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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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Daniel1996 things have become overwhelming and it is a struggle to find peace of mind and find my place in life
  • replies: 31

Hello to anyone who reads this I am Daniel, I am 25 years old, single, work as a civil engineer, I am an active person. I have been feeling more and more overwhelmed with where my life is at and feel hopeless more and more. A trigger for this is feel... View more

Hello to anyone who reads this I am Daniel, I am 25 years old, single, work as a civil engineer, I am an active person. I have been feeling more and more overwhelmed with where my life is at and feel hopeless more and more. A trigger for this is feeling very alone even though I have a close family it is more in a social sense. I have a small network of friends and have tried my best to get out there and date but cannot seem to get anywhere past a second date with anyone and this is a trigger for the way I get down on myself and go into overdrive. It has started to become very overwhelming experienced and I am very flat and lacking in energy when usually I can muster up the energy to be a more jovial type, it has worn me down. My mind races about a lot of stupid things that I know in my head are silly but I cannot find a way to stop it and then I get down/angry at myself for being like this and it spirals from there. For example in a dating sense it might be if a girl all of sudden stops contacting me out of nowhere after a couple dates I immediately hypothesise the reasons behind this and what I did wrong, how I came across, does she think I'm weird, why does this happen to me everytime I meet someone etc. I am more a laid-back character, no fuss type and it makes me feel maybe I am not loud and out there enough for people. Another example is I begin to think because I come across relatively normal on social media and I only really have a small network of friends (like 2-3 very good friends and the rest are acquaintances from sporting clubs etc) that it makes me look undesirable, unpopular and uninteresting. I know I should not worry about what others think and particularly about things like that but it just finds a way to invade my headspace and I struggle to cope with it. When my head is constantly ticking over with thoughts like this I get exhausted and again angry at myself for not just being normal and relaxing in the moment, the enjoyment of my life has rapidly been fading. I feel worn down with the pressures of finding a partner who likes me for who I am and ending this feeling of being alone I guess I feel lost in who I am, confused in how to act and frustrated that I cannot find a way to just relax and be myself and not stress over things like social media perception, dating experiences that don't work and how many friends I do or don't have for example. Apologies for the confusing post, probably a representation of how my mind races Daniel

Justin95 Overwhelming
  • replies: 5

Next year I will start year 11 and honestly I am very scared. I dropped out of high school 4 years ago so I’m a bit rusty. My anxiety is also off the roof. I am terrified and scared. Any tips to survive year 11? thanks

Next year I will start year 11 and honestly I am very scared. I dropped out of high school 4 years ago so I’m a bit rusty. My anxiety is also off the roof. I am terrified and scared. Any tips to survive year 11? thanks

anon78 failure
  • replies: 5

I’m only 16, I’ve already dropped out of high school, I struggle with applying myself to every single thing I do. I have no interests or hobbies; or anybody to talk to about these things. I’d like to go back to high school and make friends, get my HS... View more

I’m only 16, I’ve already dropped out of high school, I struggle with applying myself to every single thing I do. I have no interests or hobbies; or anybody to talk to about these things. I’d like to go back to high school and make friends, get my HSC and get into uni. But I feel like it’s too late, and I know if I go back I’ll hardly ever attend or do any work. I wish I could be like a normal teenager. I’m stuck in a tafe course that I hate being in. I feel like I can’t complain about my current position and state of my mental health because it’s all a result of my own actions, and because I’ve always been told that there’s others a lot worse off, which is true. I don’t want to end up constantly struggling financially and emotionally, I want a normal life with normal daily thoughts. I really don’t know what to do anymore. I still can go back to high school, but I want to apply myself to the best of my ability, which I can never see myself doing. I also really want to go back for the social aspect, I have little to no friends, I want my social life back, but with that being said, I have really bad social anxiety. I hate having my entire life being taken over by poor mental health. I never wanted to be labeled or seen as mentally ill because of the stigma around it, I never wanted to become a lonely high school dropout, also because of the stigma around it. I’m really embarrassed about my life and my actions. I really hate my life, I wish that if I had to go through all of this self-loathing, loneliness and failing it could’ve been later in my life. I’m terrified for my future, also a future that I don’t even want. I think that I’m just an extremely lazy person. I don’t expect anybody to genuinely care or to respond to this, I just needed to let it all out somewhere.

Guest1020 Psychiatrist has diagnosed me with ADHD inattentive- Still in shock
  • replies: 3

Psychiatrist has said he is ready to go, he is ready to start medication. He has said I scored off the charts for inattentive ADHD, and have three hyperactive symptoms. I scored 9 and a half out of 10 for inattentive-ADHD. He has said women go underd... View more

Psychiatrist has said he is ready to go, he is ready to start medication. He has said I scored off the charts for inattentive ADHD, and have three hyperactive symptoms. I scored 9 and a half out of 10 for inattentive-ADHD. He has said women go underdiagnosed in childhood. He has said socialisation and masking played a part in me going undetected. I have requested a formal psychometric testing, because I am still in shock. My mum is going ballistic, saying that psychiatrist diagnosing you with brain problem will tamper with your record making sure you are unemployed forever. Mum is furious about me seeking psychiatrist help. Saying that I am a hypochondriac and tampering me with my health record. I am still shocked about my diagnosis.

Guest1020 I have an appointment with a new psychiatrist in less than 36 minutes: Very nervous
  • replies: 2

Today is the big day, I have an appointment with a new psychiatrist in less than 36 minutes. I am very nervous and anxious; I hope the psychiatrist believes me

Today is the big day, I have an appointment with a new psychiatrist in less than 36 minutes. I am very nervous and anxious; I hope the psychiatrist believes me

bennymate Heard horrifying news about my Ex-Girlfriend who i care about and still had feelings for.
  • replies: 30

My Ex and i have been broken up for a year and all that time i was following strict NC (No Contact, when you completely block them out of your life). I am 19 and she is 20. We finally spoke after she reached out to me and i allowed the phone call, th... View more

My Ex and i have been broken up for a year and all that time i was following strict NC (No Contact, when you completely block them out of your life). I am 19 and she is 20. We finally spoke after she reached out to me and i allowed the phone call, the news and information i heard about her life threw me into shock and trauma. She had a boyfriend that beat her, she got seriously into hard drugs (such as heroin and cocaine) and can't get off them, adding to this she took up a job as a stripper. This was a lot for me to handle as i had been struggling the entire year trying to get over her and then to hear all of this terrible news really shook me. In addition, i have mild jealousy issues and mood disorders such as OCD so it makes the whole ideal worse, i can't stop ruminating about the horrible things that would have happened to her in the past year and i often think this will scar me forever. The emotions i feel are Guilt, sadness and jealousy. We dated for 1.5 years, she was my first girlfriend, my first love and we had a very intense relationship so seeing her like this is very very disheartening and makes me extremely sad. I wish i could help her but i can't and i had to block her again and im just still in a state of shock. I alerted my parents about it just so they understand what im going through. Please help

srance everything is beginning to build up and im struggling
  • replies: 13

Hi, i'm a new member and i just wanted to get some advice about my current situation! im a very active person, and i constantly strive to get fitter and stronger but the last two years have been really hard, ive dived in and out of binge eating and b... View more

Hi, i'm a new member and i just wanted to get some advice about my current situation! im a very active person, and i constantly strive to get fitter and stronger but the last two years have been really hard, ive dived in and out of binge eating and bulimia and in a way i think its because when i get fitter and stronger my figure isnt as skinny as nice as models, and all my family members constantly make comments about my weight and my figure and keeping myself slimmer, or as a girl i shouldn't be aiming to to so sporty, i'm not going to become a professional athlete anyway. Of course im not going to become an athlete but i don't see any reason i shouldnt be able to play sport. ive been forced to quit sports that i love so dearly because it gives me broad shoulders, or big legs and ive been told to go on long runs which i hate just to lose weight because my parents think my muscle is fat. my mum is incredibly strict on her own diet, constantly weighing herself and showing off her weight, and even my dad says he wont accept it if im not a certain weight. this was a while ago but it still hurts so much. ive recently had both a meniscus and ACL injury from football and my surgery was in late August. that means a full year before i am allowed to play any kind of contact sports and its been about 48 days and ive only just started to be able to squat again. When i first heard about my injury i was so, so, so devastated. i was about to start my rowing season and i was ready to get fitter and fitter. being unable to do sport but still being hungry all the time while doing nothing is so hard. i cannot lose weight or get fitter being unable to do anything. my mum says shes glad i wasn't able to row becuase it would give me broad shoulders. i don't understand why its up to her what my body should look like. but at the same time while i love getting fitter and stronger, i don't like how my body looks and i still need to reduce my body fat %. my family members keep giving me backhanded compliments, saying oh your legs look SO NICE now, because i haven't been able to work out and theyve slimmed down to a more feminine shape and it makes me feel so bad when they comment on it literally everyday. i feel like im not understood and i really wish i was

kusumi108 its getting bad again
  • replies: 5

recently everything has been getting a bit overwhelming and hard to deal with. i feel like constantly venting to my friends will make them hate me eventually, and I don't want to ruin more of my relationships. I'm lacking the motivation to do anythin... View more

recently everything has been getting a bit overwhelming and hard to deal with. i feel like constantly venting to my friends will make them hate me eventually, and I don't want to ruin more of my relationships. I'm lacking the motivation to do anything and my parents contribute to that. they don't believe that their child has feelings and might not be constantly well. I've been really down; school work is piling up, I lost most of my closest friends and my boyfriend of 9 months broke up with me last month. the constant pressure im faced with is so stressful and scary. my brother is a high achiever and does well in school and many other things. compared to him im quite literally garbage. i have no one to talk to so I decided here might be a good place. I'm always the friend that gives advice and comfort when people vent. Although it may not be helpful I try my best to say things that will make them feel better. But no one does that for me. I told a friend I wasn't well earlier and all I got in response was "unfortunate". things like that make me want to never open up again. why cant they at least try to be there for me when im always there for them? i think im depressed, or maybe i have anxiety. a few weeks ago i was uncontrollably panicking after an argument and i had to shove my face into a blanket to calm down. I've never experienced that before and there was such a strong urge for me to self harm but i didn't. a few years ago i opened up to a friend and told her i was self harming. she was the only person i told and she said something along the lines of "if you don't want to talk about it we don't have to" then changed the subject. was it not obvious that i wanted to talk about it? i think she wasn't taking me seriously, i thought what i was doing wasn't even self harm for a while. anyways i think i might become a bit more active here on the forums

Idontknow3 lots of pressure
  • replies: 6

Hi, I don't know if this where I should put this. lately I haven't been feeling great, I'm currently trying to get in to a very hard degree where I need really good grades and I feel like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself. I have this friend wh... View more

Hi, I don't know if this where I should put this. lately I haven't been feeling great, I'm currently trying to get in to a very hard degree where I need really good grades and I feel like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself. I have this friend who is constantly in my space making me feel suffocated, like I'm constantly needing to compete especially when it comes to grades, a boyfriend who all he needs is space so its making me feel kinda not important (we're long distance due to covid), parents who are making me chose between my partner and them due to him not wanting to get vaccinated. I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed with my work load and keep having panic attacks at night when I got to bed. I feel very tired like the energy is being sucked out of me. I don't feel the urge to eat much and when I do I feel guilty, I've had an unhealthy relationship with food in the past and I got better but all this stress is triggering emotions and things I had already over come in the past. It feels like I've failed myself I go to the gym as my way to relax but my friend from earlier always comes with me. I feel incredible anxious, like I can't get my peace of mind

KFPDW Overwhelming feelings and coming across something Uncomfortable
  • replies: 11

Hey I’m not a social media kind of person, I have Facebook because my friends use messenger more than texting to contact each other. So that’s the only reason why I have it. I check off Facebook notifications so that don’t annoy me on my phone and so... View more

Hey I’m not a social media kind of person, I have Facebook because my friends use messenger more than texting to contact each other. So that’s the only reason why I have it. I check off Facebook notifications so that don’t annoy me on my phone and something happened that made me feel uncomfortable. When I was checking off a video notification, I randomly scrolled down where it showed random suggestion of what is popular on Facebook at the time. Random stuff and one result came up was a video called "How to Catch a Cheater" where a guy sets up a scenario with a fake model to helps girlfriends see if their boyfriends are cheats. Except it went too far and the model got the guy to cheat. It was really disgusting to see something like that on Facebook. The girlfriend was really upset. I feel bad I ended watching the whole video. I don't support that at all and I can't believe it was on social media like that. What a creep. I blocked it as soon as the video was over so that way it doesn't come up again. But I feel very uncomfortable after seeing that. I wouldn't actively go searching for something like that. I thought it was some reality TV garbage. I’m a bad person? What doesn't help is at the moment I've been having these overwhelming feelings of arousal and reaction to the opposite gender. No matter what the situation is, there is no filter, I feel like I get rooted in the spot and there's a part of my brain that takes over and I'm trying to fight it. I'm finding ways of trying to sort these feelings out and have better control. But when I came across the video by accident, I felt that overwhelming reaction root me to the spot. It makes me feel horrible, I didn't want to watch it but my mind wouldn't let me turn away and I really wanted to turn away. I want to be nothing else but respectfully towards women. So am I a bad person?