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BeyondBlue Tradies National Health Month
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, August is Tradies National Health Month, to highlight the importance of health and safety among Australia’s trade workers. Mental health and wellbeing is crucial to the safety of anyone in the mining or construction industries, so Beyond... View more

Hi everyone, August is Tradies National Health Month, to highlight the importance of health and safety among Australia’s trade workers. Mental health and wellbeing is crucial to the safety of anyone in the mining or construction industries, so Beyond Blue is hosting a special free webinar for our tradie community on Tuesday 12 August at 4.30pm which you can register for here. We know that Tradies can face unique stressors, with a culture of toughness and difficult job demands that can impact personal time and self-care. It can also be tough for partners and family members who aren’t sure how to support someone in a trade who may be showing signs that their mental health isn’t at its best. If you’re unsure where to start your conversation this is the space for you. Whether you want to share your own experiences, ask questions, or simply connect with others who understand what you're going through, you're in the right place. If you're seeking additional support, here are some resources: Hope Assistance Local Tradies: Home This Is A Conversation Starter: TIACS - This is a Conversation Starter Mates in Construction: MATES - Industry Based Suicide Prevention - MATES Don’t forget - our counsellors are always here for you on 1300 22 46 36. We’ll also use this space to post some of the questions and answers from the webinar discussion. Feel free to dive in and keep the conversation going. Thank you again for joining us — we’re glad you’re here.

Just Sara A Bouquet for Pearls - share your appreciation for other members
  • replies: 715

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful word... View more

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful words. I hope this thread stays active through members giving out praise regularly to people they feel deserving, and therefore keep generosity of spirit alive within the pages of BeyondBlue Forum. My bunch of Red Roses (my choice) goes to Wishful for the following sentence; 'Personally, I see no reason to be praised in me, but I'm learning that seeing through the eyes of others can be more accurate!!' I so hear you Wishful. Just beautiful... Try to keep your leading comments short to focus on 'their' words. Choose specific flowers (or a gift if you like) to present to them. Sign off respectfully and sincerely. I hope this takes off... Spreading the love...Sara

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MarkL I feel mentally strained a lot lately. Not good at talking about it and not sure how to deal with it
  • replies: 3

I have many days where I feel angry for no reason and I find it hard to pull myself out of this mood. I feel worse when I subject my kids and wife to my mood. Little things seem to set me off. I don’t know what to do or how I should handle this

I have many days where I feel angry for no reason and I find it hard to pull myself out of this mood. I feel worse when I subject my kids and wife to my mood. Little things seem to set me off. I don’t know what to do or how I should handle this

white knight How to take a breath
  • replies: 0

I’m guilty of this, not taking a big breath before making decisions. I can suspect its because of some anxiety lingering from a past of anxiety as a full blown illness, but it matters not the cause when you are trying to find a remedy. It’s there, it... View more

I’m guilty of this, not taking a big breath before making decisions. I can suspect its because of some anxiety lingering from a past of anxiety as a full blown illness, but it matters not the cause when you are trying to find a remedy. It’s there, it’s real and it must be tackled not ignored. With some people taking a breath before answering a question is natural. In fact an old school friend of mine would indeed do that automatically and it was painful to wait for his response. That delay, often around 3 seconds, you could almost watch the cogs turning, however as he was really intelligent A student, his answers were always detailed and accurate. Rarely did he have to apologise for answering wrongly simply because he had done his thinking on the topic in that 3 seconds. However, that isn’t me and it might not be you?, But what we can learn is to take a breath before you answer and that breath can be 3 seconds long, enforced time delay while you do such thinking. I now do that with an “ummmm” and that helps as that word relays to the receiver that I’m about to answer so they don’t fill that void with more chatter. People with mental health issues can have side issues with communication. Eg “foot in mouth” the fault of saying something inappropriate before thinking is common with ADHD and getting distressed over a traumatic topic before all the facts are conveyed can be seen as catastrophizing are two examples of reactions or automatic responses that can find us in trouble with people. I can recall my mother once over reacting when my father arrived home and said “now don’t take this to heart…” – that was enough for her to yell “oh no” and start welling up in the eyes. She assumed he’d lost his job. He finished “I hit the curb with the car, we need a new tyre”. Clearly there was no easy way of breaking any news to her.eg if he said “come and look at the car” she would have thought it was a right off… and so on. Whereas, had she taken a breath and waited 3 seconds the rest of his statement would have finished and she would have realized it wasn’t the end of the world. Easy to say hard to do however. Being an individual includes not being within the boundaries of what is considered “normal” interaction. Mental illness or not, we are ourselves and if that means saying the wrong thing a quick apology should always suffice. If not hold your head up high and accept that the receiver is not being receptive to that individual- the amazing and wonderful- YOU.

Croix Store Your Happy Memories Here:
  • replies: 1003

Dear All~ What this place is for: This thread is a tool, a resource, and also I guess a dash of entertainment. I’ve found that when life is grim that sometimes thoughts of past happiness can create a chink of light in the grey overwhelming press of d... View more

Dear All~ What this place is for: This thread is a tool, a resource, and also I guess a dash of entertainment. I’ve found that when life is grim that sometimes thoughts of past happiness can create a chink of light in the grey overwhelming press of down. They can help occupy the mind with lighter reflections. With that in view I invite people to set down a brief passage describing some happy event they look back to with fondness and peace. They - and others too - can then return to it when they feel the need to glean a little warmth. It is not a place for gloomy or dire tales, those can go elsewhere. What to do: Just set out, as simply as you like, your recollection of some past experience that means something good to you, something you enjoyed, something from safe times. It can be, like my story below, anything – from an account of visiting grandparents to simply cooking and eating a melted-cheese sandwich in a favorite kitchen – you get to choose. How to do it: Write. Write enough so someone else can feel the mood, know what happened, find the goodness. (stop at 2,500 characters please!) Grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation are not compulsory, just write as you can – the only important thing is the content - not literary merit. Short or long - it does not matter. I hope you enjoy, contribute and find a little distraction here when you need it. Croix

RandR WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FINALLY FEEL HAPPY & ALMOST EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS GOING WELL
  • replies: 8

Hi fellow forum members, I hope you all well. It's been some time since my last post due to some bad news regarding my mum however life must continue and go on. And she would say the same. Since overcoming depression (which I had for 12 years) I fina... View more

Hi fellow forum members, I hope you all well. It's been some time since my last post due to some bad news regarding my mum however life must continue and go on. And she would say the same. Since overcoming depression (which I had for 12 years) I finally for the first time feel like almost everything in life is on track. I feel happy, not worried, not depressed and not questioning. Yes, all the opposites to when I suffered major depression. Due to this I thought I would shed some of my feelings and thoughts around 'what to do when you finally feel happy & almost everything in life is going well'; * Don't worry and overthink - simply smile and remind yourself that you are deserving of this feeling * Rather than questioning all the good in your life, embrace it. * Ride the wave - stay on your feet even when you start to feel shakey * Reach out - Be the strength to other's who might be in need * Forget all the 'what if's that pop up in your head'! If things are going well it's for a reason * Write down in a journal changes you've made or some things you do on a weekly basis and SHARE with other's on gthe Beyond Blue forum * Lastly - remind yourself how strong you really, really are and that tough times don't last but tough people do Many thanks and I hope this may be of some help and that hopefully some of you may be able to relate to this feeling. Raman.

blondguy 'Smart Watches' and Sleep Monitoring..Does it work For YOU!
  • replies: 7

Hey Hey Everyone! I heard a excellent discussion (with a psychologist) on 3AW re the benefits/negatives of having a 'Smart Watch' track the quality of our sleep. I can see the technical benefits of sleep tracking yet just asking for your opinions if ... View more

Hey Hey Everyone! I heard a excellent discussion (with a psychologist) on 3AW re the benefits/negatives of having a 'Smart Watch' track the quality of our sleep. I can see the technical benefits of sleep tracking yet just asking for your opinions if you find this 'sleep quality tracker helpful? Just for myself I know that doing heavy duty gardening/landscaping always make me sleep so well! I have a Garmin Epix 2 Sapphire and a Samsung 5 Pro watch...yet I dont see the point of tracking sleep quality. Your assistance, experience and advice are very welcome my kindest always Paul

splinter Overpowering negative emotions
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I recently turned 18, I graduated high school at the end of 2024, I've started uni, met new people and my life from an outside perspective is going so well. However, lately I have felt so so low and unlike myself that it is starting to w... View more

Hi everyone, I recently turned 18, I graduated high school at the end of 2024, I've started uni, met new people and my life from an outside perspective is going so well. However, lately I have felt so so low and unlike myself that it is starting to worry me. I work really hard to be a positive person and I'm pretty sure everyone in my life can say I am optimistic and take each day head strong and with an open mind. Which is why lately I've found it extra difficult to be going through a rough patch at the monent. I am having significant troubles sleeping and I've been focusing on areas of my health to hopefully improve this issue, it has really affected my mood but other than this nothing seems to be going wrong. I feel I have no support when I am going through a hard time, despite me always being there for them when everyone else is. It also seems like when I'm down, everyone else flourishes- which I know is just my mind sabotaging me but it adds a lot of pressure for me to get back to my cheery self. I'm honestly exhausted and trying everything I can. I hate reaching out for help and talking about myself, but I was just hoping for some guidance here and I just really miss myself x

Thelongestroad Energy levels and sleep
  • replies: 2

Does anyone have any experiences with feeling so low on energy that it almost feels like you’re temporarily paralysed to get up? Sometimes I feel scared of not waking up on time and I’ve seen a doctor about it but to no avail have I had any changes

Does anyone have any experiences with feeling so low on energy that it almost feels like you’re temporarily paralysed to get up? Sometimes I feel scared of not waking up on time and I’ve seen a doctor about it but to no avail have I had any changes

1_at_Peace Hi and asking how to receive support at work
  • replies: 15

Hi all, I've just joined and would like to know if any members have received effective support for their depression and/or anxiety at work - particularly in public service? I've been isolated and despite requesting training and support, I haven't rec... View more

Hi all, I've just joined and would like to know if any members have received effective support for their depression and/or anxiety at work - particularly in public service? I've been isolated and despite requesting training and support, I haven't received any while others were offered so much training & support. I complained which made things worse, caused aggravation of my mental health and untrue accusations about my performance. I don't feel I can apply for other jobs as I'm unlikely to get positive references from my supervisors. I've also lost so much confidence. I've been bullied like this before also. Instead of them agreeing to adjustments recommended by my practitioners, I was directed to stop working after I was assessed as unfit for duty by a psych they engaged. I have to wait until late March for an independent psych to assess my fitness to return to work So I've had to use up all my paid leave. This has caused me financial stress also. Having some time off was good but not 2.5 months! All I asked for was to have equitable support and training. There's much literature at work that suggest employers will support people with mental health but it hasn't ever been my experience. I've looked into legalities - I'm told it's too hard and expensive to make a successful case. So if there are any ideas for support, who I can turn to etc, I 'd be most grateful. Many thanks for taking the time to read my post.

bfic12 Socially awkward
  • replies: 5

Does anyone know of a dating website or app specifically for socially awkward people? I feel like there would be so many people out there that would benefit from this. I feel like i cant be the only person thinking this, there must be other socially ... View more

Does anyone know of a dating website or app specifically for socially awkward people? I feel like there would be so many people out there that would benefit from this. I feel like i cant be the only person thinking this, there must be other socially awkward people out there wanting to connect with someone. How do i find these people?

Linz Workplace Injury
  • replies: 1

Hi My name is Lindsay and I am a male Reg Nurse who was working in a geriatric dementia ward at my local hospital, In 2023 I was injured while working with a patient that resulted in surgery and I will never have full use of my arm in the future. I a... View more

Hi My name is Lindsay and I am a male Reg Nurse who was working in a geriatric dementia ward at my local hospital, In 2023 I was injured while working with a patient that resulted in surgery and I will never have full use of my arm in the future. I am now going thru workers compensation claim that I find difficult and confusing. On top of this I struggle at times with the sense of loss because I have not worked for sometime. Dementia patients can be a lot of fun to look after but they can also be very violent at times more than the public realise. I have experienced a fair bit of both. There is little support when you are injured and mentally and emotionally along with pain and the realization that you cannot do what you used to do. I also suffer from rheumatoid and osteo Arthritis and as I get older it gets more difficult. My question is are there support out thee of other nurses going thru the same sort of issues. all these things put strain on my family with My wife having to do things I used to do, hobbies I now find difficult to do, I am still recovering from the surgery and this will take time.I find it very hard to find people who understand, I am 64 years old and not that good with tech stuff but willing to learn. Just reaching out to see what's out there. Lindsay