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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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Baeyuh Feeling miserable at school and I can't move
  • replies: 4

School this year has been really bad. I don't have anymore friends, I'm always alone, and it's also 30 minutes away from me, meaning I have to walk for 25 minutes to my bus stop, take the bus for 30 minutes, then walk up a steep and long hill to get ... View more

School this year has been really bad. I don't have anymore friends, I'm always alone, and it's also 30 minutes away from me, meaning I have to walk for 25 minutes to my bus stop, take the bus for 30 minutes, then walk up a steep and long hill to get to school each morning. I get tired during class, and it gets hard to concentrate. I've had no motivation to do well at all, and being alone at school does not help. Most students in my year level are racist and act a certain way towards me because I'm asian. I've tried making friends, but people don't seem to want to talk to me. I hate my school. I decided it was best for me to move schools asap for a fresh start, but the problem is that most good schools are too far away. I eventually found a school that was about 8 minutes away from where I live and my parents had contacted the school about moving, but they had replied to us saying it wasn't likely that I'd be able to move there this year. I don't want to stay at my current school for another year. It is so draining, mentally and physically. I don't know what to do, I don't have any other choice but to stay at the school for the rest of this year and I don't want to keep getting more and more miserable each day.

Zoneey How to relax
  • replies: 2

It's ok to be anxious. But sometimes we need to calm down. Here's tips on how to relax. 1. Identify the cause. If it's a worry about a medical situation such as you're afraid that you have a condition or anything, see your doctor. If it is not contin... View more

It's ok to be anxious. But sometimes we need to calm down. Here's tips on how to relax. 1. Identify the cause. If it's a worry about a medical situation such as you're afraid that you have a condition or anything, see your doctor. If it is not continue to read. But feel free to read even if it's medical 2. Do something you like. This will help take your mind off what ever you are worrying about. Make sure that it doesn't add on to the stress. This depends on the person and what they like. 3. Sports or exercise. It is proven the exercise and sports helps with mental and physical health. This could even be a walk around your neighbour hood or just a light jog. 4. Social interaction. Talking to a friend or having your siblings annoy you can help take your mind off it too. It can be online or in person. The main point is to take your mind off the source of your worry. You can even talk to a trusted adult. Just whoever you want. 5. Meditation. This is another option 6. Listen to music. You can start off relaxing music and slowly get intense. It can just be your favourite song. Hope this helps you!

edo233 Hello
  • replies: 4

Hey everyone ^-^ I've been having a rough time trying to deal with my anxiety lately and even though its quite selfish of me I thought I should share and relieve some of the mental tension that's been eating away at my brain. At one point I'll feel p... View more

Hey everyone ^-^ I've been having a rough time trying to deal with my anxiety lately and even though its quite selfish of me I thought I should share and relieve some of the mental tension that's been eating away at my brain. At one point I'll feel perfectly fine and happy and then my mood rapidly drops and I treat the people I love horribly. I hate that I act like this, even more so because I'm so scared of the way people think of me and the guilt of making them unhappy, and yet it feels like an unstoppable force. Am I just a horrible person? Why can't I stop? Whenever I feel like this I try to stop talking to people but in the end they get offended because of it. I can't let go of things, I regret the things I've done and I'm scared of making mistakes. That my friends will leave me if I don't agree with them, that they'll abandon me for the stupid things I think and say, and once I do say something that they'll know me as the horrible person that I am...THAT ruins me. I'm starting uni this month and the feeling of finally starting a new stage of my life is like a double-edged sword. While I'm excited that I'll be trying out new clubs and hanging out with new people, I'm scared that once I make a wrong move they'll leave me behind. I'm scared that I won't be able to make a truly gratifying, soul-connecting relationship with anyone in my life. I'm scared of everything that is my future and everything that is my past. I made a mistake today to so many of my friends and family, and while I know I should love myself, part of me hates myself with a burning passion. Part of me wishes I never existed(it's selfish I know I'm sorry), I want to live without caring about these things like others too, and yet here I am. I'm getting therapy at the moment, but even with the coping skills I've used I don't think I could ever stop overthinking, or simply stop obsessing over what others think of me.

driftedID Having moments of dread for no reason
  • replies: 2

Yesterday I started to feel awful I had no idea why as it was during a point that wouldn't normally be bad. I also had a subscription of video games, and when I found it it expired and I couldn't play them anymore, I felt lot more worse. And then I h... View more

Yesterday I started to feel awful I had no idea why as it was during a point that wouldn't normally be bad. I also had a subscription of video games, and when I found it it expired and I couldn't play them anymore, I felt lot more worse. And then I happened again today, out of nowhere. Feeling sad was a normal thing for me and happened regularly but this happens even when I'm not too sad. I don't get it?

Recycle_Bin My intermittent explosive disorder and anxiety has probably turned me into a time bomb
  • replies: 2

On the 22nd of Monday at school, I was petrified of going to my Sport & Recreation class because I have a bad reputation with those kids that keep whistling. I decided to conquer my fears, but the second I heard them whistling, I told them to stop, a... View more

On the 22nd of Monday at school, I was petrified of going to my Sport & Recreation class because I have a bad reputation with those kids that keep whistling. I decided to conquer my fears, but the second I heard them whistling, I told them to stop, and then they bit back and told me to shut up. I was enraged, and instead of removing myself from the situation, I instead exploded. Then after my explosion, I had a massive meltdown and asked to go home. Luckily I did, but now my anxiety just completely blew me up. Because of this, I am NEVER going to Sport & Recreation EVER AGAIN. I just feel like the next time I get angry, my mind will just completely explode. Any suggestions?

em35353 I hope it gets better from here.
  • replies: 2

Hi, I don't have any friends at school, school counsellors will tell my parents everything and my parents have already spent so much money on therapy for me, I can't put them through any more. The only thing keeping me going is that if I left my pare... View more

Hi, I don't have any friends at school, school counsellors will tell my parents everything and my parents have already spent so much money on therapy for me, I can't put them through any more. The only thing keeping me going is that if I left my parents and family would go through so much pain. I have no friends at school, people only talk to me when there is no one else around or when they need to take the piss out of someone. Sometimes I even sit in the bathroom by myself for the day because its the only option for me at my school. I feel like I am just a burden to all the people I know and just ruin things by sitting with them because I'm so shy and quiet with people I don't know that well. I just want to be normal and live my life happily. I would give anything to not feel like this anymore and just enjoy my life, because I really want to but haven't for a long time. I have tried so hard to change my mindset, be more confident in myself and make more friends but it just doesn't get better for me even though I try.

EmmaDarling I'm scared I'm hitting a new all time low
  • replies: 2

Hello, I'm not exactly sure how to start this so I'm just going to get into it. (when I was 13 I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression) I was 13 when I first really asked for help though my issues started when I was 12, my grades were drop... View more

Hello, I'm not exactly sure how to start this so I'm just going to get into it. (when I was 13 I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression) I was 13 when I first really asked for help though my issues started when I was 12, my grades were dropping (I always had near-perfect grades and school was easy for me), I started getting anxious around people including my friends and started to dread even the thought of seeing people if I didn't have too. I started seeing the middle school counselor and she was a pretty good person to talk to but I just kept getting worse to the point she had to call my parents out of worry for my safety which upset me at the time but now looking back on it I'm forever thankful that she did. I then had an appointment with my GP about a referral to a psychologist and a possible diagnosis which went well. I had a blood test to see if I had a hyperactive Thyroid problem that could be solved with medication but the results came back and everything showed up normal I was seeing my Psychologist once a fortnight but no progress was made and I got worse to the point I was having 1-2 hour panic attacks in the car every morning which always ended up with my mum bring me home because I just physically couldn't get out of the car no matter how much I wanted to be able to go. around this time I also started to have visual and audible Hallucinations due to anxiety and I was at my lowest low. Life-threatening thoughts were just a daily thing for me and I could never bring myself to get out of bed, let alone do anything. I stopped seeing the psychologist and was referred to a psychiatrist where I got the diagnosis. I saw her once a week for about a year and she was amazing, I improved a lot whilst having appointments with her. I was enrolled in an online school so I can still get my education whilst staying at home. As the year went by and I kept seeing her, my grades improved, My anxiety became more manageable and I felt happy again! But, she retired and I haven't been able to see any other doctor since. I have only handed up 1 school assignment these past 2 months and I feel so horrid. I've lied to my mum about it because I don't want to disappoint her and honestly, myself as well. I know mental health is full of ups and downs but I'm so terrified of going back to my lowest point that I'm lying to myself and others just to pretend that's not where I'm headed. I'm scared to tell my mum the truth and I don't know what to do anymore.

Lucette I don’t even care anymore
  • replies: 18

I don’t think I’m suicidal. But honestly I don’t care about being alive anymore. I don’t want to wake up. I don’t want to answer snaps. My family doesn’t give a shot either so that super funn

I don’t think I’m suicidal. But honestly I don’t care about being alive anymore. I don’t want to wake up. I don’t want to answer snaps. My family doesn’t give a shot either so that super funn

sienpen Joining the military with a history of mental illnesses
  • replies: 1

I've been interested for a while in joining the military (the AAF in particular) when I'm older. I do suffer from anxiety and possible schizoaffective disorder though. I've had a few suicide attempts in the past and fear in the future I could possibl... View more

I've been interested for a while in joining the military (the AAF in particular) when I'm older. I do suffer from anxiety and possible schizoaffective disorder though. I've had a few suicide attempts in the past and fear in the future I could possibly be hospitalised. Would that affect my possibility of joining the AAF? I was hoping others might have been in a similar situation to me and could help me understand what happens

Lyssaa Relationship PTSD?
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, For some reason lately I've been thinking a lot about my relationship which I had three years ago, when I was only fourteen. It lasted four months, and this is what happened. I was in a relationship with a guy, and for the first month it... View more

Hi everyone, For some reason lately I've been thinking a lot about my relationship which I had three years ago, when I was only fourteen. It lasted four months, and this is what happened. I was in a relationship with a guy, and for the first month it was great. We had a shared friend, a girl- let's call her Girl A. After Girl A split from her boyfriend, Girl A and my boyfriend became very close, they called each other besties and things like that. They spent a lot of time together, and people often used to tell me that they were flirting with each other, which I tried to ignore. Not many of my friends liked my boyfriend, in fact a lot of them really didn't like him. Girl A and my boyfriend would start saying "I love you" to each other, as a "joke" apparently. I snapped at him once because I couldn't cope with the stress, and somehow I ended up being the one apologising. On one of our dates, he facetimed Girl A, saying it was alright because we were both friends with her. Another time, he made a "joke" about how red my acne got when I was angry. As this constant stress of the two of them being close together grew and grew, when he didn't text me back one weekend, I got stressed and started crying to my friends about it. He found out. For the rest of the week he ignored me and told me to "figure out" while I was mad. When he broke up with me eventually, girl A would sometimes make comments to me about how everyone thought they were together now and how close they were, and would still tell him stuff about me and bring him up around me. I later tried to cut her off because she wasn't really my friend, and then her and him spent time shit talking me. The fact that I'm still thinking about all of this three years later makes me feel weak and like I'm being crazy. But part of me also thinks that maybe this was more traumatic than I realised. What do you think- am I maybe suffering some kind of trauma from this, or have I just been crazy all along?