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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Heartbreak, toxic friendships and feeling alone at 23.

replies: 2

Does anybody else get tired of hearing “ you’re so young! You should be living the best years of your life!” Or is it just me? I’ve just turned 23 and all I do is sleep and go to work. None of this was by choice, my brain sometimes becomes too unbearable that all I want to do is sleep and cry. I used to think it was just hormones but I’ve been like this since I was 15 & nothing has gotten better, only worse. I recently got rid of toxic friendships thinking that it would help but it’s only made me feel more alone. My ex best friend always used to talk about her boyfriend and never used to ask how I am. She’d talk about me behind my back and never really made me feel worthless. She’s the type where it’s okay for her to forget my birthday but if I ever did that to her I’d know about it. So I dumped her. I’ve tried socialising and making new friends but that just ends with disappointment. I’ve found it hard to make any decent friends the older you get. People always say “ you’re just looking in the wrong places” but these days I seem to be losing hope, thinking that maybe there’s no good people left. Girls my age always ditch me and choose their boyfriends over me and guys my age only want sex and don’t even try to be friends with you. I sometimes think maybe if I found a boyfriend I’d feel happier? Boys aren’t everything I know but I thought maybe if I try? Well I did and all I ended up with was heartbreak. I consider myself to be intelligent when analysing men’s behaviour, they’re all generally wanting one thing anyway however I ended up being fooled by a man who I thought loved me. He was my first love and I lost my virginity to him. We took it slow and you know people always say “make him wait & he’ll value you more”. So I did. 5 months later I decide to have sex for the first and only time, ever. Losing my virginity was a big thing for me, I obviously wanted it to be with someone special and I thought he was. Turns out he was leading me on for 5 months as a ruse to take my virginity and then move on to the next poor girl. I felt so stupid!!! So yeah, I’ve proven the whole “make him wait” tactic a little bullshit, everyone has a motive. So naturally I’ve decided boyfriends probably aren’t the answer to my loneliness. My next plan was to maybe adopt an animal? But I’ve concluded I’m too financially and mentally unstable to care for one properly. I don’t even know why I’m writing this. I guess I just want someone to listen to me for a change.

I don't feel like I fit in anymore

replies: 3

So, I've been feeling this way for a while but have kind of just pushed the thoughts away and told myself it is not the end of the world. I feel like I don't really have my place, I don't really fit in in any specific friendship group. Everyone has their special clique who they are really close with but then I feel like I'm almost on the exterior just watching as everyone else exists. I'm not saying I don't have any friends, what I'm saying is that out of those friends I don't really know where I 'belong' or where I fit, as I'm friends with many different types of people. Maybe that's just me being selfish, because I'm sure there's people out there who would kill to have a friend or two but I just don't know, I can't comprehend what I am feeling. My best friend who I can 100% say always has my back and we will always be close and I trust, she went away on holiday with a group of friends who prior to that holiday I would consider not all that close and if I weren't away at the time myself I would have gone on the trip with them. Anyway, since their trip they are all super, super close and they hang out really frequently and because I didn't go on that trip with them I'm kind of just left in the dust. Sure she makes an effort to invite me to hang out with them occasionally but I don't feel welcome or wanted. I'm almost just some chick who tagged along and no one really knows. Its such a sucky feeling and I'm sure if I spoke to her about it shed make more of an effort. But even then do I really want to surround myself with these people who are always moody and drug crazed? I don't know if I could ever get truly close with them, because of that barrier in that I don't know if I can truly be myself around them because I'm just not interested in what they are anymore. Then there's the group I'm friends with who are the complete opposite, we have a fun time together and Im always invited to hangout with them but there's just not that emotional connection that I have with other friends. Everything feels so surface level, almost like a facade like am I really friends with these people or do I just hangout with them because I have no one else. Of course there's those friends you will always be friends with you can go without seeing them for months and when you see them its like nothings changed, but again i'm not going to see them daily they are just one face in the crowd I guess I'm just trying to voice my opinions but has anyone else experienced this feeling?

Health Anxiety My Story / Whats yours??

replies: 2

Hi.. So I have been suffering with Health Anxiety now for the past six years.. I don't think I have ever felt more alone suffering with this disease.. everyone either assumes your nuts.. or your a hypochondriac.. (which I am sure they categorize as the same thing right?) No one understands the debilitating feeling of being awake at 2 in the morning pacing down your hallway wondering if you should go to the hospital or not. I used to feel so alone .. I recently however started writing about my journey and what happened to me personally. Even the act of writing for no one other that myself has been reliving. I am very very very new to the blogasphere but reading other peoples stories has been so comforting to me. I am not alone. I am not the only one who thinks that the worst is just around the corner, waiting to catch you when you least expect it. I would love to hear other peoples stories or share my own more in depth. I just feel I wish six years ago I had been ballsy enough to join a forum.. to say something. Anyway.. i look forward to hearing from you guys

Can't concentrate

replies: 2

Hi all, I'm in school and in year 11, The work was easy at the start of the term but now its harder and I know that it can be but I cant seem to concentrate, I don't know why. All I do now is sit at my desk trying to think and staring at the paper, I... View more

should i go back to my old school

replies: 1

hi, im daisy and i've just started a school in australia at the start of term 3. i came from somewhere in asia and the reason for the move here is because my parents had lived in asia for over 20 years, and they decided it was time to move back. i was born and raised in asia, so this is a massive change for me. the first few weeks at school here were really, really rough. almost every night i was in tears thinking about my old school and how i should never have left. i have a friendship group here, but i really miss my old friends. also, the academics at my old school were amazing. it was the best school in the country and wouldve set me up really really well for the future. the sport here is a lot better than my old school though, and the lifestyle of living in australia is everything ive ever dreamt of (the beaches, the people, the shops, the city etc), but having been here 6 weeks now, im still convinced that its not the right place for me. i have the choice to go back to my old school (in asia), but theres a time pressure on my decision, becuase they're starting theyre GCSE (british system exam) course this term, and i cant miss too much of it or there'd be too much catch up work and id be way too stressed. as well as the time pressure, it affects my family, because if im really not happy here and decide i want to go back, it means my family cant move here, which they have been wanting to do for a while now. so, im not sure whether or not i should go back, and my mind is just cluttered with confusion and ive never felt more lost, and i dont feel at home anywhere. anybody got any advice on what i should do??

Losing Friends

replies: 1

just making this post because i’m not sure if what i’m feeling is temporary or something somewhat serious. it started 2 years ago when i left high school in year 10 to work, the next year things were fine between me and my friends but i still found it so hard to cope with the changes. this year has been completely different, i got a boyfriend at the start of the year who i have known for almost two years & he has been the only one that’s really been there for me. i understand my friends are busy with school but they never make an effort to see me anymore, maybe it’s because i’ve become somewhat different to them now as i have a different attitude towards most things compared to them & i now smoke weed at least once a week and other drugs every now and then. i personally don’t think it’s entirely an issue or that it’s a bad thing because it’s just something i use to have a good time w my partner, which is things my friends have never experienced & why i probably feel so different to them. & out of anger and being overwhelmed about feeling so lonely, i left my group chat with all of my group in it because i was over them all talking about school. i never had anything to add to the conversation and when i did i never got a response & i never got a message asking why i left the group chat. i have also been very upset with most things in my life more than usual; i have no idea what i want to do with my life, i don’t have a close relationship with anyone in my family, i’m scared losing my friends and partner and i’m scared of failing in life. recently all these things have been on my mind and it constantly bringing me down, if my boyfriend is busy it makes me feel even more lonely as i have no one else to talk to, seeing my friends at parties that i wasn’t invited to makes me feel even worse about myself as well as seeing them succeed in school while i do nothing with myself makes me feel so upset & im not sure how to get out of this rut i’m in. so yeah that’s basically it, i just kind of want to know what else to do & why i’m feeling the way i do & yeah

What is wrong with me?

replies: 2

Hi everyone This is my first time posting and I guess, first time trying to get some help I haven't been to a doctor to get help yet so I can't accurately describe/label what is wrong with me I can feel myself falling into a really dark place and there is nothing causing it. Last week, and again tonight, I started crying and I can't control it. Once the crying stops I can't breathe and I can't get my heart to beat at a normal pace I am afraid to go to a doctor because they usually just say have a nurofen and get some rest i am about to turn 23, I am in my last semester of uni and I don't know what I'll do when i graduate currently I am laying in bed and i feel like I'm floating, I also feel like I am being horrible to everyone I know because I am upset within myself but I don't know what to do about it I don't know what is wrong with me, I want to see a psychologist so badly but I just looked one up and it is $160 an hour and I can't afford it can anybody help point me in the right direction? I know I need help but I am so afraid to start

I feel so bad about something I said

replies: 3

So today I was chatting with a girl at lunch (an exchange student) and I was talking about how my brother is sick with glandular fever. It's been so horrible to see him so tired and unmoving and quiet, and I was talking about this. I kinda wanted to lighten the conversation up a bit, so I mentioned how he was on the couch, only a couple of metres away from the heater remote, and he asked ME to turn on the heater, trying to make a joke out of it. A JOKE. I didn't even find it funny, but she laughed so KEPT GOING. I said how he can barely talk, and I MIMICKED HIS CROAKY VOICE. I MIMICKED HIM, while he's sick and distressed and unwell! I felt so guilty after I thought about what I said, and I started having anxiety thoughts (particularly with my magical thinking/thought-action fusion). I was stressing that since I had made fun of him that God was going to make him even sicker and it was all my fault. I felt TERRIBLE. I came home and mum noticed I was acting weird, so she asked what was wrong. I told I had said something about someone that was mean and I didn't even think/find funny. I didn't tell her exactly what I said because I knew she would be so disappointed in me. She got quite mad at me and said that she's not going to try to make me feel better, because I SHOULD feel guilty for that. I had seen how all my family members were so concerned about him, and I had MADE FUN OF HIM!!! I feel so guilty, and it was all just to make a girl laugh. I feel so so so bad, I'm crying a lot, having anxiety thoughts, I've made my mum ashamed of me and I went to her looking for validation! How dare I?! What I said was SO out of character for me, I didn't find it funny at all but I SAID IT, and I feel so stupid. Now I can't look at my brother in his state without feeling incredibly guilty and I feel like a horrible person. I mainly wrote this to vent, but if you have any advice that would be greatly appreciated.

My very confused state

replies: 7

Hi there! I'm Sam, I've not yet posted on this forum so here goes I've had anxiety since a very young age, I'm now 18 however am still plagued by it. Interesting enough I'd say I have a good perspective of life, there's definitely times where life has been tough but for the most part I actually am extremely grateful to be alive and receive the support I do. Unfortunately, my love for life is the cause of what I'd consider to be quite a tough part of my life. I'm currently investigating some digestive issues alongside my GP, I've been sick for quite a while, about a month. No vomiting (hooray!!) however frequent abdominal pain and toilet visits. Now here's where things get tricky, I'm terrified of illnesses.. I'm terrified of being sick, it scares me, makes me extremely anxious and lately I've been beginning to wonder whether all of these abdominal problems I've been having are a direct result of my fears of whatever could be going on inside me. My mind often races, "What if I have cancer", "What if I die?!?" and this generally leads me to only feeling worse and being terrified. I want to live my life, I want to be happy and until I know nothings medically wrong with me, my mind can only keep racing with these horrific thoughts. My parents tell me that it's all in my head as I'm yet to have any medical diagnoses and nothing to back the pain I'm in but it's torture, I can't sleep, I barely eat, I've lost kilograms in a matter of weeks and yet I'm just to believe its all in my head? I don't think so, I just want to feel okay, I just want to rid of this pain and I'm so anxious as a result of what COULD be wrong with me, not what actually is... Any replies are appreciated, I'm just really looking to reach out and hear what others may have to say. Thank You for reading this all if yah made it here

Almost died, Lost my job, Stressed about uni, feel like rubbish

replies: 1

Hey, So I'm 19 and I was looking for a job to have while at uni and I had a very difficult time I applied for 160+ jobs and I got 1 interview and I got that job, not being wanted was making me depressed and I had that job for 3 weeks and then I suddenly got very sick, I got blood clots in my lungs and heart and my heart failed. I should have died I was in ICU for 2 weeks and recovering for 2 months and after I was better I had one shift at work and they fired me. So now I have no job and I feel very sad and depressed like someone hit me with a truck. I know I'm going to struggle a lot to get one and all my family say stuff like you do nothing, your lazy, get a job. I do 3 kinds of volunteering and full-time uni with perfect grades so I don't think I'm lazy. I am a full-time neuroscience student in 2nd year and I have a perfect GPA of 7 and I'm terrified of losing it I would honestly probably sacrifice my friends and my health to keep it at a 7 I worked so hard to keep that I even managed to keep full marks while I was in ICU (it was week before exams when I got out). I honestly don't know what I would do if my GPA drops its unthinkable but I have a VERY hard course load this semester and the classes are really difficult and its a very large possibility that I'm going to end up with a 6.7 - 6.9 not a 7 and I would probably have a literal mental breakdown if that happens. Uni and grades are my life doing well academically is the only thing I have going for me in life and is the only thing I'm good at and proud of. I should mention I have GAD and am medicated and see a therapist. Not sure what the point of this post is I just don't have anyone to talk to.

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

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

Heartbreak, toxic friendships and feeling alone at 23. replies: 2

I don't feel like I fit in anymore replies: 3

Health Anxiety My Story / Whats yours?? replies: 2

Can't concentrate replies: 2

should i go back to my old school replies: 1

Losing Friends replies: 1

What is wrong with me? replies: 2

I feel so bad about something I said replies: 3

My very confused state replies: 7

Almost died, Lost my job, Stressed about uni, feel like rubbish replies: 1