Welcome and Orientation

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Meet your community champions!

replies: 10

Hi everyone, We wanted to share with you the way that our wonderful Community Champions are here to support you. You may have noticed that a few of our Forums members are labelled ‘Community Champion’. Community Champions are volunteers within the Beyond Blue Forums who: have the time, skills and empathy to support other members regularly; help to welcome new members; are actively engaged members that help set the tone of our community. Our Community Champions are regular contributors to many conversations across the forums. They are a consistent and friendly voice that have committed to sharing their experience and expertise with this community. They are not health care professionals or clinicians. Like you, they have an experience with a mental health challenge or diagnosis – either for themselves or someone they care for. This forum is for people who understand what it feels like and have a lived and living experience of mental health challenges. Our Community Champions help everyone feel comfortable and confident by demonstrating what excellent peer support is all about. Click here to find out more about how you can become a Community Champion! This incredible team are excited to introduce themselves below, and we are sure you’ll see them around the forums in conversations important to you.

HELP..Am I posting in the right section?

replies: 10

Welcome to those who are considering posting for the very first time, welcome. Thought I would repost part of the words that Chris B posted awhile ago, (2014) as I can hear that people are unsure if they are posting in the right section or worried that they are posting "the wrong thing". 1.A good title makes the difference Just like a headline in a newspaper, when scanning the dozens of threads to click into, it’s only natural that people will choose the ones that resonate with them most. A title that entices the reader, or asks a question, is likely to get a better result than something non-descriptive like “Depression” or “I don't know what to do”. If you think you’re not good at choosing titles, leave it till last. Spend time writing your post, then perhaps choose a sentence from what you’ve written as the title. 2.Join in threads that have already been posted We all have our own unique stories, but part of the reason for joining a forum like this one is because you know that you will have a lot in common with others who are posting. Before starting a new thread, have a look through the current topics being discussed and see if there’s a conversation you can join in with. It can be quite common to have a handful of very similar threads happening at any one time, with members seemingly unaware that there are others right there who are going through the same thing. Talking to other members on their threads is a great way of getting yourself known so that when you post a thread of your own, people may respond quicker because they recognize your name. 3.Choose the most appropriate section for your post Many people browse the forums looking for stories specifically to do with pregnancy and parenting, employment, grief, loss, separation etc. Going straight for the “Depression” section may seem like the easiest option, but this section is often the busiest, so your post is more likely to get lost among the threads. Making good use of the different forum sections not only helps keep the forum relevant, but you’re more likely to find others who are going through the same experiences as you. Also, if you're wanting to discuss issues of trauma, abuse, suicidal thoughts or self-harm, it's really important you post in the designated section to avoid triggering others who may not wish to read about these topics. Mostly..just come and chat, we are here for you. Our amazing wizards in the background will see your message ends up in the right spot. Sarah

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How do I give myself a kick in the butt, and get motivated

replies: 1

So, this is my first time ever posting in a forum.... Lets see how it goes. I'm a 44 year old mother of 2 - I live on a small farm in rural NSW and have a great life, I really that I don't have any reason for continually feeling "down, tired, zero motivation" Usually I can give myself a little talking to and get myself up an going - but this only last for a while, and then we are back to where I am now. I just want to stay on the positive/happy trail, and get off the merry-go-round that i have been stuck on for many years. I would just like to talk to someone (who doesn't charge a fortune) who isn't local (small town issues of privacy) and who has practical "common sense". Maybe writing in this forum, someone will reply who I can connect with and that will be the start of something new .....

New here, introducing myself

replies: 3

Hey everyone, I'm new here and thought I would introduce myself and talk a little about my experiences. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and complex trauma 3 years ago. I was hospitalised last year and ever since coming out and adjusting my medications to the right dosage, making lifestyle changes such as exercise, yoga, meditation and journaling I have been doing well mostly. I love talking to people about wellbeing and encouraging others to try healthy habits because they have changed my life. I wanted to join this community to meet other people and talk about mental health because I don't really know anyone else who is opening struggling and it would be nice to gain some other perspectives. I've had a difficult past few weeks with some of my symptoms coming back such as low mood, loss of interest in activities I usually enjoy and paranoia and I wanted to know how other people deal with this when it occurs? Some things that I have found helpful in the past for managing these feelings have been meditation and yoga, even if I don't feel like it I still make an effort because I know it will help.

Introduction

replies: 4

Hey guys I'm Jess. I'm 32 and from Melbourne Vic. I'm feeling really stuck at the moment in life. Like I'm trying to dig my way out of quick sand, but the more o dig, the deeper I get. I can't seem to get out. I'm depressed. I'm always tired. I don't... View more

Brave enough to try

replies: 1

Sitting here with my fur baby I'm feeling so overwhelmed by my thoughts my life my work my isolation my lack of motivation...When will I reach a brighter place.Where I want to be where I want to enjoy where I want to participate

Hey

replies: 2

Hey I am David I am 40 and have anxiety that is quite severe, I have agoraphobia and social phobia. Lately I haven't been doing so well with things and that lead me to coming here as I thought connecting with a community would be healthy for me.

Share your story!

replies: 0

Hello lovely Beyond Blue Forums Community! You may not know - but Beyond Blue is an independent, not-for-profit organisation supported by the Federal Government and every State and Territory Government in Australia. We know that we have a wealth of wisdom and lived experience here on the Forums and we would be honoured to showcase some of these real-life stories to our funders. How can I get involved? To get involved, please message us at modsupport@beyondblue.org.au before 1 December 2023, including: Your name (or a pseudonym) Your location A short description of how Beyond Blue Forums have support you For more information on how we collect, hold and use your information, please see our privacy policy Thank you so much! See you around the Forums

Making Friends After Mental Health

replies: 4

I had a serious and unfortunately very public mental health crisis. As a result I've lost all of my friends due to my weird behaviour when suffering from psychosis. 3 years later I'm thankfully much better mentally and have managed to continue working in my profession as an engineer. My social life however is awful. Due to the industry that I work in, it's widely known that I went through a crisis, and making meaningful friendships at work is impossible. I'm not a sporty person (no energy for it) but I do like to socialise...despite having social anxiety. I've tried joining groups but never seem to meet people that I click with who are also keen to make friends (most go out to hook up it seems) I'm terribly lonely, with no support network on this side of the world apart from my psychiatrist. Despite going through a serious mental health crisis I would consider myself relatively back to normal - Although prone to deppresive phases - usually entered around my existential lonliness. I'm based in Perth Australia and would love some advice as to how to go about building a social circle, that doesn't require joining a sports club or volunteer work?

Claiming Our Voice (... or at least trying to)

replies: 5

Right now, we observe somatic sensations of a brick wall being laid in our throat, and our lips being stuck together with super glue. We're breathing deeply and exhaling with a whispered "pahh!!" - something we learned from Yoga With Adriene. To this day, speaking feels unnatural, not allowed. We're trying to change that. Parts of us have memories of doing the mental gymnastics to keep quiet - the "I am being abused" "I am being traumatised by said abuse" "I am experiencing flashbacks and other trauma responses" "Oh, mum doesn't like that" "I am completely fine and safe and healthy and nothing at all is wrong" - in freaking toddlerhood. Adorable pudgy little toddler body with tiny baby teeth smile, and we were already learning to keep it hidden. By preschool and kindergarten years, with our second and third lots of sexual abuse, all by different perpetrators, we were becoming fluent in the art of dissociation. Right now, we're noticing the walls swirling, hot heaviness in our chest and forehead, prickling skin as our vision fades in and out. Our cues to come back to the present and lock up that box. But, this time, we don't want to never return to it, or tear these words to shreds (a bonus for being a forum) - we're hoping we'll come back to this, and keep talking. Claim our voice as our own, and use it. Collectively, we go by Mae. We're neurodivergent, multiple independent persons (and some non-humans) sharing this singular vessel. We're hurting, and trying our best to create the kind of life that we always deserved but could never dream of experiencing until three years ago. We'd love to get to know all of you, and hope that, bravely, we can share ourselves.

I am new to the Forums

replies: 2

I am new to the, let me say forum scene, which I think is a good place to start from for some people I have red some posts and have ideas to share with people with depression as I live with bipolar disorder with metabolic depression. In other words i have times of manic "highs" , where i feel like I've got lots of energy and cant sleep, which some people may think that its a good thing, but not for me. After coming out of a "high" I then end up on a manic "low" where I feel depressed, and cry a lot but not this time so I can relate to a lot of you guys and girls, especially when talking about depression. I want to reach out to you but don't know how to reply to your posts can anyone help me with this issue please.

Newbie

replies: 12

Hi everyone, I have just joined this forum. I have regular bouts of severe and obsessional anxiety and also less frequent bouts of depression. I'm in my mid-forties now and have had some sort of these symptoms since I was in my early teens. I had been using substances to numb symptoms (and also emotions) for several decades, but I am happy to say that I recently successfully completed a 13 day residential/medical detox and have now been home for a week and have not used this substance at all The anxiety is felt so physically, it can be very paralysing. It is often not related to particular thoughts or concerns, seems to just take over my body and then the brain follows trying to pinpoint the cause, but this almost never calms the physical symptoms. I have seen many psychologists and psychiatrists over the decades, but nothing has gotten to the root cause of the very uncomfortable symptoms. Doing breathing exercises, actual exercise, taking a bath, trying to relax have not been successful. Hopefully I can pick up some tips or suggestions from these forums. Thanks for reading and all the best P.S. I would also like to help others in the forums if I can.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

HELP..Am I posting in the right section? replies: 10

How do I give myself a kick in the butt, and get motivated replies: 1

New here, introducing myself replies: 3

Introduction replies: 4

Brave enough to try replies: 1

Hey replies: 2

Share your story! replies: 0

Making Friends After Mental Health replies: 4

Claiming Our Voice (... or at least trying to) replies: 5

I am new to the Forums replies: 2

Newbie replies: 12