People like me

When it comes to mental health experiences, identity is important. Take the opportunity to connect with people dealing with similar issues.

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Young people

A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

Ursy First Year Of Uni
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I am currently in my first year of university at the age of 25, studying counselling full-time. However, I am finding it more challenging than I anticipated. I graduated from high school in 2016, but even then, I only did the bare minimum to pass. Ba... View more

I am currently in my first year of university at the age of 25, studying counselling full-time. However, I am finding it more challenging than I anticipated. I graduated from high school in 2016, but even then, I only did the bare minimum to pass. Back then, I never cared about being there, as I was going through personal issues. My mother became addicted to drugs, my father's health was poor, and I had to take care of my younger sister. Despite the challenges, I have experienced a lot in my life and have made significant progress in my mental health. I know that I will be a good counsellor someday. However, I feel like I am learning how to study and work on my own, which is causing me to feel overwhelmed. This feeling is particularly noticeable in my eyes, and I feel a heaviness that is hard to overcome, especially when I should be focusing or researching. I am fortunate to live at home with my dad, who does not charge me rent. However, I do have the added responsibility of helping him. He has stage 4 heart failure and does not support my studies. Instead, he often asks when I will get a job. While I would love to earn my money, I am still struggling with my first seven weeks of university. I have noticed that my old binge-eating habits are coming back, and I am aware that it is probably because I do not want to feel awful. I want to do well, and I understand that I am learning. However, it is taking a toll on my motivation, and I feel alone in this. I know that for the next 5-6 weeks, I will be continuously producing assignments, which is making me stressed out. I would appreciate any tips or advice that you could provide. Thanks, Ursula 🙂

marli2006_ Moving back to my old school? yay or nay
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Im nearing the end of my schooling years and last year I moved to a new school for better education and more options as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the future. I loved it at first but now the buzz of being at a new school has worn off, and l... View more

Im nearing the end of my schooling years and last year I moved to a new school for better education and more options as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the future. I loved it at first but now the buzz of being at a new school has worn off, and lots of the people I became friends with when I moved here has dropped out. I love my classes and what im learning, but I now sit by myself in all my classes and only have one friend who I see on breaks. I have the option to return to my old school, where all my old friends are who I've known forever. I also know what I want to do in the future and my old school (although they only have a quarter of the classes on offer that my new school has) has the classes necessary for me to pursue what I want to do after school. But the school im at now has an overall better education. Do I move back or suck it up for what's left of my school years???

Lyssaa Developing myself
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, Something that I've struggled with for a while is being by myself. In high school, I spent all of my spare time studying or surrounding myself with other people, so I didn't have that many hobbies and didn't get a chance to develop mysel... View more

Hi everyone, Something that I've struggled with for a while is being by myself. In high school, I spent all of my spare time studying or surrounding myself with other people, so I didn't have that many hobbies and didn't get a chance to develop myself that much. I also have struggled with anxiety and depression since late high school, and continue to struggle with this as a third year university student. I find that now, when I have free time, I don't know what to do- I either try and fill this time up by talking to my friends or my boyfriend, or by trying to do more uni work or socialise, because I don't know what to do with myself. This has been a habit for years. It's also led to me feeling like I've become co-dependent on my boyfriend, and I don't want to smother him, especially since he is a really busy person. I recently realised that I'm jealous of him, because he has a life and interests outside of me, whereas I feel like my entire life revolves around other people. I don't want to become a controlling and smothering girlfriend, and I don't want to feel like I don't have my own identity anymore. I know that I need to start by being more selfish with how I spend my time, and making decisions revolved around what I want to do and not what anyone else wants me to do, but I don't even know how to start this and how to stick with this. Does anyone have any advice for me, or any kind of support and encouragement that they can give me?

Sexuality and gender identity

Peer support and conversations about anxiety, depression and other issues in the mental health space affecting LGBTQI+ people.

Guest_9960 Feelings of shame when attracted to other men
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I’m a gay male that’s been out for over 20 years. I’ve been single most of my life, except for a few short-lived relationships. I’ve recently begun thinking I have internalised homophobia against myself, and am a little surprised by this. I love bein... View more

I’m a gay male that’s been out for over 20 years. I’ve been single most of my life, except for a few short-lived relationships. I’ve recently begun thinking I have internalised homophobia against myself, and am a little surprised by this. I love being gay and the gay community so I didn’t expect to be coming to this realisation. I’ve found that, over the years, I’ve started to call myself “creepy” whenever I find myself attracted to other men and wish I could find ways to interact with them. A lot of the time, I fixate on the fact that I don’t know the sexuality of strangers I see on the street that I find attractive, so I call myself creepy for not first knowing their sexual orientation for it to be “okay” to be attracted to them. Additionally, I don’t think I have much “game” in terms of charisma or confidence to indicate attraction and approach someone, so I don’t and then get caught up in feelings of shame and low self-esteem. Do others experience this? I’ve just started seeing a new therapist and hope to explore this down the track, but this whole “I’m a creep for being attracted to men” mindset is something that I think has held me back from pursuing relationships for a long time. How have others dealt with similar unhelpful thoughts/beliefs?

Anna5231 Making friends as an adult
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I'm 25 and honestly really struggling with making friends as an adult. I find that a lot of the people I talk to either already have their friendship group or just spend all their time with their partner. I love my partner and have some girlfriends, ... View more

I'm 25 and honestly really struggling with making friends as an adult. I find that a lot of the people I talk to either already have their friendship group or just spend all their time with their partner. I love my partner and have some girlfriends, but just feel like we need more people to socialise with. How do you find friends as an adult? I study and work and just find it impossible to meet people. Does anyone feel the same? Or is it just me

qld_dad44 Do I or Dont I Discuss my Desire to be with a Guy as I believe Im Closet Bi wanting to Come out
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Hi, I am a 44 year old man. I can happily say my wife and I have been together for 21years and married for 16. She's the mother of our 2 adult kids amd 2 younger kids, she's my best friend, she's my rock and she is my everything to a point except I f... View more

Hi, I am a 44 year old man. I can happily say my wife and I have been together for 21years and married for 16. She's the mother of our 2 adult kids amd 2 younger kids, she's my best friend, she's my rock and she is my everything to a point except I feel as if there is something missing and a void that needs to be filled. I must admit before i go any further I do still find my wife very attractive and I love her deeply. We have sex often. There are times due to my injury and my medications I do tend to have "performance issues" or in some instance which do happen quite often I tend to turn off the attraction to females especially my wife and deviate to thoughts of being with another guy. For around the last 2 years or so, at times, I have desired and fantasized about being intimate with another man even when we are not having sex. I have only recently decided to express and discuss these urges in a safe but discrete way and hopefully which i have come across someone that is willing to explore the option of joining us in our marital bed. I've not had any encounters with another man and i wouldnt do anything like that Physically to jeopardise what my wife and I have I decided recently to search for a partnered or single bi man or couple to explore the possible options with and as mentioned i did come across one particular Guy that really ticks all my boxes as for her that is yet to be discussed, Although I'm still not 100% sure if I'm really into other men sexually, or if it is just curiosity and fantasy, and that once I've done it I will either will or won't want to do it again. I would just like to explore this avenue with her instead of opting for the frowned upon act of cheating on her. I feel quite guilty doing discussing this behind behind her back without discussing it with her first, but male intimacy is something that she obviously can't provide and I feel it's something I need to explore, for me. In addition it would too I believe would enhance the sexual experience for her Having not only 1 but 2 guys to play with. I don't how to talk about or raise this subject with her. I don't plan on starting a relationship outside of our relationship and i certainly dont intend on exploring "getting off" with another man behind her back. Im certainly ok if she does accept my desires but will only accept it if it is out of her view and only at her request if that be the case. I assure you she does have and has had gay/bi friends and accepts them for who they are. I think she would be quite shocked to hear my possible sexual orientation. I don't want to lose everything we've built together over the past 21 years Is it wrong for me to not tell her because im fearful of her response and go on as if nothing has changed or do I just Bite the Bullet and Possibly wreck everything.

Multicultural experiences

Designed for members who were born overseas, have parents who were, speak a primary language that isn’t English or have mixed cultural heritage.

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

Illbeok No friends
  • replies: 14

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.

Rolls157 Anxiety by new friendship
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Hi I am new to this so apologies if this is all over the place.I moved to Aus in 2007 with my wife and two kids 6&10 at the time. My wifes side of the family is settled here moving from india, i thought it would be better for her (being close to her ... View more

Hi I am new to this so apologies if this is all over the place.I moved to Aus in 2007 with my wife and two kids 6&10 at the time. My wifes side of the family is settled here moving from india, i thought it would be better for her (being close to her family) and my kids growing up in a rural setting. I left my career, family and friends since childhood to do this. A long drawn out visa process caused a lot of stress but has now thankfully been resolved in aug 2022. This process made me anxious for the first time in my life. In about dec22 a female started to talk to me at work which was not usual for the area. Through regular interactions i really began liking her and it started reminding me of what i was missing with my friends from uk. Although i liked the chats i noticed it made me more anxious when they didnt happen (when she was busy at work etc). Ive told her that all i want is friendship and that i am happy with my marriage. Ultimately I dont know if this relationship is good for me or is making me more anxious. In my heart I dont think she really wants to be friends but just likes to chat occasionally. I haven't made any other friends since moving here although there is new family connections. I dont like sitting in pubs etc and dont follow aus football which excludes a lot of people. I feel lonely and really miss speaking to friends in social setting. I try to talk via phone but its often difficult due to time differences. Ive told my wife how i feel and she has been awesome, she phones me throughout the day which helps to an extent. Should i stop talking to the new 'friend' if it makes me anxious?

Grief and loss

Support and advice following the loss of a family member, partner, spouse or someone close to you.

Weeping_widow My partner was murdered
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In January 2024 my partner of almost 17 years was murdered. I don't know how to live without him. We have 3 beautiful children so I no I need to keep it together for them but I am just dying on the inside. I find it so hard to believe.... the last ti... View more

In January 2024 my partner of almost 17 years was murdered. I don't know how to live without him. We have 3 beautiful children so I no I need to keep it together for them but I am just dying on the inside. I find it so hard to believe.... the last time we saw him he was dropping us off at the train station to go to visit my mum for new year and we were meant to get picked up by him from the train statiom at 2pm on the 2nd instead I woke to messages saying there were heaps of police and ambulances at my house. I tried to call my partner franticly but no answer so I started watch my security camera. I could see all the police and that my house was taped off and I could see the forensic people in there blue suits taking photos. I then got a call from a detective asking where I was and if the kids were with me and that they were sending some one to talk to me but wouldn't tell me what was going on. It took them 4 hours to get to me. Then I was tagged in a fb post on the police page that stated a man had been found unresponsive at an address on our street and that it was a homicide investigation. I just started screaming my kids came running from all different directions so I had to instantly try to pull myself together I couldn't tell them yet. My kids and myself have now been homeless for the past 10 weeks today as we obviously couldn't return home. We are so lucky to have amazing friends who have taken us in but we just need our own space to grieve and start to rebuild but I also have no idea how to do that. All I want is to wake up and for him to be back I miss him so much and I'm just so lost and broken without him.

Mattle Struggling With Work and Home Life Pressure
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Hi all, I’m trying this out to see if it helps. I’m a father of two in a single income family. My wife finds it hard to work, as my daughter is autistic and her school attendance can be minimal. This places a lot of financial strain on me as the sole... View more

Hi all, I’m trying this out to see if it helps. I’m a father of two in a single income family. My wife finds it hard to work, as my daughter is autistic and her school attendance can be minimal. This places a lot of financial strain on me as the sole income earner. My job is, to be frank, a bit of a shit show. It pays well, but the work load is extremely high. I’m overworked, under resourced and combined with a difficult home life, it’s causing me to sleep poorly, which makes everything feel so much harder. I’m suffering with high anxiety at the moment, and I can’t unwind or feel at peace ever. I just worry and feel trapped all the time. i feel like I need to quit my job, but the mortgage and bills need to be paid, and I can’t afford to be out of work. Anyway, I guess I’m just sharing in the hope that someone out there has been here before and has some advice that can help. Thanks

Corr Grief
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My Dad passed August last year. He had a terminal illness and was lucky to have kept going until last year. It still feels like a shock to have lost him and that it was sudden.My Mum is still around and my siblings. I just feel that I have lost a con... View more

My Dad passed August last year. He had a terminal illness and was lucky to have kept going until last year. It still feels like a shock to have lost him and that it was sudden.My Mum is still around and my siblings. I just feel that I have lost a constant in my life as my parents were always there and now one has gone on ahead. Some days are harder than others and I dream of my Dad coming home and things returning to how they were. It feels so realistic that waking up and realising it isn't is surreal. I don't feel comfortable opening up to my Mum about this as she seems fragile. I don't know if I can talk to my siblings about it as it feels odd to do so.