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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

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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.

-Jack_ Anxious 18 year old male who's trigger is his heart/health.
  • replies: 4

I'm an 18 year old male and have self diagnosed myself with general anxiety disorder. On a daily basis I experience pretty much every symptom of anxiety such as; a rapid heart beat, excessive sweating, dizziness/fainting, shortness of breath, hot fla... View more

I'm an 18 year old male and have self diagnosed myself with general anxiety disorder. On a daily basis I experience pretty much every symptom of anxiety such as; a rapid heart beat, excessive sweating, dizziness/fainting, shortness of breath, hot flashes or chills, exhaustion, panic attacks, over-thinking everything that ever crosses my mind, irritability and fear of losing control. These can all occur at random at any point of any day. Mainly, I am worried about my heart. It is the trigger of 90% of my anxiety, and I feel compelled most of the day to check my pulse. I am worried that it will stop beating altogether, or that its beating so fast that something will go wrong with it and that I will die, or that I will have a heart attack etc. Occasionally I forget about my heart but so many things will trigger my mind to start thinking about it again such as a rapid heart beat in nervous situations, or say if im doing exercise and my heart rate rises then i will become conscious of its beating pace and begin to worry. If i feel any sort of pains in my chest, usually sharp, then i also begin to worry that their is something wrong. I become extremely anxious during public speaking at university and have come extremely close to fainting on multiple occasions. Each of these times, a rapid heart beat, sweatiness, mumbly voice and dizziness have occurred. My first ever panic attack was during smoking weed. I had smoked many times before and this was just another regular occasion, although i started to notice my heartbeat was going EXTREMELY fast, in which i began to calm myself down by breathing deeply, this, in fact did calm me down and caused my heartbeat to slow right down to the point i couldnt feel it at the time. I then felt an extreme wave of heat over my body and thought i was having a heart attack and could no longer control myself. A friend sat me down for 2 hours in which during that time i consciously controlled my breathing as i believed if i didnt i would stop breathing and die and held my hand on my heart to make sure it was still beating, (all while my legs were shaking uncontrollably). This experience caused deep depersonalization for around a week afterwards. For a few months this stopped and i forgot about it until one night while trying to sleep i had another completely random panic attack with no trigger that i could identify whatsoever, and all the regular symptoms occurred. From that night (over 1 year ago), until now i have been experienced what i described in my first paragraph on a daily basis. It started mild but now has become a part of my daily life as my mind has become more and more aware of its presence and triggers. Even though my mind acknowledges there is nothing actually physically wrong with me, it still cannot ignore the symptoms. What i have described restricts me in my social life, and activities i wish to pursue. With this has come an extreme constant feeling of loneliness. I will confess, i am not in need of any more friends, although i still feel lonely 90% of the time. This feeling can be ignored if i am with a friend at the time, although as soon as i am alone, my mind begins over thinking life in general, i become sad for no reason, and the loneliness kicks in. If youve managed to read this far then thank you. Has anyone experienced anything similar before? And have they tried any techniques that have in any way helped them? Will this be a part of my life forever or will some sort of treatment be able to put this away for good? Will medication help?

Cassie i give up.
  • replies: 6

i am seriously done with my life. nothing ever good happens to me, and it never will. people say things will get better, but they wont. i do even feel emotions anymore, im just numb. i hurt my self just to know im alive and i can actually feel someth... View more

i am seriously done with my life. nothing ever good happens to me, and it never will. people say things will get better, but they wont. i do even feel emotions anymore, im just numb. i hurt my self just to know im alive and i can actually feel something. school is making everything worse by stressing me out, i dont want to fail. ugh. im done. Please give me some advice.

Just_Flick Friends? I sleep my life away.
  • replies: 6

Hi, I'm Flick, 22 and im new to this website/forum. I have been suffering from Anxiety/depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for 6 years. I have been a self harmer and ended up in hospital from this. I never wanted to kill myself, but i have ... View more

Hi, I'm Flick, 22 and im new to this website/forum. I have been suffering from Anxiety/depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for 6 years. I have been a self harmer and ended up in hospital from this. I never wanted to kill myself, but i have harmed myself for different reasons. Like numbing my pain, or feeling like i deserve the pain or to make the pain stop. and cos it felt like a big release and rush. I Have seen psychologists and psychiatrist over the years and they have helped but am currently not seeing anyone. I have the most beautiful, understanding, amazing Boyfriend/life partner ever. we have been together 4 years and we live together just the 2 of us. I love him more than anything in the world as he does me. I have a part time job in a clothes shop and i work 10-20 hours a week because thats all i can handle. I think i am a bit of a flake...like i flake out on things when i cant handle them anymore. I have had 9 jobs since i was 15 and been unempoyed for up to 8 months at a time from not being able to work cause of my illnesses. when im not working, then the rest of my life i spend sleeping and doing not much else. Occasionally will go out for tea or do lunch with someone. with my chronic fatigue it makes it really hard to do things, i dont have the energy. On my days off i sleep til about 3pm even though i went to bed at 10.30pm the night before. No one i know seems to understand why i dont like to "go out for drinks" or have late nights. people think im just a sook or something. i have never met anyone who understand what i am going through. I just wish i had some good close friends who i could talk to and who are like me. I dont know how to meet people who are like me, who look like your normal average person. You cant tell from having a conversation with me that i am hurting so much on the inside. Working in a clothes shop i see girls come in all the time having some much fun shopping with their friends and i am so envious. i just feel like all the friendships i have had ended becasue no one can put in the effort to catch up in a way thats not going out and getting drunk or something. Anyone else out there around my age feel the same? Thanks From Flick

missy86 My anxiety and panic attacks have made me so lonely
  • replies: 4

( just a heads up, i'm not great with grammer ) Hi beautiful people, I am not sure if i am posting this in the correct section or not. I'm 27 and have two young children, around three years ago i started to have panic attacks and anxiety. I have pret... View more

( just a heads up, i'm not great with grammer ) Hi beautiful people, I am not sure if i am posting this in the correct section or not. I'm 27 and have two young children, around three years ago i started to have panic attacks and anxiety. I have pretty much no friends anymore. Being in a small town its kinda hard also. Because of my issues i had become distant to my partner, who is great on just about all levels , minus the affection. I went for two months with no panic attacks and then they decided to come back, got pretty bad and as of three days ago i am taking meds for it, i wish that they would work NOW. I had a bad attack today. I feel as tho i need to escape when i get them and that i can't breathe and like my body is going nuts. I guess i come to this site to see if anyone can relate or make a friend even XOX

shay2 Sex and boys
  • replies: 17

Hi I'm Shay 13 year old female So listen I am depressed, suicidal and self harm. I really like this boy in my class right and he is always flirting with me. He asked me to give him oral sex and I said that I would but now he wants to know if he can h... View more

Hi I'm Shay 13 year old female So listen I am depressed, suicidal and self harm. I really like this boy in my class right and he is always flirting with me. He asked me to give him oral sex and I said that I would but now he wants to know if he can have sex with me, I am a virgin and I guess I want to but I have a few problems. he is always feeling me up when he gets the chance and talks dirty to me. here is a list of problems and please don't judge me: *I am scared it will hurt *I don't shave or wax (down there) -embarrassing *cringe*- and i don't know if he will mind *How do I get condoms? *Where and when can I do it so my parents wont find out? *will it make me more depressed? *what if he can't fit in me Please if you could give an answer to all these it would b very helpful