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

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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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Scared to be judged

replies: 1

Hi there, I think I should start by saying that I have a few mental health problems which already make certain aspects of my life hard. Lately I have been really stressed out at school and extremely down about other parts of my life and it is making my axiety worse than ever, im In a mental rut that Im scrambling to try and get out of. I have started having thoughts that are really bad for me to have and I have started considering things that I never thought I would slip down far enough to consider. It doesnt help that I am losing all my friends due to them not understanding my mental struggles and giving up on me. I Only really have 2 or 3 friends left that truely care enough to check up on me from time to time. I feel like I really need to speak to my school's wellbeing coordinator but I have heard the stories about these people in general and it makes me really reluctant to see her... (silly, i know). The people who are still my friends also have something against her so I'm scared that I will be judged for stepping up and getting the help abd support I need. Any advice?

Moved school, now really want to move back

replies: 1

So i'm facing a dilemma right now and I was looking to get some advice or opinions on how to approach this. Long story short last year I was doing year 11 however missed the first term of year 12 due to an injury and so I have had to repeat year 11. The school I was originally at I enjoyed and had friends however I didn't want to repeat at the same school and the academics isn't the best there so I moved to a catholic all girls school. Since starting around 3/4 weeks ago I have been having an extremely hard time coping with it. Everyday I dread going to school and am unable to concentrate fully during class as I feel so bad. Im missing the old subjects I did at my old school that aren't offered here and the girls at this school are quite unfriendly and rude. Going to school is unbearable to the point I come home and cry for hours. I've asked my mum if I can go back but she wants me to wait because she thinks it will get better, everyday that goes by just gets worse and I feel like I can't do it anymore, I can't wait for it to maybe get better. I just want to be back at my old school even if it means being in the year below because I can't stand this all girls strict catholic school it makes me feel so awful. Sorry if this was long but yea if anyone has any thoughts or advice.

Losing my sight at 12. Am very scared

replies: 4

Hello, Im new to this website. Recently, I have actually been losing my sight. I already have lost the sight in the centre of my right eye and the same thing is happening in my left eye. I have been getting lots of tests done and actually am getting some more done tomorrow and Im terrified. It's really interfering with school as well. I couldn't do my start of the year tests because I couldn't see the words. The school now knows about it but Im still scared. My sight is getting worse. How should I feel better about the situation?

Confused

replies: 2

Hello, I am seeking some tips on how to approach my mother to tell her how I feel and how I think I may possibly have depression? I am afraid that she will dismiss my feelings, and ultimately feel uncomfortable at the thought of telling her. I want to seek professional help to enable me to understand and cope with my feelings and to know whether what I am feeling is 'normal' (lack of a better word) or is due an underlying issue. My father has depression, which has worsened severely since my parents broke up (I am in grade 11, they split in grade 5). He does not know that I know that, and only told me he had depression several months ago. I have a fractured relationship with him (his words, not mine) and we have never really openly discussed feelings so I definitely don't feel comfortable discussing it with him. It is only recently that I have felt these symptoms worsen (app. past 3 months). I have been moving houses, and am still in the process of finding a new house to live in. The process is unbelievably frustrating and has made my overall mental health worsen severely. My productivity levels have stunted immensely over the past few months, and I feel so unmotivated. The best way I can describe how I feel is empty. I feel void of emotions a lot of the time, and will go through these periods a few times a week (lasting 1-3 hours) where I feel extremely tired (even though I may have received adequate sleep that night) and like i'm just existing, like the world is operating around me but i'm frozen in time or in slow motion. In addition to this, I experience lots of anger and frustration, and the smallest things may set me off. I've lost enjoyment in lots of activities, and struggle to focus. I discussed them with my closest friends, one of which said she experienced the same feelings as well as point out that they are symptoms of depression. I have considered it momentarily before, but never seriously until now. I don't want to label it and self-diagnose or even suggest that I may have it as I feel like people will respond by thinking I am an attention seeker. This is also why I also struggle to voice my concerns to my parents, the last time I did so to my mother (about trouble concentrating in school and exhibiting ADHD symptoms) she dismissed my worries, and told me that it was because I spend "too much time on my computer" or other similar reasons. Sorry for the rambling, if there is anything you would like to know do not hesitate to ask. Thanks

Free Depression support services?

replies: 2

Is there any free depression support services kinda like Alcoholics Anonymous or something similar? Been going through tough times for a while and the medicine the gp gives just ruins my sex drive making me even more depressed and lonely, so i thought the next best thing would be something like this. I'd rather not open up to the people around me because in the past they have screwed me in the back and used what i told them against me. So I'd rather meet with a group of like minded people who can maybe help me and themselves by supporting one another. Thank you

Doesn’t change

replies: 2

Hi, I’ve never really done this but it’s currently nearly 1:30am and I can’t sleep. I’ve had trouble sleeping quiet a lot recently. I’m done. Today was so hard I haven’t been the same since some things that happened in school and that was nearly 2 years ago. I never got closure on anything that happened and to be completely honest I never really recovered. Everyday it just gets harder. I can’t stop thinking about all the things I’ve done wrong in my life. I hate work, my boss just finds every reason to bring my day down and honestly wish I could quit but I can’t due to uni and other expenses. Everyone is so happy these days all my friends are getting into relationships while I’m sitting here wondering what the heck is wrong with me. They all can’t hang out a lot anymore due to there relationships and are constantly cancelling plans last minute. I don’t know what to do. I never really got over the thing in high school because In a way every where I turn someone that was involved is there or something else to remind me. Honestly I know it probably sounds pathetic but if I’m being completely honest what happened sent me to the darkest places I had never been before. I lost a lot of things because of what happened I lost friends, I lost myself and I lost control. I was a student who didn’t mind going to school but in the end I hated going to school and was too scared to even look at the people that where involved. What happened followed me from high school to graduation to work and even university. I’m currently 18 and really probably shouldn’t be feeling so down. I don’t find anything enjoyable any more, I’m to scared to talk to friends in case they judge and last time I spoke to family about it my dad lost it. My family really hasn’t been the same since my nan died in 2017. We where all really close with her and although we where expecting it, it is still hard to deal with. How and when will things get better because it never really changes. I’m done living like this.

Being excluded

replies: 2

I am friends with a person and recently he made friends with another person and he started to try and get me to piss off, my friend started noticing and was a bit suspect, a bit later he started including me and I was nice and I thought i eventually was making progress and he was starting to see me as more of a friend. A bit later he started to go back to excluding and getting my friend to hang out 24/7 but yet never asked me to go with them, now my original friend decided to start excluding me, I seemed to be the last choice in the group and yet I was acting perfectly normal and was being nice and trying my best to make them seem appreciated and included... but they decided to choose everyone else over me and not care. I’ve been trying to make friends with him like asking him to play some video games or socialise in someway possible but he wouldn’t and it’s like he just doesn’t like me at all and I don’t know why, the problem is that my best friend made friends with others and a person decided to try his absolute best to get rid of me for no reason. Now my best friend has decided to include him and exclude me and now I don’t know what to do anymore.

It's my birthday today and Im having an emotional breakdown

replies: 5

Hi all, so as the title says– its my 24th birthday today and here I am feeling extremely depressed, have been crying since last night.. I have been going through alot for the past month ( post abortion depression, family problems and relationship ) and in all honesty, I feel so emotionally burnt out. Im sick of people and how im being treated. My family being so passive aggressive towards me hurts me so much and i try my hardest to ignore it. Im starting to hate them because I know deep down they are one of the main reason why I chose to terminate my pregnancy even though I didn't want to.. My current boyfriend who (somehow) cares constantly makes me feel so alone. I dont understand anymore. Ive been feeling depressed and miserable for the past 6 years and to be very honest all I want is to disappear. I keep praying to God that my life should be given to somehow who deserves MORE to live than me who's always constantly miserable. Im tired of being me. Im tired of my BPD. Having the constant uncontrollable anxiety and fear of being abandoned and neglected. Im tired of living.. Every day reminds me of how much life sucks for me. And today is such a reminder of how alone I am. How people dont really care because they have their own lives to think about. I feel shit for feeling so desperate to be happy on this day. Now here I am in my bedroom crying, could barely breathe and feeling so hopeless about everything.

Procrastination but worse.

replies: 18

Hey, figured I'd post here since I just need some advice on this problem. So, in highschool I was your typical procrastinator. Just before a deadline, I got that sense of panic which would push me to work hard and finish an assignment. Only over time that really started to dim. That panic I felt at the deadline became less and less of a deal because every time without fail, I would get it done, so I started pushing things off later and later. And every time I would feel even less stress. So much that even if I failed one or two things, it really wasn't a big deal to me. Then Yr 12 rolled around and I was just ignoring semester-long assignments left and right, even if they were part of classes that were important/that I enjoyed, because the deadline wasn't a big deal to me anymore. I didn't care anymore. Not as a pessimistic attitude thing, the stress just stopped registering, so I felt no need to do it. This habit became natural to the point where if I saw that something huge was due, I knew that I would just fail it anyway, so I gave up before I even started. It wasn't even procrastination at that point I just straight up didn't do it. Which is a problem for me right now. Because now even if I desperately want to do something, I just can't do it. And if I need to do something I don't necessarily want to do, the stakes are even worse. And because if I get (or got) paid occasionally to do Things for people, and I don't do them by the deadline, then it kind of becomes an even bigger problem. Not even the law can stop me at this point. It's like my panic button is broken. I need advice on how to stop giving up before I even start. Anyway, reason I was motivated to post this is because there's this project Im doing due in about 5 hours and it's not done, and physically can't be finished in the next five hours. I'm pretty much doomed and it sucks since I really wanted to do this project since its something I'm personally interested in, and I cleared my whole schedule for this past week to complete it, and I made a schedule for it, and I was productive for about a day and then - bam. Flat out avoidance. Total apathy despite this literally being an opportunity I've waited for all year. I stopped feeling anything. Help would be appreciated.

The society pressure of always having to go out and drink when you're 22

replies: 7

Hi all, newbie here. Wanted to see if I wasn't alone in not wanting to go out and drink with my friends. For the past couple months I've been doing the best I can to avoid social outings, but only with a particular group of people. I don't have many friends and I love these people as if they were my family, my family away from home I call them. I just don't want to go out and drink with them, I've realised its become very bad for my mental health, I'm beyond happy doing anything else with them, just not to go out and drink or party you might say. I just don't know how to tell them. I adore their friendship, I just don't know how or know why I don't want to go out and have a "good night" cause "we're only young once" with them. Please tell me I'm not the only one? I just don't want to feel alone anymore. Also, I don't suffer from social anxiety or anything so I'm just not sure. I know this sounds like such a little thing and that I should just go talk to them. But I've been struggling with this for months now and not sure who else to talk to. So I thought might as well give this a go, as this is the first time I've actually said (well wrote) this out loud. If anyone is reading this and is thinking the same, even if they just don't want to go out and drink and rather stay in every weekend at the age of 21/22 please know that you're not alone. I also hope this thread can help someone else see that they're not the only one.

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

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

Scared to be judged replies: 1

Moved school, now really want to move back replies: 1

Losing my sight at 12. Am very scared replies: 4

Confused replies: 2

Free Depression support services? replies: 2

Doesn’t change replies: 2

Being excluded replies: 2

It's my birthday today and Im having an emotional breakdown replies: 5

Procrastination but worse. replies: 18

The society pressure of always having to go out and drink when you're 22 replies: 7