Wanting tips and tricks to get through depression and anxiety [Trigger Warning: sexual assault]

[IsaacV]

Hi, so I'm Isaac and I've been bipolar since the age of 12, I'm 14 now and I'm really needing some ways to control stuff or at least make things easier. The last 6 months haven't been good because I lost both my dad and my older brother near the end of last year, and just two months ago i became a victim of sexual assault and rape. I'm just needing some ways to cope with really bad days so that I can attend more school and don't get too bad marks and fail, and also so that I can be a nicer person to my friends and my mum because they deserve better than what im giving them, so if you have anything that could help it would be amazing, thank you xo.

[Birdy77]

Hello Isaac,

I just want to welcome you here and say it's so great that you've found your way here. We care about you and you are among people who want the best for you.

You have had a really horrible six months. I am so sorry for the loss of your brother and your Dad at the end of last year. And then on top of that, the assault you have endured and the aftermath of that ... my heart goes out to you Isaac.

You are doing well to reach out here. You must be in a lot of pain.

Are you having any counselling at the moment Isaac? I hope you are being supported after the deaths of your Dad and brother ... and especially after what happened to you 2 months ago.

Have you told anyone about the assault?

Be gentle with yourself Isaac, & if you can come back and let us know what sort of offline support you have going on would be great. We can help to guide you towards help if you don't have other support.

We are here for you and are in your corner.

🌻birdy

[PamelaR]

Hello Isaac

Birdy has welcomed you and she is right there are many caring and supportive people on Beyond Blue.

I can't begin to imagine how you feel having lost your dad and brother last year. That is so hard - no matter what age you are. I feel your pain completely as both my father and brother (17 y.o.) have passed away.

Feeling bad is NOT bad. You've been through an incredibly difficult time in your life. Do you have someone you can talk to without fear of any stigma. E.g. are you seeing a doctor or psychologist on a regular basis? Or is there a counsellor at school you can talk to?

Alternatively there are a number of different services around, e.g. Lifeline, or Beyond Blue has a 24 hour support service 1300 224636.

I find it important to talk through how I'm feeling especially with supportive and caring people.

Kind regards

PamelaR

[geoff]

Hello IsaacV, please let me give you a warm welcome to the forum.

My sincere condolences for the loss of your father and then your brother, the heartache you must be going through would be unexplainable, and then to be sexually assaulted and raped is nothing more than horrific.

This is something I detest and the full force needs to be involved to capture those who have perpetrated your privileges, I am deeply so sorry for you, and I think that it's your friends and mum who need to understand how awful this experience must have been for you.

By knowing that you have friends here on the site will hopefully give you a much needed boost of confidence and make you realise we are all supporting you in every way, this will give you a base to where you can start to build on.

Ask your mum if she will go with you to counselling, this will make you become closer with more understanding of each other, and then provide more help to you.

My Best Wishes.

Geoff.

[Chloe_M]

Hi Isaac,
I too have been a victim of sexual assault. I understand how horrible it is. Remember, there are people here for you xox.

For the past few months, I have been struggling with anxiety and depression. It (the depression) has been on and off, whereas the anxiety is constant. I have an obsession with hand sanitiser, and sometimes when I am really anxious, I coat myself in it because I can literally see the germs crawling on my skin. I frequently have panic attacks, which involve sweating, shaking, hyperventilating and crying. Sometimes, I even hallucinate.

I have only recently 'come out' to my parents as being always anxious. My mum doesn't really believe me but my Dad does. He said that he will try and arrange for me to see a psychologist and I will possibly get a diagnosis.

I have a coping method for anxiety. You construct a table with the headings Situation, Emotions, Thoughts, and Alternative Thoughts. This helps with intrusive thoughts. It strives to change the way of thinking. Write in Situation the situation that made you anxious. In the Emotions column, write how that situation made you feel. In Thoughts, write down the intrusive thoughts and anxious thoughts. Finally, write an alternative thought you could think about that situation in Alternative Thoughts.

Here are a few websites that might help you too. Best of luck Isaac.

http://youth.anxietybc.com/

https://mindspot.org.au/

https://au.reachout.com/tools-and-apps/reachout-breathe

xx Chloe_M

[Chloe_M]

Hi Isaac,
I too am a victim of sexual assault. I understand how horrible it is. Just remember that there are always people out there who can help you.

I do not have a diagnosis, but I am always anxious and sometimes depressed. The depression is on-and-off, whereas I am anxious all the time; sometimes about important things, sometimes about little things, and sometimes for no reason at all. I have an obsession with hand sanitiser, and sometimes, when I'm really anxious, I cover myself in it because I can literally see the germs crawling over me. I also have panic attacks, which involve shaking, sweating, hyperventilating and crying. I recently 'came out' to my parents about being anxious all the time, and my Mum didn't really believe me. My Dad, however, did, and he is going to talk to my Mum about seeing a psychologist or counsellor. I am also going to see the school counsellor today.

I noticed that you asked for some coping methods. I have this one that I find helps me with my anxiety. It may not work for you but it would be worth a try. It really helps in catching intrusive thoughts and anxious thoughts, and strives to create a new way of thinking about situations.
Construct a table with four columns. In the first column, write the heading Situation. In the next, write Emotions. In the third, Thoughts, and in the fourth, Alternative Thoughts. Under Situation, write the situation or thing that is making you anxious. In Emotions, write down how this situation makes you feel and how your body reacts to that physically (e.g sweating, shaking, hyperventilating, crying etc). Under Thoughts, write down the intrusive/anxious thoughts. Finally, under Alternative Thoughts, write down any thoughts that don't make you anxious that you could think instead.

I hope this works out for you. Here are some websites for you to check out as well. Best of luck, Isaac!

xx Chloe_M

[Chloe_M]

Oops, sorry I accidentally posted 2 different versions!

Here is an example of the 'Thought Table' I did. Sorry it isn't in table form as I couldn't post it like that, but you should get the picture.

Situation: I missed the bus

Emotions: Scared, upset, anxious, nervous, sweating, sick feeling in my stomach, dread.

Thoughts: Dad will be mad, I will be late to school.

Alternative Thoughts: Dad will drive me, it's not the end of the world if I miss the bus, at least I will get a seat if my Dad drives me.

[Chloe_M]

Hey Isaac,

Haven't seen you in a while, just dropping in to make sure you're okay! We are here for you 🤗

xo Chloe