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.

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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.

All discussions

triforceofcourage Hi there, just signed up
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone, after knowing about this website for a while I decided to finally join up. I'm just introducing myself and leaving the "other stuff" for another day. I am 21 years old, 22 next month. I live in the Melbourne area and I work 10 hours a we... View more

Hi everyone, after knowing about this website for a while I decided to finally join up. I'm just introducing myself and leaving the "other stuff" for another day. I am 21 years old, 22 next month. I live in the Melbourne area and I work 10 hours a week in retail. My hobbies are watching anime (Japanese animation) and playing video-games although lately my interest for everything has gone down. My username comes from the video-game "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)" on the Nintendo 64, my all time favourite game. I am single and have not been in a single relationship to this day. I am currently living alone and have been for around 2 years. As a child I had signs of autism and had learning difficulties growing up. I had an integration aide (assistant teacher) for all of my Primary School years. I spent the first few years taking extra speech classes because I didn't know how to speak properly. My integration aide moved back to New Zealand and didn't end up getting one for High School. Mum always read books to me so I can read and write properly even if I don't know what the words mean. I left High School in 2009 (Year 11) and got a job in retail which has helped me learn how to make casual conversation with people I don't know. There are issues with work now but I'll get to that another time. I think the main reason I joined is because I think I needed somewhere to let my life-long story out. Friends can say they will always be there, but in reality they do get tired of hearing me about my issues all the time. The community here seems small but nice so I hope I feel welcome here soon.

ThousandMiles Heya ^_^
  • replies: 13

Hi everyone, I just joined and wanted to say hello! I'm Cherry, I'm 17 and I love k-pop, Japanese movies, learning languages, playing piano, cute things, gothic horror, cats and chai lattes. Would love to make some new friends (: I'm currently strugg... View more

Hi everyone, I just joined and wanted to say hello! I'm Cherry, I'm 17 and I love k-pop, Japanese movies, learning languages, playing piano, cute things, gothic horror, cats and chai lattes. Would love to make some new friends (: I'm currently struggling with generalised anxiety, social phobia as an offshoot of that, melancholic depression and body dysmorphic disorder. And these things decided to come forward at the end of last year, just before year 12. So convenient I'm seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist, my parents are supportive and even though my friends don't really understand, I have a couple who are being lovely to me. I'm so grateful for those things, but it's still hard, so I'm hoping to meet people who are going through the same kind of things, and hopefully give and receive some help on here :3 I know I can get through this, and I know every single one of you can overcome and be bigger than whatever you're going through, too. Even if it's hard, we can all do this x

papercut Really confused about my life
  • replies: 10

hey, im 16 and new to this site but i dont feel like a 16yr old should. Ive never really had alot of friends and pretty much the whole way through primary school i managed to scrape through with only 5 friends. 3 of them been 2 grades below. i never ... View more

hey, im 16 and new to this site but i dont feel like a 16yr old should. Ive never really had alot of friends and pretty much the whole way through primary school i managed to scrape through with only 5 friends. 3 of them been 2 grades below. i never really understood why people didnt like me. i always got picked on and teased for the way i look, people used to insult me and leave me out on purpose. i remember this one boy used to call me "death word" which i eventually just got used to enough to not care about it. shame i was born on the same day as him... which pretty much made the situation worse. the day i left primary school was probably one of the happiest days of my life... shame i was too young to realise how crap highschool really is. At first things were fine, i had a friend or two and everyone was just getting to know eachother. People sort of looked and me and were already avoiding me, i reckon it was my looks that said it all. throughout highschool i think ive been in 7 differnt groups of people... and that was from 7-10. now in year 11 im in my 8th group and i get the feeling im not welcome. No-body ever messages me over fb, they never invite me over to hang out.... they dont even say hi to me when they see me. If i was alone they would sit together and they wouldnt write my name if someone asked who was in the group. when i got to around year 8 i was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with crohns disease ( chronic inflammatory bowel disease) and i was told i was going to have a ilesotmy bag for life. Not alot of people knew and some that did teased me for having it. Feeling shattered i wanted to give up. by the time i got to year 10 i was having major difficultiies with my crohns disease and i was admitted about 5 times, until i got my ilesotmy re-done in 2013.... i got basically no messages from people at school ( well nobody messaged me unless i messaged first). and i was then re-admitted about 3 times after.... adding up to me missing about 6 months or so of yr 10. most people thought i left the school and most still dont know or care that i have this disease. I find when someone complains about been sick for one day they get more sympathy then when im sick for over 6 months. I feel so invisable and insignificant to anybody. I find it so hard to have conversations with people after my bad experiences. i think ive lost my ability to be social. i normally find myself sitting alone in class and i dont contribute to class discussions. I hate hearing the bell for recess and lunch because i know that means i have to either sit alone or be with people who will just ignore me and treat me like fly on the wall. I always find when people talk to me, their tone is higher and more sarcastic than if they were talking to a friend. i feel they think i am socially unaware. They talk to me as if i am a little kid and than they all laugh and giggle as if i dont feel the pain. I dont want to be rude and tell them off for "pretneding to help me" because i remember how bad its gone before. the thing is its mostly girls who are doing this. i know you'd proably just think its girls been b****y but i hate it. ive tried to ask for help from differnt people but its alwayts gone wrong. my parents made it worse. my so called friends didnt care when i told them i was at a all-time-low and everything just falls apart. My sister is the worst. she always makes me feel so bad. my heads in a bad place. I have one really good friend i always talk to about my problems and she does the same ( we are not gay btw). i dont know what to do. i cant change schools. I cant get away. im already seeing a pyscologist but i dont feel comfortabe to tell her my thoughts anymore. not after last time. please help....

Ryan92 Struggling to find myself. Or to like myself.
  • replies: 3

Hi guys, i'm totally new to this thing but i feel like i need to get some things off my chest that have been weighing me down pretty much my whole life. I'm a 21 year old guy who can't seem to find any reason to be genuinely happy. I find it very har... View more

Hi guys, i'm totally new to this thing but i feel like i need to get some things off my chest that have been weighing me down pretty much my whole life. I'm a 21 year old guy who can't seem to find any reason to be genuinely happy. I find it very hard to admit, but i practically have no friends, which i think is pretty sad and a major cause for my depression. I have nobody to call on if i'm ever bored, nobody to just spend time with because i believe that i'm not good enough for others to show interest. I always feel like people are judging me because i see so many flaws in myself that i'm worried are visible to the outside world to scrutinise. Whether it's at work, uni, at the shops, or even driving my car, i always think somebody somewhere is looking at me and judging me. These thoughts are slowly consuming me and i can't even walk in public without sweating like crazy and feeling immensely tense and worried that people are looking down at me. Physically, i've been told by many that i'm good looking (not to toot my own horn or anything, i just want you to know that nothing physically is drawing these worries, it's all internal and it's all in my head). The only time i can truly be myself and truly be able to relax and breathe is when i am on my own in my own house. At all other times i am so stressed. I'm just so unhappy with my life. I have a great job, i study at university, but i need more than that. Something other than the materialistic aspects of life. I want to be able to like people and for them to like me. I want to be able to approach people as my normal self and form at least 1 normal friendship. I'm worried that i'll forever be alone. And that scares me like crazy. I can't explain the immense feeling of sadness in my heart. I just want someone to like me. I hate myself, and i think it shows. I literally hate myself and i don't know what to do about it. Sometimes i just want to drop everything and not have to worry about anything. Because why should i keep on trying to build my life when i'm so lonely and fed up with life. I wish i could just summon the courage to be myself and to talk to people like a normal person. I don't know who i am and i don't know why i just can't be like other people.

the_one_1 Feel like everyone is judging me and putting me down. Feel the only resolution is finding a girlfriend to connect with.
  • replies: 11

Almost every where I am, I feel like someone is judging me and putting me down. I finished high school but I felt everyone there was judging me and putting me down, at home it doesn't stop and given that i've finished high school its just being at ho... View more

Almost every where I am, I feel like someone is judging me and putting me down. I finished high school but I felt everyone there was judging me and putting me down, at home it doesn't stop and given that i've finished high school its just being at home and non stop being judged especially by my dad. Due to this, i'm doing what ever I can to get a girlfriend so that I have a way to avoid a bit of the judgement from my parents and get to be with someone who likes me. When I was at school everyone used to bully me and judge me about my likes and call me a creep. I like a sport called AFL, and where i'm from everyone calls it gay. I like planes also and everyone makes fun of me liking it saying there is going to be another 9/11 attack because of me liking it and how I wanted to become a pilot (i had a plan of being a pilot, but this made me change my mind on my future), due to this judging it has led to me being isolated and having no one to talk to. I end up keeping quiet but want to talk to others so I stand in my group and try and be included in conversations, instead nothing of my liking comes across and I end up standing there with people calling me creep. Also, I'm an only child, I have no brothers and sisters to talk to and be with and ask for help. It doesn't just stop at school but also carries on at home. Now that high school is over, i'm stuck at home all the time with no one to be with. I feel my dad is the one causing all my problems. My mum always talks to me about her problems with my dad causing me to be associated with the whole situation which I try to avoid. I can't do anything, my dad gets easily angry at small things and pushes all his anger that is usually directed towards my mum to me. My dad always judges me telling me that i'm not good at anything or that i'm not doing something when i am doing it. Now, to try and avoid all these problems I am trying to get a girlfriend, but due to being isolated in talking about my likes. I can't really make any conversations because I don't want to be judged by anyone. Then when I finely get the guts to do something about it, I get rejected and it makes things worse because i'm stuck in the hole of my problems and can't get out. I'm starting to feel life is just full of non stop disappointments and I just want either my life to end in a car or plane crash or for it to stop some way...

Tracy_24 Eating problems as a result of depression
  • replies: 2

Hi Lately in my life things have been going downhill, and for some reason it's affecting my eating patterns. Eating is sometimes a struggle, and I am wondering if there is anything I can do to make it better?

Hi Lately in my life things have been going downhill, and for some reason it's affecting my eating patterns. Eating is sometimes a struggle, and I am wondering if there is anything I can do to make it better?

Cassete New lad here.
  • replies: 1

Hello my name is Nicholas, I am 18 years old and I'm a senior in High school. (: I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression and Obsessive thoughts about losing control and killing myself. ALthough I have no plans to do so and I am afraid to do t... View more

Hello my name is Nicholas, I am 18 years old and I'm a senior in High school. (: I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression and Obsessive thoughts about losing control and killing myself. ALthough I have no plans to do so and I am afraid to do that too. I literally love my life and suicide is the last thing I was to do but I somehow always think of it. It scares me. It makes me feel mental.. Well, I would like to have someone to talk to on here or friends on here also.

Brooklyn I hate myself
  • replies: 4

Hi, I am an almost 15 year old girl living in Australia. I go to school, I'm active... I'm just what seems to be a normal 15year old girl, but, I'm not. At my school I am classified as one of those always happy, smiling, funny girls, but I'm really n... View more

Hi, I am an almost 15 year old girl living in Australia. I go to school, I'm active... I'm just what seems to be a normal 15year old girl, but, I'm not. At my school I am classified as one of those always happy, smiling, funny girls, but I'm really not. People don't know the real me. I'm always feeling worthless like I don't belong, I don't fit in.. I feel like I am different from everyone in every way.. I am an outcast. I can't look at anyone in the eyes for more than a few seconds, including teachers and friends. Even the slightest insult can make me want to lock myself in the room and tell myself I should of not gone out that day being as... I look like.. Me. When someone looks at me I want to cover my face, I'm scared of what they're thinking. I lay in the shower thinking about what it would be like to cut, how much release I could gain, I could start, but I'm scared my parents and friends would see it.. I've thought about "leaving" but scared on the effect on my peers and etc. I'm scared to ask for a councillor. I just like to ignore my feelings and pretend I'm happy. People think I'm happy. At school sometimes I convince myself I'm happy but then wake up to reality. Im also cared to tell anyone because I don't like attention. I'll do anything to stop having attention on me. Is this depression or sadness or anxiety? What do you think in dealing with? :(( What can I do? -brooklyn

TennisShoes Very lost
  • replies: 1

It's very unlike me to post something like this anonymously, but I feel like I need to say something to someone.I have no idea how to explain my feelings, so I'll start with right now. How I feel. It's tough for me to describe, because I've kind of b... View more

It's very unlike me to post something like this anonymously, but I feel like I need to say something to someone.I have no idea how to explain my feelings, so I'll start with right now. How I feel. It's tough for me to describe, because I've kind of been subject to ridicule about my strong feelings by my immediate family. I've tried to tell my mum that I think something is wrong with me, but she just thinks its something I'll grow out of in time. My sister says I'm a selfish idiot (which sometimes I completely believe), and my dad just doesn't understand what I'm going through.I had my first major panic attack a year and a half ago, just before my second semester at Uni had started. I started to cry uncontrollably in front of my mum in the car when I was about to leave for my first lecture. It felt like I was having a heart attack and all I wanted to do was run back home and under the sheets. That was the day I stopped my uni course halfway through. I stopped taking the birth control pill (because my doctor and my mum thought that might have caused the imbalance), and I was looking for a job. Through out that year and a half I haven't had a panic attack, but I had been incredibly down. All I would do is sleep, not eat throughout the whole day then binge at night, play video games (which I think was the sole source of my confidence) and then sleep more. I think I spent most of my day sleeping, or hiding in the toilet and reading.It only happened recently, when I had applied for a new course (since my job searching turned out to be a bust), I've started having panic attacks every day. Whenever I'd think about Uni, about leaving to go to lectures, seeing people, filling forms, I feel like I'm dying. And afterwards I feel so useless and hopeless and lazy. I sometimes hate myself because I know just how good I have it in life, but it feels as if I have absolutely nothing. Like I have absolutely no reason to live anymore. I can't find work, I don't think I can get through uni at this rate, and I feel like everyone in my family looks at me like I'm the problem child. Should I see someone professionally about this? Does it cost a lot of money to see someone?

MusicMonkey 16 years old worried about alot of things
  • replies: 5

Okay so lets cut to the chase. I'll start of with some background information. I am 16 years of age and I have a huge passion for music. I have been playing lead guitar/vocals for 4 years and have just recently signed up for a tafe course which I am ... View more

Okay so lets cut to the chase. I'll start of with some background information. I am 16 years of age and I have a huge passion for music. I have been playing lead guitar/vocals for 4 years and have just recently signed up for a tafe course which I am really loving. So things for me lately haven't been so great (either that or its all in my head). First I moved from a school in which i settled well in to a completely new school that I was told that would have the right music program I would need. Turns out they dont, but I didnt move back simply because I don't want to keep losing mates of mine. I also have a girlfriend who which I have been dating for 4 months now and things have been really good between me and her, although even though things may seem great and all, I just keep getting these worries. And that's why I decided to sign up and create this thread. For the last 2 or 3 months I have been worried about losing friends, my girlfriend, and other people. I just keep thinking "what if this happens to them? What if she feels bored with me?" and so on. Even thoughts with my music career in which I wish to pursue. Heck, I haven't played a video game in months because I would either just sit there in my chair trying to figure out what I can do to please people, calm myself, become better. Thats all I do on a weekend. I mean of course I have to do tafe studies and other work. But that's all I do, and I try to treat work as a place where I can just unwind and try to keep my mind off things. And I stress out a lot. Like especially about my relationship with my girlfriend. I constantly worry that I am being to clingy or not giving enough attention. As for socializing, I haven't been doing much of that. If a few mates ask me to come out for a party I usually just tell them I am not feeling good or I have to do work. And if I were to hang out with some mates its only one other person in which I have been best friend's with since pre school. I know this post may seem to lack little in detail but just trying to get some help from others. Maybe some tips on how to cure depression, anxiety? Anything really. Kindest Regards,