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Multicultural experiences

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BeyondBlue Hi! Read this if you are not sure what this section is all about
  • replies: 0

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond B... View more

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond Blue also recognises the complexities of identity and that people may identify with more than one community. Depression, anxiety and suicide can affect any of us at any time – regardless of our culture or background. We also know that a range of factors can make it harder for people in some communities to seek and access support. This section is for members born overseas, are the children of parents born overseas, have a language other than English as your primary language, or come from a family with mixed cultural heritage and want a specific space to share their experience. Please be aware that posts on the Beyond Blue Forums may contain discussions of suicide, self-harm and/or traumatic life events. As per our Forums guidelines, please be mindful when posting about the level of detail you share on these topics as it can be upsetting for other members. We look forward to hearing your stories. Beyond Blue

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Nostos Unhappy, need advice
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I was hoping to obtain some advice from someone who might be on a similar situation to mine. I have been living in Adelaide, South Australia for about 10 years. I relocated to Adelaide from Belgium with my mother (a pensioner). My backgr... View more

Hi everyone, I was hoping to obtain some advice from someone who might be on a similar situation to mine. I have been living in Adelaide, South Australia for about 10 years. I relocated to Adelaide from Belgium with my mother (a pensioner). My background is Greek. When I arrived in Australia, I did not have extensive professional experience since I had finished studying at University. My dream was to break into the marketing industry in Australia, but I have had to put that dream on the side as I was not able to land a job in the field. In fact, I was not able to land any job until 6 months after I had arrived, due to lack of experience. To sustain myself and my mother, I worked in fields that were not very appealing to me, until last year when I decided to do a Diploma in Digital Marketing that could potentially make me more employable. This has proven another uphill battle because even though I now have the Diploma, I do not have prior experience in the field. My mother and I have both found it extremely difficult to make meaningful connections in Adelaide. Unfortunately it seems that people do not have the time (or perhaps the motivation) to get to know new people and prefer focusing on the friends they already have. When it comes to social/meetup groups, they can be very superficial, once again making it difficult to approach people on a more meaningful level (for instance, exchanging numbers, going for coffee, and having a more regular contact seems nearly impossible). To top it off, I have had several experiences with toxic workplaces where my efforts, as well as my focus on work rather than gossip and backstabbing, have not been appreciated. I have had to make the difficult decision to leave some of those environments for my own sanity. I am currently unemployed, still trying to get into digital marketing. Additionally, the distance from Europe is getting to me more and more, to the point where I am starting to doubt whether leaving Belgium was a wise decision (there were valid reasons for the move at the time though). I am at a point where I do not know what to do next. I cannot return to Greece (which would be my dream) for reasons that I won't go through here, and I wouldn't want to return to Belgium where it would be really hard to get a job without speaking Flemish (I speak French, one of the official languages). I am also worried about my mother, because even though eventually I might find another job here, she will be home alone all day, with no friends to talk to. Ideally I want to relocate somewhere in Europe so that we can be close to Greece, but I don't know where. Would you have any suggestions as to how to go about this situation? I feel that I am at a crossroads. Thank you for your patience with my lengthy text.

Illbeok No friends
  • replies: 17

Whenever I read articles or books about mental health, "talking to your family and friends is one of the keys for better mental health" and moreover it's often suggested people who have no friends are more likely to be unhappy and become depressed, a... View more

Whenever I read articles or books about mental health, "talking to your family and friends is one of the keys for better mental health" and moreover it's often suggested people who have no friends are more likely to be unhappy and become depressed, and have poor health. I feel like I'm in this category of people who are helpless and destined to have depression and other illnesses. I don't know what to do and I feel so isolated. I immigrated to Australia when I was 30 and now I'm 50 with no friends, no close family. I have social anxiety and I've been having episodes of depression (trying hard to tame it every day), have mostly recovered from anorexia, but I'm having PTSD now from an assault / loss of my sister. I have anxiety attacks and other typical PTSD episodes with additional anxiety about having a serious depression and anorexia. Please help.

cs65 Marriage breakdown. Australian/Vietnamese
  • replies: 9

Hello, I have no idea if this is in the right place, so apologies if it isn't. Background: I am 53 yr old male living in rural Qld. I suffer diagnosed PTSD, anxiety and chronic depression as a result of childhood sexual abuse from my step-father. Up ... View more

Hello, I have no idea if this is in the right place, so apologies if it isn't. Background: I am 53 yr old male living in rural Qld. I suffer diagnosed PTSD, anxiety and chronic depression as a result of childhood sexual abuse from my step-father. Up until the age of 40 I was on a wild roller-coaster ride of drug/alcohol abuse, failed relationships, trouble with police, admitted to psyche wards etc. It was hell. Finally I got the help I needed and with the use of CBT strategies and SSRI's, (which I haven't taken for years), have been able to keep my life reasonably balanced. Eight and a half years ago I met the girl of my dreams, a lovely Vietnamese lady and we have had what I consider to be a great marriage. We have no children together, but my 18 yr old daughter has been in the family home throughout and considers my wife as a step-mother. She departed interstate recently to commence University. Funnily enough she is studying Psychology. My elderly mother also stays with us in a self-contained granny flat. Her and my wife are/were best of friends. Our marriage has not been without its ups and downs, as per usual, but in general we have had a happy time together and I love her dearly. I have had minor episodes of depression/anxiety but I have the strategies in place to recognise and deal with it. However, on the 22nd December I crashed and burned. I was in the middle of an incredibly busy and stressful time with my business and also as President of a local sporting group. I knew I wasn't feeling 'right' but the pressure I was under blinded me as to how close to the edge I was. I had a major meltdown and spent 2 weeks over xmas basically in a catatonic state with absolutely terrible anxiety attacks. I slowly dragged myself back out of the hole, but I sensed a change in my wife. She was cold, uncaring and distant. Ten days ago she simply disappeared with as many possessions as she could. No explanation, no goodbyes, (even to my mother), blocked all phone number and social media links. As far as I knew she was dead. She contacted me last night and basically said that she can't cope with my issues, that she doesn't believe that depression/anxiety is real and that all I need to do is take control of my mind. No matter how I tried to explain that depressions robs my ability of control, she wouldn't have it. I am a broken man. Is this a cultural issue with her? Has anyone else experienced this in an inter-racial marriage? I need to understand why?

Donte What to do when your son with mental illness and gambling issues steals money from you?
  • replies: 9

A friend's son returned to live with him last year following his divorce. It has been difficult as he is often angry and depressed. However, the son has been helping my friend with the shopping as he finds it difficult to manage. He recently discover... View more

A friend's son returned to live with him last year following his divorce. It has been difficult as he is often angry and depressed. However, the son has been helping my friend with the shopping as he finds it difficult to manage. He recently discovered that $15,000 has disappeared from his savings. The son is the only other person with access to my friend's bank account. My friend thinks his son may have taken the money to go to the casino as he gambles a lot or used it for drugs. My friend has been having problems sleeping. He hasn’t told anybody about his concerns apart from me. He isn’t sure what to do. Financial abuse can be the type of issue that people feel most comfortable talking about in public. However, it often is connected to other issues that are equally destructive. I am not aware that the Greek community experiences these issues any more than other cultural groups. However, as we very well know people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are less likely to seek support. This situation is typical of the issues that can be involved with adult children returning to the parental home who have experienced issues with drug and alcohol addiction or problem gambling. This often occurs following divorce or relationship breakdown. What would you recommend to someone in this predicament?

Ann_ACD Fairness at work
  • replies: 2

Where do we(non-white people) seek help to find fairness at work especially when the management already decided which side they're on?

Where do we(non-white people) seek help to find fairness at work especially when the management already decided which side they're on?

1fr4 Stressed
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that life can be so exhausting, even when I haven't done much. I've struggled a lot with caring for myself, feeling safe and having fun. I worry too much about what others will think and always assume that o... View more

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that life can be so exhausting, even when I haven't done much. I've struggled a lot with caring for myself, feeling safe and having fun. I worry too much about what others will think and always assume that others hate me. It's gotten to the point where when I first started living independently to now, I barely go out and just maladaptively daydream. It's stopped me so much. I've also thought of seeking professional help. If anyone wants to, please use this post to share your experiences, I want to know how others are or have been working things and if you have any advice (of course I've heard of the 'don't give two hoots of what others think and do it!' but it's so hard). Anyways, thank you for this

Ronnie Bengali Australian
  • replies: 1

Hey there! I was born in Bangladesh and moved to Australia when I was young. I completed my Master's degree and am currently 42 years old. I also serve as a Justice of the Peace and enjoy doing a lot of community work. Even though I love being part o... View more

Hey there! I was born in Bangladesh and moved to Australia when I was young. I completed my Master's degree and am currently 42 years old. I also serve as a Justice of the Peace and enjoy doing a lot of community work. Even though I love being part of this multicultural society, I sometimes find it a bit challenging to connect with people, especially when it comes to making female friends. I’m excited to meet new people and build some meaningful friendships!

BeyondBlue Hi! Read this if you are not sure what this section is all about
  • replies: 0

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond B... View more

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond Blue also recognises the complexities of identity and that people may identify with more than one community. Depression, anxiety and suicide can affect any of us at any time – regardless of our culture or background. We also know that a range of factors can make it harder for people in some communities to seek and access support. This section is for members born overseas, are the children of parents born overseas, have a language other than English as your primary language, or come from a family with mixed cultural heritage and want a specific space to share their experience. Please be aware that posts on the Beyond Blue Forums may contain discussions of suicide, self-harm and/or traumatic life events. As per our Forums guidelines, please be mindful when posting about the level of detail you share on these topics as it can be upsetting for other members. We look forward to hearing your stories. Beyond Blue

hs5u seeking some advice on how i should behave in an australian work place with bosses
  • replies: 5

hiI come from a different country and my english language is a second language and ive been living in australia just over a year now and I sometimes have trouble understanding the ways of things of the native english speakers and i just wanted to get... View more

hiI come from a different country and my english language is a second language and ive been living in australia just over a year now and I sometimes have trouble understanding the ways of things of the native english speakers and i just wanted to get some help from people to guide me to adapt in the working environment in australia. When i first got a part time job at a large retail chain i noticed some workers there are the in charges, team leaders, upper managers and i noticed usually these people don't try to get along with other working employees like myself and i presumed that they are the bosses with some responsibilities and didn't want to socialized at workplaces. One trouble im having at the workplace is getting along with these people in a way that is not intrusive of their positions but still getting along as an employee. Most of the time up till now it has been saying the greetings when i see them which i have been having difficulty with. It would be something like, they would go "hello how are you" then i would respond with something like "good thanks how are you" and a lot of them afterwards don't look happy and wouldn't make eye contact with me and up until now i still don't understand what i am doing wrong here. I have been trying to be friendly at workplaces, cooperative, and supportive but when it comes to talking to the bosses i find it daunting and stressful. This is also my first time having a job and i just wanted to seek some advice on what i might be doing wrong and how i should behave at a workplace and in an australian setting if any of the people can help me out it would be greatly appreciated

Robuu Depression on international student life
  • replies: 3

Life as an international student can be extremely tough, especially when you're in a foreign country, trying to navigate unfamiliar systems. In my case, I was unknowingly influenced into participating in fraudulent activities. I had no idea what I wa... View more

Life as an international student can be extremely tough, especially when you're in a foreign country, trying to navigate unfamiliar systems. In my case, I was unknowingly influenced into participating in fraudulent activities. I had no idea what I was doing, being new to the place and the culture. This mistake led to the suspension of my NDIS, cutting off essential support that I relied on.Without the NDIS, I lost my job, making it impossible to pay bills, fines, or even manage daily expenses. As the financial pressure mounted, it became harder to keep up with tuition fees, leading the school to cancel my Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) due to outstanding fees.I tried speaking with the school to get my COE reinstated, but they refused, demanding full payment upfront—something I simply couldn’t afford. Desperate, I reached out to friends for help, but they were more like acquaintances, "hi friends" who couldn’t offer the support I needed. To make matters worse, my family back home is depending on me, adding to the burden.All of this led to feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and a deepening sense of isolation, leaving me battling with bad thoughts and the weight of depression.