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

cupcakeelf I'm depressed and afraid and can't tell anyone. Help Me.
  • replies: 6

I'm 18, I've been depressed and just...sad since I can remember...maybe...5th or 6th grade. My body and mind have been abused and I can't tell anyone at all, not parents, not my doctors. I can't find the closure I want and need and I'm always afraid.... View more

I'm 18, I've been depressed and just...sad since I can remember...maybe...5th or 6th grade. My body and mind have been abused and I can't tell anyone at all, not parents, not my doctors. I can't find the closure I want and need and I'm always afraid. I can't go anywhere and I can't talk to anyone, I don't want to cause pain to my parents if they found out because it would break their hearts and they would blame themselves and I feel more isolated and sad because that leaves me with no one except strangers to talk to. And I still have to worry about it some how coming back and getting to them. I need help, but I don't know how to get it without making my parents come face to face with so many things that might just be...too much for them. My dad also battles with depression and I can't imagine what it would do to him.

steph93 Too scared to be away from family
  • replies: 3

Hi, I'm brand new to the beyondblue forums and I was a bit reluctant to join because I've never been officially diagnosed, but I'm almost certain that I have anxiety. Often I can deal with it alright, but as soon as I step even slightly out of my com... View more

Hi, I'm brand new to the beyondblue forums and I was a bit reluctant to join because I've never been officially diagnosed, but I'm almost certain that I have anxiety. Often I can deal with it alright, but as soon as I step even slightly out of my comfort zone I can't cope with anything. I thought I'd been okay recently, but all of a sudden, over the past few days, it's like I've crashed and I can't handle anything. I'm 20 and going on my first overseas trip to Europe next week and I'm flying over by myself and will be travelling alone at some points over the seven weeks. Up until the past few days I've mostly been really excited because it's something I've always wanted to do. But over the past few days I've been getting progressively more anxious about it and last night I decided that I don't want to go at all. I've been crying constantly, can't sleep, feeling nauseous and I've been having really bad chest pains and can't relax. I'm so so scared of going and I wish I could be excited but I'm not at all. I'm too scared to leave my home, I'm too scared to be in a place I'm not familiar with and I'm really really really terrified of not being with my family. I want to cancel the trip so badly and I can't even care about how much I'd regret doing that or how much money I'd lose. The only reason I haven't cancelled yet is because that would mean leaving my friend alone on Christmas. I'm not so much scared of something happening to me while I'm gone, but I'm scared of something happening to someone at home while I'm gone and can't do anything about it. I'm scared of not being able to contact anyone while I'm on the plane and not being able to know my family have gotten home safely. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome the anxiety? I want to be able to relax and enjoy myself but I know that I won't be able to if I'm like this. As soon as one tiny thing goes wrong or not according to plan I freak out and start having what I think are panic attacks. Please help, I really don't know if I can go through with this trip.

Kristiii Genuine friends?
  • replies: 2

I am 22 years old and have no friends! This means that I have no social life and feel forced to stay in bed. I am currently working part time (20 hours a week) but feel like its "all work and no fun". I was wondering if people could suggest any ways ... View more

I am 22 years old and have no friends! This means that I have no social life and feel forced to stay in bed. I am currently working part time (20 hours a week) but feel like its "all work and no fun". I was wondering if people could suggest any ways to meet people, or events to attend to make new friends?

tashi finally built up the courage to seek help
  • replies: 2

Im a 19 year old female ive been hospitalized once feom and anxiety attack and only had the second one ever last night (two years later ) but in between that i have been feeling extremely miserable and overwhelmed with everything day to day things bl... View more

Im a 19 year old female ive been hospitalized once feom and anxiety attack and only had the second one ever last night (two years later ) but in between that i have been feeling extremely miserable and overwhelmed with everything day to day things blike speaking to family and communicating with my partner qhom ive been living with for 3 years. I ised to be a dancer but now thw thought bof taking bit up again makes me naiseaous . I feel quilty thatbi feel this way because ive got everything I nwed in life a car a job friends and life partner and family bit being happy jas just become a chore and day to day activities are becoming stressful I dont want to lose my partner but im very afraid to speak to someone professionaly because I dont want to b told I have to take medication. Can someone please help me ?

Vanessa33 eating disorder
  • replies: 2

I am constantly thinking about what I eat and counting calories. I am so worried about gaining weight it seems to be all I can think of. It feels like I don't have any control over my life and this is one aspect I can control. I am so irritable and s... View more

I am constantly thinking about what I eat and counting calories. I am so worried about gaining weight it seems to be all I can think of. It feels like I don't have any control over my life and this is one aspect I can control. I am so irritable and sad all the time. What steps can I take to become happier and less stressed and anxious all the time?

Ryan_F Need someone to talk to
  • replies: 3

Hello well first time doing this My name is Ryan i have just graduated after a long secondary career and a tough one despite my interest keeping me busy i would like to find some new friends I am 18 at the moment so the in between of 16-19 male but i... View more

Hello well first time doing this My name is Ryan i have just graduated after a long secondary career and a tough one despite my interest keeping me busy i would like to find some new friends I am 18 at the moment so the in between of 16-19 male but it doesnt really matter i suppose just to talk to i have gone from constant stimulation to well next to nothing could someone help please

Owen1 Hey guys ! thought id share my story.
  • replies: 1

This is my first post so ill start by introducing myself , My names Owen , I am 18 years old and live on the coast, my favorite thing in the world is rugby league been playing since i was a kid and nothing brings me more joy, and im really good at it... View more

This is my first post so ill start by introducing myself , My names Owen , I am 18 years old and live on the coast, my favorite thing in the world is rugby league been playing since i was a kid and nothing brings me more joy, and im really good at it and really sit into that environment. I've had depression for over a year and a half now and thought id check out beyond blue and share my experience with people and maybe hear about other peoples experiences, From what i learnt from myself is that when im talking to people and friends i don't feel alone. I'll quickly outline my story and if anyone wants to talk more about themselves or me there more then welcome. Basically when i was 17 i had it all, i had a license a job a girlfriend and basically life was great , my dream was to serve in the Australian army and i eventually got accepted and was almost ready to leave, although i got myself into serious trouble with the police and five days before i was due to leave i was terminated, i lost my license around the same time for 15 months and lost my job and have been unemployed since, made it extremely hard to see friends and it has made the days long and hard for over a year now. What made me come here to talk was that my girlfriend cheated on me on the weekend and we broke up, Ive been real down and looking to talk just to give me that extra push i need to get back in the right direction. id love to hear your stories and share mine if you wanna chat feel free to write more here. Thanks everyone !

thesoaringskies Why am I so afraid?
  • replies: 1

That's the only way I can describe it. I'm afraid of everything. Once it gets into my head that something might happen, something might go wrong, I can't stop worrying about it, my mind races and races until my thoughts blur into each other. What's w... View more

That's the only way I can describe it. I'm afraid of everything. Once it gets into my head that something might happen, something might go wrong, I can't stop worrying about it, my mind races and races until my thoughts blur into each other. What's worse is I'm afraid of myself - what I might do to hurt the people around me, you know? What if I lashed out? What if I committed one of those unspeakable crimes people get the death penalty for?

dan_2 16, and desperate to move out...
  • replies: 2

This is really a long story, starting in 2004. I lived in the UK with my mum, and family, then she met a guy on the internet, one thing lead to another and we found ourselves living in Australia. (At this stage, the only blood family I had in Austral... View more

This is really a long story, starting in 2004. I lived in the UK with my mum, and family, then she met a guy on the internet, one thing lead to another and we found ourselves living in Australia. (At this stage, the only blood family I had in Australia was my mum.) and, this leads us to April this year. My mum had decided that she has had enough of us (Her husband, me, and my 2 half brothers), and moved out to a nearby suburb. In my last post, I gave an example of the abuse she texts me, and the appaling way she treats her family. Living here with my stepdad (is that the appropriate title?) is depressing, it's adding to all my problems. Everything's a mess, he has very little control over my brothers, which causes me to have a lack of sleep due to all the yelling and screaming, and he really can't afford to support me until I have a full time job and move out. I need to leave, but I'm questioning if I'll even be able to be supported by welfare.. I can't stay..

dotplot My Friend
  • replies: 1

Hello I am lost on what I should do... My friend which moved to our school around 2 years ago now, has recently told me he has depression. Before he moved he used to get heavily bullied to extreme measures. However due to his past, wont do anything a... View more

Hello I am lost on what I should do... My friend which moved to our school around 2 years ago now, has recently told me he has depression. Before he moved he used to get heavily bullied to extreme measures. However due to his past, wont do anything about his situation, stating things as he can deal with it himself and that we should just 'drop it'. I'm very worried about him though as he does not get help and is shutting people away (Mainly parents) and although I don't pressure him into telling me (I know that can make things worse), refuses to tell me if things are wrong (Although its obvious; won't talk to me, slouched, doesn't do work etc.) I have suggested he talks to someone about it and reach out for help, but still he refuses help. Recently I have found out he has had thoughts of suicide, having trouble getting out of bed and just overall energy. Should I get help for him? Should I just make an appointment with someone and tell him to go with me? Due to our location the only available services are school guidance counsellor, doctors and the principle of the school. I am honestly lost and worried... Thank you.