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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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browniesm12 Feeling very alone and I feel like no support I ask for is enough for me.
  • replies: 1

Hi. I'm new here to the whole forum thing so I'm not really sure what to say but I guess I'll get straight to the point. I've been struggling with self esteem issues for a few years now, I feel very self conscious to the point I do not want to go out... View more

Hi. I'm new here to the whole forum thing so I'm not really sure what to say but I guess I'll get straight to the point. I've been struggling with self esteem issues for a few years now, I feel very self conscious to the point I do not want to go outside because I feel like I am going to be judged. I panic a lot and tend to get very very down most days and it's hard for me to feel better. I haven't been diagnosed with anything because I'm too scared to discuss things with my parents because I fear they will not get me help or not be supportive or block me out. I was having a day where I was feeling very down and practically hating myself and I decided to reach out to one of my friends, and after a chat they said I could reach out anytime I needed to. So sometimes when I'm not feeling 100% I'll reach out to her to explain what's going on, which happens more often than not. I mostly discuss the same problems with her but recently I feel like the responses she's giving me aren't helping me and are frankly making me feel worse than when the conversation started, I know she's just trying to help but I wonder why I can't accept what she's saying and be satisfied with what she's trying to advise me to do. I also feel that after so many talk sessions that go for hours and that have been happening for months, she has started to not care about what I'm saying and is trying to finish the conversation as quick as possible by repeating things a lot. I feel really bad that I feel this way so therefore have stopped reaching out as often but she's the only one that will respond when I message. I'm not sure why I'm feeling this way or what is even happening and I really want to be grateful for her time and what she's saying but it's not helping me, and I'm not sure if anything will. What can I do?

bluesclues445 Losing friends again and feeling lonely
  • replies: 1

For basically all of high school, I struggled with a feeling of loneliness amongst whatever friend group I'm in at the time, with every group I've been a part of slowly losing interest in me and no longer including me unless it's to help them write a... View more

For basically all of high school, I struggled with a feeling of loneliness amongst whatever friend group I'm in at the time, with every group I've been a part of slowly losing interest in me and no longer including me unless it's to help them write an essay or whatever. Bc of this and with my already bad anxiety I am very insecure, have a fear of rejection and abandonment and tend to shut down if my anxiety is triggered. Well, this started happening again with my current group, and it all sort of culminated at this big school event where I was canceled on and excluded most of the night. (Two of my biggest problems are canceled plans and being excluded which I've talked to them about before.) Bc of that I shut down most of the night. when I found out they hung out together at an afters without me (telling me they all were going home when they didn't) I was so hurt, feeling left out and lonely again. I wanted to message them about it bc I was sick of being swept aside. I messaged them to tell them how I felt about it (i might have been a bit blunt I admit) and it turned into me being a bad person bc I wasn't very talkative that night? Bc, I was upset about people canceling last minute and lying? Am I a bad friend? Am I overreacting like they said I am? Now I completely regret saying anything I feel like they all hate me. The thought of being a bad friend has made me nonstop nauseous for the last two weeks. Now I have no one to talk to essentially. I've only talked to my parents. I am increasingly getting more anxious and lonely and I feel as if I am once again spiraling like after my other failed friendships. Having told them how these things affect me previously and them doing it anyway I couldn't see myself continuing a friendship when I was going down the road of being excluded again. Even tho I chose to distance myself I am so incredibly lonely. Was it a bad idea for me to distance myself? Is it just my anxiety talking and I've ruined a friendship by getting upset? Does my anxiety make me hard to be around? Idk. All I feel is regret. I just feel stupid and like a bad person. I'm sorry if this is super rambly I'm a bit nervous about writing on here.

erj idk how to feel better
  • replies: 1

i always feel like there is a heavy weight on my back keeping me from doing things. it gives me no motivation and makes me feel bad about myself and overthink all of my problems. i need to know what it is so i can make it go away. thanks, erj

i always feel like there is a heavy weight on my back keeping me from doing things. it gives me no motivation and makes me feel bad about myself and overthink all of my problems. i need to know what it is so i can make it go away. thanks, erj

Avocadooo Partner guilt trips me
  • replies: 5

Sorry in advance if none off this really makes sense as I feel like I've just kind off gone all over the place with trying to explain myself. But here you go, So this is a regular occurrence. I feel like my partner guilt trips me on nights when we're... View more

Sorry in advance if none off this really makes sense as I feel like I've just kind off gone all over the place with trying to explain myself. But here you go, So this is a regular occurrence. I feel like my partner guilt trips me on nights when we're out with friends & then his night suddenly turns bad, he gets anxiety about the crowds, the noise, the vibes etc. Which I'm completely sympathetic towards his feelings & the situation. There have been times where I will stay & alm him & support him by staying with him & we'll go to bed, but when it happens everytime we go out and especially the most recent time, it was a friends 21st, we had spoek about this issue prior to going & we both came to an agreement we would enjoy the night out, do what we could to help him during it so he does stay out with us & enjoys the night but it didn't happen, and I'm not blaming him at all because each person is different, but it's always the same "I want you to stay with me". Which I feel maybe I am an asshole for not always staying or being by his side, and maybe it's petty because it about us going out, but it's always in the time when I want to stay out with friends. He doesn't organise boys nights, he doesn't go if they are organised so I feel maybe it's an internal issue with him, knowing that I'm more off the bubbly outgoing person than he is, and I know he feels bad doing this stuff, he says that at the time but because he feels bad he doesn't want to be alone either so makes him want me to stay more so.. I don't know.. it's really tricky.. and we're trying to work through it & dicsuss it today when he gets home from work, I don't have someone mature enough to talk to about it I also don't want to make him look like an asshole, because he isn't in anyway. I know he is trying to figure his own emotions out & become his own person as he's still young, (19) he's not as self aware as I am in the sense off understanding all these terms & guilt tripping etc but I want to help him, while helping myself & us. I'm also scared he does all this because he's worried he'll lose me if I go out without him, like relationship wise, because I'm older, he's had a bad previous relationship so I feel like that's triggering him a little bit when we experience these outings together.

NonbinaryDragon Need advice on religion, family, gender and sexuality. I know it's a lot.
  • replies: 34

Hello. Let's start this of with a bit of an introduction. My name is Quinn, my pronouns are they/them and I'm nonbinary, asexual and panromantic. At least I'm pretty sure that's all true. My family is pretty homophobic, especially my dad. When I firs... View more

Hello. Let's start this of with a bit of an introduction. My name is Quinn, my pronouns are they/them and I'm nonbinary, asexual and panromantic. At least I'm pretty sure that's all true. My family is pretty homophobic, especially my dad. When I first came out to him he basically waved it off as me just making stuff up to fit in with my new friends. We had just moved to where I know live and for the first time ever in my life I was going to a new school and my friend group was almost entirely LGBTQIA+. I had no idea about any of it so they had to teach me and I came to the above realisations. One of my other currant problems is that I'm beginning to question my religion. I'm I'm raised catholic and my parents are both very strongly catholic but I just don't fell very connected to it. I have been doing a bit of reaserch and I found like all that pagen witchcraft stuff and that looks really cool but I don't really know what to do, or how to tell my parents. My other problem is my extended family. We used to live with my mums parents when we first moved here but it's wasn't great. My grandfather started drinking again and he got really drunk most nights and got into fights with my dad. We eventualy moved out and not it's like my mum wants me to forget everything that he did and just be friends with him again, but every time I go over to visit he's always drunk and says stupid stuff. I just don't know what to do, and I have been feeling really sad most days and I think I might have depression but my dad said it can't be that because I still enjoy my hobbies. I just need some help and advice. Thanks in advance.

Ash_VM I don't understand part-time jobs.
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I recently graduated from Year 12 (I'm 19, with Autism) this year but I really don't have anything to do besides studying for learners (which I really don't care about; topic for another day), playing games and YouTube. But recently, thinking... View more

Hi all, I recently graduated from Year 12 (I'm 19, with Autism) this year but I really don't have anything to do besides studying for learners (which I really don't care about; topic for another day), playing games and YouTube. But recently, thinking about part time jobs and job-hunting in particular has really made me mad for several reasons. Part time jobs are crazy hard to get, due to how companies wanting younger employees so that they are paid cheaper. I tried finding part time when I was 17-18 but none were successful (ie. applying for maccas in 4 locations, 3 times. All of them turned me down) Most of these part-times are either Retail or Hospitality/Labour jobs which aren't my sort of thing, very little variation in terms of industry topics I worked casual at a Labour meat produce back in December 2019 for a month and while I didn't have any issues with other co-workers (pay was good), it really burned me out due to how fast-paced and intensive it was ( I did do work experience at a retailer and it was fine.) The companies that I applied for, didn't give me any useful constructive criticism on how to improve my resume, CV and cover letters, leaving me feel useless, because I didn't understand what I did wrong or what I need to improve on. Other people that are around my age are able to have part-time jobs no problem, while I feel isolated and out of touch. Payment depending on shift hours, is questionable, as people get older, they tend to get less working hours and pay due to their age. Employers want resumes and CVs, short and concise, making it hard to relate my skills to a particular company's interest Thinking about jobs in general has made me infuriated with the world because of the reasons above. I used to have a slightly optimistic mind about finding part-time back in 2018-2019, but at this point, why should I sacrifice my time trying to find employment if companies don't give me direct feedback, work types that have little to no variation, mediocre payment and shift hours? At this point, I gave up looking for part-time because it wasn't worth the effort for such a generic job. Why would I work and learn something that I have no interest in whatsoever, even if those skills were "useful" to me? Have I gone insane? Or am I just a laughing stock to those who are able to get part-time jobs? Is it okay for me to have such malicious thoughts about part-time employment?

Historyfan01 Anxiety about birthday soon
  • replies: 5

I turn 25 in April and am feeling scared I feel like time is slipping away and my youth is gone Another big factor of why I feel anxiety growing up is I fear medical conditions could arise for me, meaning I can't do my favourite hobbies anymore. Like... View more

I turn 25 in April and am feeling scared I feel like time is slipping away and my youth is gone Another big factor of why I feel anxiety growing up is I fear medical conditions could arise for me, meaning I can't do my favourite hobbies anymore. Like what if I get a condition that prevents me from holding the controller to play a video game or my eyes start to fail and I can't read my books anymore or I get a condition that makes it hard for me to paint. I can probably learn to not worry about being laughed at if I'm in my 40s, 50s, 60s heck even 70s playing video games and other "nerdy" actitives but the thought of physically not being able to really stresses me out and kinda upsets me. That's why I worry about growing older is that time may be closing on me. And I know some may say 25 is a young age but the nightmare of being without the things I love and adore. I love video games cause they inspire me to paint and I love painting cause I feel energised doing it Sorry to sound silly, I just find the thoughts hard

jorj_kate Feeling joyless in a wonderful marriage
  • replies: 3

I'm married to a wonderful husband who I've been with for 5 years. He is patient, kind, understanding and funny. He has seen me through my absolute worst and my best. I'm diagnosed with anxiety and depression and started medication again. For the mos... View more

I'm married to a wonderful husband who I've been with for 5 years. He is patient, kind, understanding and funny. He has seen me through my absolute worst and my best. I'm diagnosed with anxiety and depression and started medication again. For the most part (before and during medication) I have just felt joyless and out of love. My husband makes me feel comfort when I'm overwhelmed, having a panic attacks etc. I do love him, though I'm just feeling really odd about not having any romantic feelings towards him. He is the best and I can't imagine being with anyone else, I just worry that I am numb towards feelings of romance and joy and have talked to him about it. He can't do anything, it's an issue with me. Just wondering if anyone else has had any feelings or experiences like this in their relationship and if it has gotten better?

Deltius All friends gone, hopeless, failed again.
  • replies: 4

Hello, I Unfortunately, over the last week have lost all my friends, being accused of sexually assaulting someone, lashed out at a friend and her parent due to others warping my thoughts into thinking my friend was having sex my brother and have had ... View more

Hello, I Unfortunately, over the last week have lost all my friends, being accused of sexually assaulting someone, lashed out at a friend and her parent due to others warping my thoughts into thinking my friend was having sex my brother and have had all progress reset, I am in debt, don't eat properly, constantly feel like throwing up and have had wellfare checks and been to the ER a couple times. Help?

JSP I don't know how to find someone.
  • replies: 7

I am 25 and due to my mental health, I lost about 10 years of my life from the time I was 14. I didn't even start to climb out of that hole until I was 23. I was taking smaller steps initially and have been making much larger ones now, but one area w... View more

I am 25 and due to my mental health, I lost about 10 years of my life from the time I was 14. I didn't even start to climb out of that hole until I was 23. I was taking smaller steps initially and have been making much larger ones now, but one area where I can't seem to make any progress is finding a romantic partner. In my 10 years of solitude, I feel I essentially missed out on developing the skills necessary to navigate the dating world, communicate my value, and be flexible while maintaining my values. To be charming and interesting. To be intellectual, but physical. Now, I am 25 and so touch and affection-starved that I can't take the pain of loneliness anymore. Going out into the world, to the beach, bars, etc, and seeing everyone there with their partners is excruciating. My friend told me yesterday about a girl he hooked up with and I had chest pain for 4 hours afterwards because I can't even fathom how people accomplish that. I literally do not know, cannot imagine, the combination of words and actions that would lead to that. A hookup is not even what I'm looking for, but it would be something. I am either on, or have tried just about every dating app out there, and on the rare occasion that I get a match, it hasn't gone past 5 messages (hence I don't know how to communicate my value). I try meetups and singles groups, but there seems to be so few people my age, and I can't stop myself from thinking it is because they are normal and don't need them whereas I unfortunately do. I feel so unlike the bulk of my generation. I don't know where my people are. I'm getting really tired.