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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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Eddie6 Lost in life
  • replies: 4

I recently moved from Perth, WA to Sydney in order to do an honours year here. The uni that I did my undergrad at was second tier and now I'm at Usyd for honours. I'm not originally from Perth. I grew up in America an am a dual citizen. I moved to Pe... View more

I recently moved from Perth, WA to Sydney in order to do an honours year here. The uni that I did my undergrad at was second tier and now I'm at Usyd for honours. I'm not originally from Perth. I grew up in America an am a dual citizen. I moved to Perth when I was 18, because its where most of my extended family lives. I was never happy growing up. My parents aren't particularly emotionally mature and my own emotional problems were often neglected by them, and ballooned as a result so that I felt depressed and anxious most of the time growing up. I love my extended family in Perth, they are warm people and for the 5 years I lived there I felt relatively happy. However, I never really felt like I fit in, in Perth. Its not really a city, its more of a small town and people aren't interested in the world at large. It took me a long time to find friends there, and even though I have some friends in Perth, and also in America that I love dearly I never planned on living there long term. I decided to finish uni and get out. So I did, and now I'm at a big prestigious institution for honours, and comparing this place to where I did my undergrad makes me feel like that degree is worthless, and I'm embarrassed by it and wish I'd transfered uni's and moved to Sydney sooner. I'm 24 and don't want to start an undergrad again because I'm graduating late anyways. I feel anxious and depressed constantly, these days. I don't feel like I'm good enough, smart enough, or know enough to be where I am. I regret wasting 3 years of my life, and am depressed that I'm stuck working in a bar again at 24. I'm ready to move on and have a professional job. All these thoughts are making it hard to focus on honours, and I'm scared for how I'm going to do. I just want to drop out and get a masters and get into the workforce. But (and I know this is ridiculous) that would make me feel like a failure because both my parents have PhDs, and I think they look down on me an my brother a bit because we didn't go to good uni's like they did... I know that it was depression growing up that lead me to where I am now, and a lack of guidance. I feel lost. Like I've missed out on a lot of things I could have done with my life, and I'm exhausted from working so hard all the time. I am struggling to deal with feeling resentful that I didn't get more of a helping hand, or guidance to put me on the right path sooner. That I had so much more potential, and that was wasted on feeling depressed...

Seachel I'm struggling with food these days
  • replies: 2

I don't know why but lately I feel very very heavy, I feel full of fat and everything gross. I logically know you don't need to be skinny to be happy but I can't stop the feeling that I am fat, I hate myself everytime I eat except it's all I want to ... View more

I don't know why but lately I feel very very heavy, I feel full of fat and everything gross. I logically know you don't need to be skinny to be happy but I can't stop the feeling that I am fat, I hate myself everytime I eat except it's all I want to do, I'm constantly thinking about food and I have no control over myself once I get the thought in my head of eating something. I suffer from depression, anxiety and have very very low self esteem already, and I have also noticed lately that my current partner doesn't really have a healthy view on food. She also comments a lot about how she feels fat after eating and that if she knows she's going to eat a big meal for dinner or something she'll make herself do a heap of exercise before hand and she uses the excuse that it makes her 'hungrier' but I don't believe she thinks this way just because of other things she says after eating. She knows I don't have a very healthy view on food but she keeps saying things like 'oh I want to cry now after eating so much food' when she's around me.. I'm not blaming her at all because I have always had an issue with food but I believe this is making me worse. I don't know what to do anymore, I hate food and I hate having to eat but food is all I think about, it's like I'm relying on food to keep me happy of a day time because I have nothing else... I've tried to keep myself busy and distracted but nothing works.. I'm hating myself a lot more than usual lately.

Jess_E I don't know if I have depression
  • replies: 2

I am 17 turning 18 this year and In the last 2 years I have become extremely emotional and I'm not sure if it's just growing up emotions that everyone feels. I get feelings of sadness, loneliness, anger and overwhelment almost all the time. I kept it... View more

I am 17 turning 18 this year and In the last 2 years I have become extremely emotional and I'm not sure if it's just growing up emotions that everyone feels. I get feelings of sadness, loneliness, anger and overwhelment almost all the time. I kept it to myself but lately my mood swings have caused problems with my motivation at work, and my relationships with my family and my boyfriend. Depression is genetic in my family but it's a lot worse for them than it is for me so I can't really talk to them about it because they will think I'm seeking attention. I want to go see a doctor about it but I'm not sure if they would be able to help me.

Ineedhelp I don't know If I'm depressed
  • replies: 6

Since about early December 2012 I've felt quite unhappy, It led to me isolating myself and pushing my now ex-girlfriend away. She left me shortly after new years for another guy she has been talking to for awhile. But I was feeling off sorts before t... View more

Since about early December 2012 I've felt quite unhappy, It led to me isolating myself and pushing my now ex-girlfriend away. She left me shortly after new years for another guy she has been talking to for awhile. But I was feeling off sorts before this even happened. I'm not sure if it's just the 'Typical Teenage Hormones' kicking me down and making me feel like this since I'm only 18 (turning 19 in march). But It feels as though my self confidence and direction in life has just been chipping away. Throughout high school I was fairly content, I wasn't bullied and had no discernible problems. But I did quite often wake up during the middle of the night having recurring dreams of suicide and I would wake up in a panic. Once I had graduated high school a fellow friend who was in one of my classes took a liking to me and we were in a relationship for a year, We hardly ever had problems and she would comfort me through my nightmares whenever I would have them. However during December I pretty much started pushing myself away from her, I felt as though there would have been some sort of stigma if I had told her or anyone for that matter, just how sad I was feeling. So it ended with me giving her the cold shoulder because I wouldn't want to burden anyone with what I was feeling. But it's been a few weeks since she has left me for someone else, I'll admit being dumped for the first time is a painful experience for me but I don't feel as though it's the root of why I feel so down. I just take no enjoyment from the things I loved doing when I was carefree during High School. I enjoyed playing video games with my friends and having movie nights with them, but now they are all at university and travelling abroad and I don't get to see them very often. Right now just the thought of playing video games or doing anything I enjoyed doing makes me feel as though there's no point, I may as well get back into bed and just go to sleep where I can just rest and not worry about anything. Even getting up in the morning is a constant struggle. What I don't know is if I'm depressed or am I just shaken up by the fact someone I really loved and enjoyed spending time with has suddenly left me for someone else and that has just multiplied how I felt about myself before the relationship ended. I'm an introverted person and talking about this topic to any of my friends is impossible for me I just wouldn't know how to bring it up, and I'm just too afraid to see a counsellor at my college about it. It just seems like the 'Typical Teenager Problem' scenario that would get played down.

Jack_H_O Beating depression? ( and anxiety)
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone, Its come to the point in life where my only support lies online and from what I've seen, beyond blue is the best place for that. ( i recently found out an old friend with depression is now a spokesperson for beyond blue). I have been se... View more

Hey everyone, Its come to the point in life where my only support lies online and from what I've seen, beyond blue is the best place for that. ( i recently found out an old friend with depression is now a spokesperson for beyond blue). I have been seeing a psychologist and doctors, and so far, antidepressents if not in my best interests, I've seen what it did to my step sister and it's side effects, so as of now, it's not in my goal list. I was given a score of 40 on the k10 list, but did not tell my psychologist everything wrong with my life.So I've been suffering from depression for roughly 3 years, stemming from many reasons. financially struggling family, aggressive family, divorse, family deaths, and as of recently,I've lost my personality, I hate my looks ( I'm from south east asia, I'm not "phenotypically" good looking), my height which is 165cm and I'm a male at 18 years old ( It's horrible, Everyone bullies me about it). and most of all, i have not one friend.I've gone through school being the "sheep" who just follows people around and was bagged out for doing, even by the younger kids. I did this for an entire year until my final year, where i just sat in the library by myself. through my last year, I just studied, people called my a geek,nerd, etc, and the only reason why i studied was because there was nothing else to do, no friends to hang out with, nobody to talked to. Because of this, i recieved an ATAR of 88 and made the distinguished achievers list, neither of these achievements made me happy, only sadder. My life at home is equally as bad, I live with my mom who is constantly yelling at me or others every single day, she's carrying a mortgage of over $1million and she'll never be able to pay it off in her lifetime, so shes constantly mad. I love my dad to bits, but he suffers from depression and anger problems, He'll sometimes say to me "everything you touch seems to brake", " you're useless" or to himself, he'll say " I'm a failure... I can't do anything right". None the less, he calls me everyday to check up on me and his anger is rarely seen too often. As a side note, everysingle person in my immediate family has suffered from depression, my father the worse.The last time i felt happy was when i was 15, and i actually did have friends, a small group of 7-8, but we were all good friends, and i was actually funny and happy back then, i was getting invited to parties, people were trying to make friends with me. but year by year, people stopped hanging out with me, everyone got tall and good looking, girls would talk to them but completely ignore me (Girls have told me that I'm ugly right to my face, very good looking girls), i stopped being funny, stopped being invited to parties, and its now at the point where i've spent months on end at home just playing video games because I'm alone. I did have one good friend but as of recently, that person has left me to hang with the popular group.This solitude is killing me, and my looks and height are keeping me from being happy. I've deleted facebook because seeing all the happy party goers and people around their friends was killing me inside. I had to quit work because no one would talk to me, the girls would just talk to the tall good looking guys and the guys would ignore me, treating me like a kid, making me do all the labour intensive work.I've tried to cut all ties with my school life, and i have one opportunity to start new at university. I've tackled my height insecurity, and partially my looks( fat face, ptosis and a lazy eye on my right eye with mild ache). But one problem is my social anxiety, due to all this solitude, I've lost the ability to talk or hold conversations, even with my family. I can't even look people in the eye when talking due to my self consciousness. ( At one point when a girl at worked asked me to help her with something, i broke into a sweat and my eyes started twitching)I know this has just been a rant about how much i dislike my life, but I've got 15 days until uni and I really want a new start. I hate being stuck by myself. I've begun working out 6 times a week with a mix of cardio and muscle toning, just to give me something to do, it does help take my mind of things. I'm still continuing my hobby in photography and skating, but doing it alone is hard.I've cut alot of problems to shorten this, but these are my most concerned issues.Thank you, any input will be taken to heart.

Preenaaa Should I Date while Depressed?
  • replies: 6

Hey everyone! I’ve only started to get into the dating scene recently and through it I have met this guy who I get along with really well. He has so many qualities that I love in a guy and even though we have only met a few times I’m starting to like... View more

Hey everyone! I’ve only started to get into the dating scene recently and through it I have met this guy who I get along with really well. He has so many qualities that I love in a guy and even though we have only met a few times I’m starting to like him quite a bit. The only issue is that I have been going through severe depression for about 4 years now. Although it is getting a bit better, I go through days where I just hate myself so much that suicide seems to be a better option. I haven’t acted on it yet but I do go through very bad lows and start to think that I am not good enough for this guy/I am not attractive enough/he can do so much better/ I will just ruin it all etc. I don’t know if I should continue seeing him but the thought of not seeing him makes me feel really upset. At the same time, I don’t know if I should tell him early on because I don’t want him to think im crazy or scare him off. I just don’t want to be rejected and hurt. Any advice would be very much appreciated xx

char12 i just need to express my feeling to someone
  • replies: 6

hi i needed to talk to someone and let everything out. i would like just to be told it ok. i don't think i'm suffering from horrible depression but i am starting to feel it and don't want to get any worse. long story short .... I didnt have the worst... View more

hi i needed to talk to someone and let everything out. i would like just to be told it ok. i don't think i'm suffering from horrible depression but i am starting to feel it and don't want to get any worse. long story short .... I didnt have the worst upbringing there is and i was well looked after but my mum had me at a young age. i didn't meet my dad until i was 5. i moved every few months to a new house. finally mum couldn't handle it so she gave me to my grandparents when i was 4 who then got in contact with my dad who i then started seeing for a few months before i started living with his parents and then finally moved in with my dad. i've never had a great relationship with him like most children. no calling him "daddy" or random cuddles and kisses. he has had a few girlfriends and has abused them in a way. when they fight they 'fight'. he has been with my step mum for about 12 years now. she has 3 other girls who are horrible. its the typical evil step mother and daughters! she was only ever nice to me when dad was around or if she had been drinking. they always used to fight and break up and fight and break up.... my dad used to hit her. we had the docs come around to our door a ridiculous amount of times from te neighbours calling. we moved to the gold coast when i was 10 with just one of my step sisters and the family was happy but then the others came and they didn't get along with my dad, so he got angry all the time and didnt even like him own daughter (me). we used to go on family holidays all the time and they were great but the family was more unhappy then happy. i never came out of my room. high school came and it was then i realised my sexuality. i had plenty of boyfriends but then started dating a girl in grade 9. it was a huge secret for about 2 years when finally my dad came around to her house one night and confronted us. He was ok with my decisions but her parents not so much. so we said we had ended it just to keep them happy but we were still in love. i loved her so much i couldn't stand it! always wanted to be with her. i dropped anything and everything to do what she wanted. it was a secret to the world all through school. we never told anyone. we then started fighting over silly things like liking other people, not loving each other anymore, etc... she started hitting me when fight were bad. i never ever layed a finger on her! i used to cry and cry this went on right up until our first year out of school when i finally stood up and got myself together and said NO she's not right for me. i lost all of my friends because of the stories she told them about me. i then started fighting with my family and never came home for days. i didn't answer phone calls from my dad which made things worse. eventually i moved in with my grandparents and got a full time job in childcare which i still my current job. this is were i found the love of my life! she is the most amazing person i have ever met! she treats me like a princess. we have been together for 2 years now and our love is as strong a the day we fell in love. she however didn't have it easy. we started teaching zumba together and became best friends. we saw each other heaps in one week. the big thing is she was engaged, to a man. i fell in love with her very quick. we went out one night and when we got home we were outside and she asked me if i was a lesbian. we kissed. then our feeling got deeper and deeper. we tried to tell ourselves it was never gonna happen but she was unhappy in her relationship. they got married and it was the hardest thing ive ever gone through in my life. they were away on their honeymoon and i couldn't wait to see her. she got back and told me she didnt feel a spark when they were away. 1 month later they ended, on good terms though. they agreed that after 12 years together it just wasnt the same. he had another girl and she loved me. we now are in a house with 2 dogs and a cat. i have recently started hating my job and dont feel welcomed and i know that what you get working with a whole heap of girls. they are just not nice. i struggle with money even though i work long hours. my anger is stating to come back and im hoping if i find a new job and get on top of money it gets better. but our relationship is starting to rock. we are still in love but she said i need to deal with my anger and tell my life story to someone. i dont ever want to lose her. i dont ever think that my anger has anything to do with being a lesbian as i never get anything bad said to me. maybe us being normal looking girl and having very supportive friends and family. i just want a happy future but need to let out my past to start my future and be happy. i could go on and on but i wont. thank you if you read this, i know its not a major issue but i find myself always upset and crying and don't have anyone to talk to if we are in a fight. i know that if we ever broke up i would lose everything and most likely feel suicidal. i just want to be a more positive person. i want to be the person i was 2 months ago. i havent smiled in days. haven't kissed in a couple of days. i just miss her so much. she gave up everything for me and i need to make things right. i guess the question i have is do you think its old memories making my anger or is there something wrong with me?

choo18 anxiety
  • replies: 3

hi, i think i have anxiety ... in social situations like going out for dinner where there is more than one other person i just dont say a word and stay quiet... its so embarrassing its making me depressed and i dont want to go out any more ... people... View more

hi, i think i have anxiety ... in social situations like going out for dinner where there is more than one other person i just dont say a word and stay quiet... its so embarrassing its making me depressed and i dont want to go out any more ... people will notice i am quiet i let them know im shy or just a listener they cant understand this and just rip me off... i just want to be like everyone else and talk like normal does any one have any suggestions on how to over come this problem ? ?

I_Have_No_Idea Not Sure If Depressed or Disenfranchised Middle Class Youth.
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I've been feeling rather down of late. I suppose I'm having trouble understanding the severity of it and what I should do to improve things. I'm not even sure that what I'm feeling could be categorised as depression, but hey. That's why ... View more

Hi everyone, I've been feeling rather down of late. I suppose I'm having trouble understanding the severity of it and what I should do to improve things. I'm not even sure that what I'm feeling could be categorised as depression, but hey. That's why I'm here. Over the last month or so I've been feeling really down whenever I have any time to think. Naturally, this is mostly at night when I'm in bed, so it has severely affected my sleeping hours. My average bed time is now 4 in the morning. On top of this I've been having thoughts of suicide and self harm. Nothing committal but they're there nonetheless. I was wondering whether anyone out there would have some advice on where I'm at currently and what I should do to deal with how I'm feeling. Thanks in advance. 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.

Aaron_B Struggling to take the first steps....
  • replies: 4

Hi, I've only just found this website & joined & I'm not quite sure where to start or who to turn to. I'm 22yrs old & I've been struggling with depression & anxiety for close to 2 years now & I've reached the point where I feel like I cant keep fight... View more

Hi, I've only just found this website & joined & I'm not quite sure where to start or who to turn to. I'm 22yrs old & I've been struggling with depression & anxiety for close to 2 years now & I've reached the point where I feel like I cant keep fighting this battle alone. I know I need to talk to someone yet I feel so pathetic for needed help & feel like my needs are so small compared to those who are struggling more than me. Is this normal? Where do I even start my road to recovery???? Any help will be truely appreciated.