those skills to help take the family business to the next level, what they do not understand that is I dread every moment when I do the things I am good at. People say you should peruse and go do what you love but everything that I used to love in life was snatched away from me. Piano, art, sports, videogames. Every time I go back to those things all I can think about are by teens, stuck in a tiny study scribbling away on a notebook instead of laughing away with friends on the computer or playing tunes on the piano. I used to love piano and would play the national anthem at school assembly with the band in the morning and come home from school to play more, nowadays my fingers are stiff and I completely forgot how to play, last year they sold the piano for a car I rarely drive. I prefer to walk to school to ease the pain. Life revolves around school. Doing things I hate for an empty dream, for a family business I feel disconnected with. I once thought finishing school would mean the freedom to do what I want, but If all the things I can do are the things I hate I'm not sure how long I can keep going.

Lizeyloo New school and no friends
  • replies: 10

Hi everyone, I am a 16 years old girl in year 11. I am finding it very hard to cope at the moment. I started at a new school this year thinking everything was going to change and get better but it is quite the opposite. I was partnered with someone t... View more

Hi everyone, I am a 16 years old girl in year 11. I am finding it very hard to cope at the moment. I started at a new school this year thinking everything was going to change and get better but it is quite the opposite. I was partnered with someone to look after me at my new school but they ditched so now I am finding it very hard to find friends or any group to sit with. Every now and then I’ll ask to sit with a particular group but I feel unwanted and a nuisance to them as their table is full and I’m struggling to socialise as I am consistently worrying all the time. Often I will spend lunch times in the bathroom or go to the library but this continues to affect my mental health negatively. I am often referred to as very shy and quiet but when hearing this it tends to pull down my self esteem even more. I have recently gone through a friendship breakup at my old school and now I have virtually no friends left. The friendship breakup has particularly affected me as it has taken a toll on how I perceive myself. I don’t like who I am and which I was someone confident who made friends easily.I find myself lying in bed crying having no passion for life or to get out because I don’t feel worthy to anyone. I have my mum but she doesn’t completely understand what I’m going through, she’ll say I’m overreacting and doesn’t take mental health as seriously as I wish. I tell myself I sound selfish to be complaining when I know how lucky I am but I can’t help but cry knowing things aren’t changing and no one understands just how much I am struggling. If anyone could share tips it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Deltius Turning 21 soon, Failed all my goals.
  • replies: 10

Hello peeps, I'm not really sure why I am making a forum post but why not. I am turning 21 soon and feel that I have failed every goal I have. I am pathetic, nearly everyone I know has more shit together than I do and that includes people who only ju... View more

Hello peeps, I'm not really sure why I am making a forum post but why not. I am turning 21 soon and feel that I have failed every goal I have. I am pathetic, nearly everyone I know has more shit together than I do and that includes people who only just turned 18. I have no dream, no purpose, no joy, nothing. Here is a list of stuff that I made for my psychologist. I wanted to know how other people around my age bracket are going. Sometimes it feels like my purpose is be awake, sleep then die and be forgotten in about a week. If you have found your self with similar feelings what have you done to improve things for your self? **Psychological** Lack of enjoyment in life No sense of accomplishment No sense of relief No sense of self-pride No motivation to do anything very little self-worth insecurities? Hearing about others life and getting depressed about my own. Possibly jelly or envious Comparing myself No real social life, very small number of friends (though they are dear to me, more then family) No confidence Supportive of those around me but never myself I am a failure and deserve nothing Turning 21 and not achieved anything of note, none of my goals, I am running out of time destined to achieve nothing and be forgotten. **Physical** Fat 105kg and 6'2.5 Intimidating Creepy looking Unapproachable Scars Unattractive My body type is no ones preference, the one person I have had sex with ignores body types. All the people I have shown interest in never find me attractive. Of all the people I have asked out or similar, 1 has done anything with me, all others said no nearly always due to physical appearance or sexual preference.