Young people

A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Tamrby First thread- first talk to a professional
  • replies: 7

hi! I'm new to these forums! not really sure why I'm her but I don't really get to rant a lot unless its to my friends. Anyways, I'm planning on seeing my schools councillor on monday, Kinda really scared though, It's been my first time talking to a ... View more

hi! I'm new to these forums! not really sure why I'm her but I don't really get to rant a lot unless its to my friends. Anyways, I'm planning on seeing my schools councillor on monday, Kinda really scared though, It's been my first time talking to a professional about my problems in a year or two as I stopped going to the old one as she really broke my trust and I would just feel more anxious after I'm really scared to go back. My friend who has seen her before and she said she's great but I'm really scared to go. I also feel a lot of guilt for going, like I don't deserve to go or I'm doing something bad even though I know I'm struggling and I really don't want to back out but I'm worried I'll get too anxious and not go? Has anyone ever felt like this? And if you have did and how did you overcome it? Because it's seriously eating away at me but I know I need to talk to someone about how I'm feeling. Thanks everyone

Buddy_Pal_Guy not keen to go (back?) to uni
  • replies: 7

i do not want to go back to uni because there will be people there and they will all know eachother and i will not know anyone and i will be too shy to talk to anyone, and even if i do talk to anyone i will not have anything interesting to say and wi... View more

i do not want to go back to uni because there will be people there and they will all know eachother and i will not know anyone and i will be too shy to talk to anyone, and even if i do talk to anyone i will not have anything interesting to say and will make everyone annoyed or uncomfortable my first year of uni was done online because of social distancing protocol (not a complaint - i'm just glad people are staying home and staying safe when possible). the thing is, i've only ever been on campus one time - this was for a single lecture, before we were sent home in 2020 and asked not to return until restrictions eased. you may have guessed that i am not a social butterfly. i have a group of friends that i liked spending time with. i find people easy to like, and i enjoy spending time with people. the problem is that i'm kind of awkward. i don't know how to hold a conversation with a stranger - unless i already know the person, i'm likely to kill the conversation accidentally because i assume i'm being annoying or simply don't have anything interesting to say. i'd love to make new friends at uni. i'm just nervous.

Buddy_Pal_Guy My body doesn't match me.
  • replies: 3

Hi. I hate talking about this but I can't stop letting these negative thoughts interrupt my daily life. I hate my body. And worst of all, I hate it in ways that I can't do anything about. It stops me from doing things. My insecurity limits my happine... View more

Hi. I hate talking about this but I can't stop letting these negative thoughts interrupt my daily life. I hate my body. And worst of all, I hate it in ways that I can't do anything about. It stops me from doing things. My insecurity limits my happiness. I spend hours deliberating about whether or not I should go out and see my friends, because then I'd have to get dressed and they'd see me and I'd exist outside in the world to be freely percieved. I dread going to work (not just because I don't like my job) because I have to get out of my pajamas and once again be percieved. I kind of wish I could stay in my room forever. I'm a 5'9 19 year old female (that's pretty tall). I really hate my height. I know it's not even ludicrous on paper, but I'm already such a shy and insecure person. I wish I could shrink down and be smaller; I feel like I stand out. I know I'm not even excessively tall. I just don't like it and I feel that my body doesn't match me at all. I feel that I appear more masculine than I would like, because I'm on the tall side and sort of have broad shoulders. I know this isn't a real problem so it's sort of embarassing and silly to complain about, but it's something that affects me a lot. I'm so awkward and I feel like I just loom over most people like a big stupid giant or something. Anyways that's my blown-out-of-proportion qualm for the day. Really not a big deal but feels like the end of the world.

Anon285 Stressed and guilty - not working properly
  • replies: 4

Hi there, I’m overwhelmed with my job (admin), likely because of lack of sleep, stress from the workload, and overwhelmed with the critical thinking required for my tasks. I know it’s normal to be tired at work but I’m feeling this crushing pressure ... View more

Hi there, I’m overwhelmed with my job (admin), likely because of lack of sleep, stress from the workload, and overwhelmed with the critical thinking required for my tasks. I know it’s normal to be tired at work but I’m feeling this crushing pressure to get it all right and to continue on regardless of how tired/stressed about it I’m feeling, and I’m working from home. My parents told me to keep going and I agree with them - I cry at my desk - it’s not depression because I know what that’s like and it’s definitely not that, I think it’s tiredness. I’m saying in my head all the time ‘You should care about your job and you’re really lucky to have this job’ and ‘You’re pathetic, toughen up and keep at it’ because to be frank, it’s partially laziness, and I don’t have the mental muscles to keep at it, I don’t like the feeling of working just like many others do, but I’m less tolerant or something, probably because I’ve spent a long period of time in the past not working/studying because of actual depression and anxiety (which is SO much better now thankfully). I kind of beat myself up about not being adjusted to working so much, and not putting up with my stress and muscling it out. We have meetings every week and I sweat because they’re going to find out I’m not working enough (if they haven’t already). Yet I continue to underperform. I think about changing jobs often, but that wouldn’t be a good move, because this is a good job for a good cause and I’m better suited to this job than other ones skill-wise. I know that changing jobs likely isn’t the best solution because it’s running away from the current problems rather than fixing them. Thank you for reading this, if anyone knows what is a good thing to do in this situation, I really appreciate your comment. Thanks

Buddy_Pal_Guy i feel like an attention seeker
  • replies: 3

everything feels like such a chore lately. i am thinking about whether i should see a therapist. but really, there is nothing wrong with me. lately i've just had a bad attitude, so everythign feels tiring. i think it could be helpful, because i'm sur... View more

everything feels like such a chore lately. i am thinking about whether i should see a therapist. but really, there is nothing wrong with me. lately i've just had a bad attitude, so everythign feels tiring. i think it could be helpful, because i'm sure it would be helpful for anyone. who wouldn't benefit from that kind of thing? but i woul dhave to got hrough my parent.s and i'm absolutely not bringing that up with them. i do not want pity or concern or interference or nuisance or nagging. i don't think i am depressed. i am just in a bad funk but its so exhausting. my room is a mess. im 19 years old. i should be able to simply just clean my room and get my life together. i find it so hard to be motivated to do anything becausde i'm incredibly lazy and avoid problems rather than just solving them even when they're so easy. i feel like a failure. i feel like i'm too fat and ugly. i am possibly the worst conversationalist in the world because i assume everyone hates me (which wouldn't be a problem if i could just hold a conversation) and i make everything 10x more difficult for myself than it needs to be. i do have some redeeming features though. i am nice to people mostly. which is good. i don't know why i am even on this forum i'm just looking for something and i'm not sure what. advice or something, some kind of guidance. im aware that i sound very childish. i am just writing a stream of conciousness (which i cannot spell). i don't mean to be annoying i'm just venting i hope that's ok. i'm not really sure what i'm hoping to achieve here. i feel like i'm kind of out of control. (not in an emergency services type of way, i'm not in a dire position or having drastic thoughts or anything). what i mean is that it feels like i am just going forward through each day not really making active choices but just letting momentum push me along. where am i going? what am i doing? maybe everyone feels this way. if so, they don't show it. that being said, i'm not depressed or anything; i have good moments too. i smile, laugh, so on, i entertain myself throughout the day and spend time with others - no cause for concern. i'm just finding it difficult to maintain this lifestyle going from job to job each day and wasting my time little by little throughout the day, until it's 3am and i've not done anything for myself. and by this time of day i've either eaten scarcely anything OR alternatively eaten an absurdly large amount of food (that i didn't even enjoy).

B_Maff Lonely & Lost
  • replies: 8

Hey guys! I have never been on here but thought I'd share what's on my mind. I'm 19 and have been feeling quite down lately. I have been working a lot and have been going home afterwards and not really had anyone to talk to or spend time with. Everyd... View more

Hey guys! I have never been on here but thought I'd share what's on my mind. I'm 19 and have been feeling quite down lately. I have been working a lot and have been going home afterwards and not really had anyone to talk to or spend time with. Everyday just seems to be work and then sleep. I get 1 maybe 2 days off a week but find myself spending time alone not knowing what to do as I don't really have anyone to do anything with. I love being social and going out but struggle to find the right people. Just thought maybe this could be a cool place to discuss. Thank you to whoever takes time to read this Hope all of you are doing okay

tiredandhungry I keep losing things
  • replies: 4

As the title suggests, I keep losing things. I've lost two mykis over the past month, and my airpod case today. I don't know what's wrong with me, I think maybe i'm a bit stressed so I'm absentminded. But I'm sick of feeling anxious about things that... View more

As the title suggests, I keep losing things. I've lost two mykis over the past month, and my airpod case today. I don't know what's wrong with me, I think maybe i'm a bit stressed so I'm absentminded. But I'm sick of feeling anxious about things that I've lost. It's starting to make me lose concentration on literally everything else, and like everyone else has their life together except me. How do I stop losing things, and moreover, beating myself up about it so much that I can't focus on my life?

Grace_W Overthinking
  • replies: 3

Hey so I’ve never posted here before so it’s a bit weird, but lately times have been tough especially with my thoughts, they just go places and they make me believe things. I’m really struggling and I’m not sure what to do. Any advice?

Hey so I’ve never posted here before so it’s a bit weird, but lately times have been tough especially with my thoughts, they just go places and they make me believe things. I’m really struggling and I’m not sure what to do. Any advice?

Guest_4643 Looking for someone to talk to - a teen or in their 20s
  • replies: 29

Hi, I'm Tayla and I'm 20. I'm just looking for someone to chat with who's in their teens or 20s, as the post suggests. It's really hard for me because there's nowhere or any way for me to meet people where I live close to my age. I'd love if someone ... View more

Hi, I'm Tayla and I'm 20. I'm just looking for someone to chat with who's in their teens or 20s, as the post suggests. It's really hard for me because there's nowhere or any way for me to meet people where I live close to my age. I'd love if someone could reply just for someone to talk with and hopefully become Forum Friends somehow, if anyone is interested. Thanks, Tayla.

idekanymoreman I might be trans
  • replies: 3

I don't really know for certain but I think I might be. Like, I've never liked hanging out with girls and stuff but I'm really worried because what if I only think I feel this way because several of my friends are trans. How do I actually know for ce... View more

I don't really know for certain but I think I might be. Like, I've never liked hanging out with girls and stuff but I'm really worried because what if I only think I feel this way because several of my friends are trans. How do I actually know for certain? Additionally, I was talking to my mum about how I want a penis (because I know that much) and she's like "ARE YOU SAYING YOURE TRANS" "Cause I don't think you're trans" Even though she supports all my trans friends. How would I know for certain? I don't want to move forward then move backwards I feel like I'd get too much shit for that.