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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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ImperialArchitect Depression/Anxiety 23 y/o uni student
  • replies: 1

Hello all, I'm 23 years old and a university student in his final year. I've been studying my degree ever since 2017 and was expected to graduate in 2019 as the degree is only 3 years. Unfortunately my mental health has spiralled out of control over ... View more

Hello all, I'm 23 years old and a university student in his final year. I've been studying my degree ever since 2017 and was expected to graduate in 2019 as the degree is only 3 years. Unfortunately my mental health has spiralled out of control over the years and therefore i am still unfortunately studying. I do have pretty consistent anxiety and have had periods of depression. When i'm in heavy periods of stress with my study my mental health tends to take a toll. I have failed so many courses, i've withdrawn from alot of courses, i've retaken courses i've failed and passed, i'm so close to the end of the year to graduate that i can't believe it. I can't believe i've made it this far with all the mental health problems i've had going on. I take an SNRI medication to mostly help my anxiety. I have a problem with binge drinking when i'm stressed or preload hard before i socialise. To me my anxiety and general mental health is like an on and off switch, it comes and goes, it stays consistent for a while or it's almost non existent for a while too. I don't know why it's come to this with my mental health and why i've developed this over the last couple years or so but the fact i've made it this far with my studies is saying something. I have been struggling alot throughout my degree though and i'm surprised i still make it to a new semester. I'm also unemployed, i live alone in Brisbane (which has its ups and downs), i tend to overeat or not eat at all, i wake up feeling tired even if i get 7-8 hours, i lose motivation on my studies, i don't exercise, i'm on centrelink (which makes me sad as i feel like a bludger), i don't have much of a social life because of my anxiety but my family understands my issues. My options are to stay in Brisbane to work casually until i find a full time job with my degree as i near graduation or go back home as my lease runs out next month where i have a supporting family & i will also work. I plan to save up money and move back to Brisbane where I believe this time i spend back home will allow me to focus on my last semester online, work on my mental health and also physical health. Essentially being back home for a few months to recuperate might be better for my sanity but i'm still unsure.

paiigeisgone I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.
  • replies: 11

I'm 13 years old, going on 14 this year, and I'm overweight. and I'm not just saying this because i want people to say that i'm not, because i actually am. my parents try not to point it out and make it obvious but you can tell. my mum will always sa... View more

I'm 13 years old, going on 14 this year, and I'm overweight. and I'm not just saying this because i want people to say that i'm not, because i actually am. my parents try not to point it out and make it obvious but you can tell. my mum will always say "stop eating so much, you'll turn into an oompa-loompa" and i know it's just a joke but it hurts. i try eating as healthy and as little as possible to lose weight but every time i try to do this my mum will question everything and get up all in my business. i try to exercises as much as possible (like walking to and from school each day, doing loads of quiet exercises in my room) but i'm still obese. it makes my self-esteem even lower when i see girls from my school post photos of themselves half-naked, and i spend hours on end comparing and wishing i had their perfect bodies. i'm classified as the funny one in my friend group so i don't talk about any of my home life or my feelings, but every time i do try to give hints on how i'm feeling they dont seem to care anyway. i dont tell my parents either because then they talk to me frequently about it and it makes me feel uncomfortable (they're those parents that snoop and try to know everything about me so i dont really trust them at all either). i am so scared about people making fun of me about my weight that i constantly (i mean ALWAYS) wear a zipped up jacket. i wear it so often that i think its unhealthy because it's very hot where i live and it restricts me from doing a lot of activities because i sweat a lot (also i have something called rosacea and it make your skin really red so you can tell if i've been doing any physical activity by just looking at my face) and whenever i forget my jacket on the way to school, my parents wont let me go back and get it and i end up being really insecure for the whole day or i'll go up to the office and try to borrow one (on a very rare occasion when its very, very cold though because the office lady thinks i dont need one and doesnt let me have it). overall, i just can't stand being this weight. it kills me because i'll never have enough confidence to get a personal trainer or nutritionist and i feel like i'll be this way forever and no one will ever love me because i'm fat and ugly. this was a lot to write because i've never told anyone this and i felt like i should say it all but sorry for bothering you with all this writing.

theStormy1 I dont know...
  • replies: 3

Hey... I've never been on here before but I'm 15 and whenever I'm in class I cant concentrate and I cant sit still. It gets annoying because I miss out on school work and nobody knows what it is. They thought i had autism but I didnt. They thought I ... View more

Hey... I've never been on here before but I'm 15 and whenever I'm in class I cant concentrate and I cant sit still. It gets annoying because I miss out on school work and nobody knows what it is. They thought i had autism but I didnt. They thought I had adhd but they didnt know. It's so confusing... I guess it's just annoying for me.

Aaronsis **I can't talk. I want to but it's like the words get stuck in my throat** HELP!
  • replies: 3

Hello to each and every one of you that this statement applies to: **I can't talk. I want to but it's like the words get stuck in my throat** As I spend time on this forum I am hearing this more and more, and so felt the only thing to do was bring us... View more

Hello to each and every one of you that this statement applies to: **I can't talk. I want to but it's like the words get stuck in my throat** As I spend time on this forum I am hearing this more and more, and so felt the only thing to do was bring us together. So when you feel like you are the only one, know you most certainly are not. So here I wanted to make a place where anyone who is feeling like this can come to share, to express here in written words how they manage when the words won't or can't come out. How do you ask for help when the damn words wont come out? Welcome and I am so looking forward to typing with you all, to learn, to listen and to create a thread that can help another who struggles with verbal communication. Hugs as always Sarah xx

TVN Feeling down
  • replies: 2

Hi I often feel great for a few days then feel down for some periods. Recently I have been feeling more down. I feel less energy to do things and socialise. These are just the things that have been happening recently to cause me to feel like this - S... View more

Hi I often feel great for a few days then feel down for some periods. Recently I have been feeling more down. I feel less energy to do things and socialise. These are just the things that have been happening recently to cause me to feel like this - Started university this year and online university has made it really hard to meet people - My manager hasn’t replied to my message about my availability but she has seen the message. I think I’m fired at this point as many managers just ghost casuals when they don’t want them anymore. It’s not the money that gets me worried but fact she didn’t say why, so I’m just thinking about all my insecurities - Every time I get angry at someone or complain, I go back and think about how I do the same things and I am probably getting angry because I see my weaknesses in them - I know I’m not trying hard enough to study, but I just procrastinate - Bad sleep schedule, I fall asleep anytime around 11pm-5am and wake up around 10am-1pm I know these things can be easily solved by just moving on and not thinking too much. But it just makes me feel so insecure about myself. As in, what did I do to get fired. But then I get more angry at myself for knowing that this is easy to get over with and not just moving on. I feel pathetic. It’s also a sense of guilt. Another example is when I get easily worked up with my younger brother. I yell at him, shut the door and then think about how childish I am. I scared it will effect him on the long run since he is still pretty young. I feel like it already has. He is the youngest of three kids and has really low self esteem. I have been trying improve my mental health by - Using a timetable to plan my days - Checklist so I am not overwhelmed with tasks - Forcing myself to go out and play sports once a week - Spending time on my hobbies but these methods (excluding sports) only last a few week at the most then I lose track which makes me feel even worse. I’ve also tried talking to people around me but with my friends I always feel like I am going to be judged for making a big deal out of nothing and some of them aren’t in a good place either. And my family, I don’t want them to worry too much. Can someone give some advice on what to do? I have thought about consulting a professional, but I’m not sure if I need to and I don’t have GP that I can ask.

DJwoof937 Feeling like a spectator in your own life
  • replies: 2

Hi guys! I am rather worried about a few things I have noticed over the past few years of my life. I will be talking to someone sort of on autopilot, and then i’ll have this oddly lucid moment where I realise I am interacting with someone in real lif... View more

Hi guys! I am rather worried about a few things I have noticed over the past few years of my life. I will be talking to someone sort of on autopilot, and then i’ll have this oddly lucid moment where I realise I am interacting with someone in real life. It is somewhat hard to explain, but sometimes I feel like I am in a game, hearing pre-written dialogue, then responding to it. When I come out of this state, I fully realise that whatever I am saying/doing has a real-world impact, and that I can’t just go back to the last save and try again if something goes wrong. Please, if you either have had a similar experience or know what might be causing it, let me know.

JKB0306 Family Dissapointed In Me
  • replies: 5

So basically I really need help from anyone who can give really good advice So I've been going to my friend's house an awful lot (basically every weekend) because every single weekend my mother and father just play heaps of loud music and it some how... View more

So basically I really need help from anyone who can give really good advice So I've been going to my friend's house an awful lot (basically every weekend) because every single weekend my mother and father just play heaps of loud music and it some how nearly almost everytime turns into a huge argument over something petty. And it gives me mad anxiety every weekend so I go to my friend's house because it's chill there. But now my mother always gets angry and dissapointed/jealous that I spend more time with my friend then I do with my own family......somebody please help me...

cinnamonbunny I can't tell if I'm faking all my problems subconsciously or not
  • replies: 2

Id say I haven’t gone through any serious trauma at all, but I do have quite a bad case of gifted kid burnout syndrome. Nothing is even explicitly wrong with my life. My main issue is that whenever I feel any negative emotions (mostly sadness) I feel... View more

Id say I haven’t gone through any serious trauma at all, but I do have quite a bad case of gifted kid burnout syndrome. Nothing is even explicitly wrong with my life. My main issue is that whenever I feel any negative emotions (mostly sadness) I feel like I haven’t gone through enough to actually “deserve the right” to feel these bad emotions, which leads to me hating myself which leads to me wondering if I actually hate myself or if I’m just subconsciously doing it for attention. This then leads to me sort of wishing I HAD gone through serious trauma or something just to justify me feeling sad, because otherwise I feel selfish and feel like I’m taking up space, and I understand that wanting to go through something traumatic is bad but I feel like that’d be the only way I could actually understand why I feel bad, because right now whenever I cry or feel down I feel like I haven’t earned the right to feel this way. At times i feel like i'm faking whatever i'm feeling subconsciously because I want attention, and while i'm pretty sure it's not true that awful feeling is still there and it's driving me nuts. I don't know if every internal problem I have is fake and thinking about it makes me feel even worse. I'm not sure what I particularly want out of this, but maybe reassurance would be nice. Thank you,

Zing 22 Years old and have been unemployed for 3 years..
  • replies: 5

Kind of a weird title to start this my first post but really kind of struggling here without any direction. I have been unemployed for 3 years and have no idea what to do with myself. I have tried studying to expand my skills and knowledge also I hav... View more

Kind of a weird title to start this my first post but really kind of struggling here without any direction. I have been unemployed for 3 years and have no idea what to do with myself. I have tried studying to expand my skills and knowledge also I have re done my resume countless times and applied for well and truely over 1000 jobs since being unemployed. Recently it has been tough, while unemployed I tried to start my own little online business and it was going well for a few months, now it just has fallen down the drain and I don't know how to fix it.. Obviously I could sink more money into it but I have a small budget obviously. I started a new job recently as well it was going great but after a few weeks of working there they sent me an email saying I didn't have enough experience and let me go.. it was just a punch to the gut. It's really hard to get experience when no one here is willing to give it in the first place. My main focus has been in the IT / Admin field just to clarify that. I have been struggling with Anxiety for a long time and I just kinda try to ignore it most of the time.. but usually it get's the best of me and I have a breakdown. Anyone have any advice ?

wish2424224 moving schools
  • replies: 2

I moved schools this year (im currently in yr 11), and I hate it with my being. I'm stereotyped as the kid from the hood, and constantly never taken seriously by the people I hang out with. I have no friends, and although I guess I do have people to ... View more

I moved schools this year (im currently in yr 11), and I hate it with my being. I'm stereotyped as the kid from the hood, and constantly never taken seriously by the people I hang out with. I have no friends, and although I guess I do have people to hang out with, it's not special. No one is going to wait for me, initiate conversation, and it's more lonely than being alone. Everyone there is crazy racist and homophobic, and those who aren't crazy bigoted just feel so different. I feel like a literal alien, and it's worse considering I live so far away from the school. I travel like a century to get to the school, and it's so draining. I'm always on the verge of literal collapse, and I can feel my body giving up on me, and my mind too. I keep on getting sick probably from all the travel (i take train), and worse is myself. I always felt long bouts of numbness, and always have to constantly put up with stuff at home, but I never realised how much my friends stopped me from literally breaking. Now school feels like a land where I know no one, I can't connect, and it's so damn stressful. Not to mention I feel so damn dumb all the time. The school offers heaps of opportunities, but they cost heaps and I am not going to ask, it's honestly such a waste, and I can't utilise anything the school provides, which defeats the purpose of going there. I never feel like waking up, moving doing anything. I sometimes take days off to lay in bed and do nothing and lost all motivation I've had. I don't do the same hobbies I used to do (due to time constraints because of school), anything I liked I don't anymore, and it sucks a lot. I just want to do nothing all day. My mum and dad told me it's totally cool if I move back, but I moved to this current school for my education and atar. My old school was trashy, but I never minded it. the new school is undoubtedly way better in terms of education, but what's the point when I can't think straight and don't want to do anything. I also, and I know I shouldn't feel really embarrassed if I moved back, like was I too dumb? I couldn't handle it. Cause I really couldn't handle it, and it seems stupid. Also, there's a big money problem, because if I move back I just blew a ton of money because I couldn't handle it. For a school that prides itself on a home-like welcoming environment, I don't feel welcomed. Anyways should I move back?