Young people

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Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies

replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first

replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

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'White Picket Fence'

replies: 3

Hi Everyone, I'm sure alot of you have heard the lay metaphor 'White picket fence life' ... if not, this metaphor usually starts to relates at a certain age (late 20s) where you settle down with a partner, get married, have kids, live in the family home which comes together as the 'white picket fence life' So it's 2020 and times have REALLY changed but there is still alot of stigma and weight behind this term for young people in their late 20s. I have been doing alot of mental training to try and get this toxic thought out of my head as i don't believe it's is one of my own thoughts but merely a pressure of society that we have been born with blue printed into our minds. For those who experience this struggle in society i'd like to hear any thoughts as to your experience with this ... if it's something you think about alot? or if its never crossed your mind. Billiee

Friends

replies: 7

Hi Dose anyone know of any support groups? Also I'm trying to make friends but have had no luck I been on social apps but most people on there won't talk to you or they are after fun and some are just bullies. I have tried apps like meet me tagged. T... View more

What more can I do?

replies: 4

Hi, everyone. I'm 16 years old. I've been depressed for a while now. Well I haven't officially been diagnosed because my therapist doesn't like to diagnose. I do take antidepressants though and I have been visiting a therapist and psychiatrist for some time. The medication has helped. I don't feel a benefit in the therapy at the moment though. It's just being told to do the same thing over and over and nothing more. I currently have feelings for someone, I have for 5 months, they don't feel the same way and I have no idea what to do. I feel that I love them so deeply and that they mean everything to me. I don't know how to get over this or make my life worth living. What more can I do? Thanks everyone!

year 12 student struggling with loss of motivation, flunking school

replies: 16

I don't actually know whether I'm just constantly really depressed or whether I actually have depression but either way I'm struggling to find motivation to do school work and pass my tests. Every time I do badly in a test the stress and anxiety piles up and then in the next one I feel worse about it, and most of the time end up flunking it. I don't know what to do and I'm getting super stressed about my future and having mild breakdowns.

Feeling alone and stupid

replies: 2

Hi, my name is Olivia and this is the first time i have ever written anything like this before. I haven't really talked to anyone about how im feeling except myself. I usually try to reason with my feelings by talking aloud to no one, but eventually i get all worked up and start crying, making myself sad about nothing. So i figured i should stop doing that and try this. So here it is. I am really sad. I am really sad because i constantly feel alone in this world. i feel really dumb all the time. whenever i meet people i really struggle to engage on an intellectual level with them and that really bothers me! I idealise people who are knowledgeable. I idealise people that know sports, science, maths, literature, history! When people rattle of information too me i find it the coolest thing and i WISH i could do that to but i can't. I am useless when it comes to that. I only know a little or none. And the rare moments i try to sound smart or intellectual i will always be squandered by someone else who knows more. When i study i feel like i could read something 10 times and i still wont be able to recite what i learnt the next day. Maybe the concept will sound familiar but i will have to search it up again so that i can remember. I mainly feel alone, because i feel like everyone in this world thinks differently to me. I feel like i talk to myself way too much because i am the only one who will understand. and i really do believe that. And i have noticed the more i do this, the more i have developed hateful judgement towards people i know, because i convince myself they will never understand, they have perfect lives and i hate that and them for it. However, i am able to put a poker face on, and hide this side to my friends and family. I just feel so stupid all the time. And i hear myself getting angry about. I just want to run away sometimes so that i dont feel like i have put on this fake image that i know stuff and that im interesting when really i know i am not.

The further away from home, the more stressed I get

replies: 2

I have really been struggling to get out of the house lately, even if it is just to go now to the local supermarket or down to the city. I still can't go. I have a doctor's appointment coming later today and I am really nervous ongoing due to my anxiety. Usually, I could easily just get in the car and walk into shops/doctors but now it is a different story. Why is that?. I would love for somebody to give me an explanation of why, the further away from home, the more stressed I get. One of the reasons might be due to having a panic attack in the shops. Ever since I had a panic attack in the shops and feeling all of the symptoms, it has put me off going out places. If somebody could really help me, that would be great Thanks, Sam

Just a thought I've been having

replies: 2

Hi all hope you're doing well. I'm sure a lot of you are being affected by Covid in different ways. For me, I've been getting less anxious about actually getting covid which is really good, but I can't help but think about the future when covid ends, and it's a pretty mixed bag to be honest. I thought maybe people would go out more because perhaps we feel as though we took advantage of our freedom (mind you, I live in Melbourne), which I would personally love because I'm naturally pretty sociable around others and would love to think we're heading that way! Unfortunately another part of me also thinks the complete opposite and it really makes me question how life will change for the worse. What if we get so busy with our lives that there is no longer time for friends/family? What if the people in my own life don't want to go out as much because they're too tired from a post-covid world? that weirdly terrifies me because I would hate to end up in a world where we socialise less than before covid was a thing. I know this might be a bit far into the future here but I just feel a bit depressed thinking about that. Socialising keeps me feeling fulfilled and to not feel like I have enough of that fulfilment in life, it just makes this whole thing really sad for me Would love to hear your thoughts on this and I hope everyone's enjoying their fathers day!

Sick of feeling so tireddd!!!

replies: 5

I’m not really sure where to start so I guess I’ll begin by saying that I feel SO unbelievably dead. For the last 2 and a half years I have felt like absolute trash and it’s just getting worse and worse everyday. I’m constantly exhausted, for no apparent reason - regardless of how much I sleep, I still wake up feeling the same, if not worse. I almost always have zero motivation, energy or concentration. And to top it all off, constant headaches that don’t react to painkillers at all... woooo! Things are pretty shit. I spend the majority of my day either asleep or laying down. I’m currently on the brink of failing year 11, I’ve always done really well at school but can barely even bring myself to do work anymore. Occasionally I’ll have energy bursts but that hasn’t happened for a long long time. I don’t even feel alive anymore. My teachers were understanding at first but I feel like they’re just sick of my shit by now. I don’t blame them, there’s only so much someone can put up with, I’m sick of it too. I’ve been to 5 doctors over the last year, none of which have been any help. It’s the same routine everytime, send me for various blood tests/scans and then say they can’t help. One even said that I just feel like this because ‘I’m a teenager.’ I’m obviously not a doctor but I’m pretty sure this can’t be normal. I’ve had pretty much any blood test you can name, an MRI, some X-rays... all have come back normal. I eat reasonably well, sleep well and exercise plenty, so I just don’t know why I feel so terrible!! Maybe my body just hates me 🤷‍ I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m so sick of trying so hard and getting absolutely nowhere. It’s like I’m just sitting around waiting to magically feel better, no one can do anything to help, there’s nothing left to do but wait. I’m always so torn between wanting to keep trying and wanting to just give up. Idk what the point of this post even is, I’m just sad that I’m wasting my high school years like this. It just feels so unfair and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m sure others have it worse but I’m so sick of this!

I’ve been having reoccurring nightmares

replies: 1

I’ve been having atleast one nightmare every night for the past two or so weeks. I was diagnosed with both social and general anxiety 3 years ago so It could play a part in it. Its got to the point I’m scared to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow morning and it’s currently 1am :(. Tonight, just after I closed my eyes to sleep I saw this doorway and then all of a sudden this dog looking monster thing jumped out at me and as it hit me my body filled with terror and I jumped and opened my eyes again. This is the first one I’ve managed to actually remember properly all the other nights I just remember jumping and waking up and my body is full of fear and I feel like my hearts going crazy. I’m honestly so scared to sleep and I’m 18 so i thought this wouldn’t happen

Life of chaos and mess

replies: 1

Hi, As this is my first time posting on a forum, I just wanted to address how I have been feeling in the past few months, more so in the recent weeks. I am currently in year 12, who is about to graduate in less than a month, and frankly speaking I am utterly terrified as many young people who have no idea what their future would behold. Due to this, I have been feeling far more depressed and gloomy, hindering my motivation to move forward and complete the HSC. I should probably mention that I have been suffering from depression, social anxiety and generalized anxiety for most of my life. However my mental health has intensified from last January, as these immediate thoughts of not being good enough and being a failure in life became repetitive and all time consuming. I have spoken to the school counsellor, but she continuously judged me in a very subtle way, saying I was not intelligent enough to understand that I cannot achieve anything without guidance. Besides none of the teachers believe I will go anywhere in life, for the reasons of having a brother with ADHD and autism, and for wallowing in my own self pity. Perhaps they have been somewhat correct in my case of failing. My primary concerns are with my wellbeing, identity, intelligence and studies. As mentioned earlier, my mental health has been hindering my motivation to move forward and complete the HSC, as well as my performance towards success. This is far too overwhelming and overbearing because many people, especially myself, don't believe I will go far in life due to my lack of intelligence and insufficient amount of serotonin and dopamine in my brain. I have always wanted to go to University to further enhance my potential but people say I am not enough to accomplish this particular goal. It is profoundly exhausting to always feel so desolate and futile with everything. Please, if there is anyone that could assist in sharing something that is beneficial, then I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you :).

Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies replies: 51

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first replies: 0

'White Picket Fence' replies: 3

Friends replies: 7

What more can I do? replies: 4

year 12 student struggling with loss of motivation, flunking school replies: 16

Feeling alone and stupid replies: 2

The further away from home, the more stressed I get replies: 2

Just a thought I've been having replies: 2

Sick of feeling so tireddd!!! replies: 5

I’ve been having reoccurring nightmares replies: 1

Life of chaos and mess replies: 1