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BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

romantic_thi3f Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies
  • replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are i... View more

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

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Orion1995 Newbie! Anxiety and relationship issues. Needs to change
  • replies: 7

Hello everyone! Orion1995 is the name and I'm here to improve my mental well being. ​Im 22 and recently finished my apprenticeship. I'm planning on moving to a bigger city to study engineering. Over the last two years or so I have found myself becomi... View more

Hello everyone! Orion1995 is the name and I'm here to improve my mental well being. ​Im 22 and recently finished my apprenticeship. I'm planning on moving to a bigger city to study engineering. Over the last two years or so I have found myself becoming more anxious about every aspect of my life. I have reached the point where I believe I may be having anxiety attacks. At the same time I have met someone special and it's affecting my relationship with her. I can be a very codependent person and I tend to get horrible ideas floating around in my head that things will end because of xyz. I also tend to get very involved early on in a relationship. It's all really taking a toll on me emotionally and I want to get some help to learn how to manage it all. I know very little about mental health and even less about these forums so if anyone has any advice on what I should do and where I should go to effectively utilise this forum I would really appreciate it. ​Thanks everyone in advance. Any advice is greatly appreciated

CatPxl Health Anxiety? Needing time off work
  • replies: 2

Hi All, The particular problem that's getting to me at the moment is asking for time off and seeing a doctor to get the time off. Nearly a year ago I started a new position at a new company to help a friend out. I took a huge pay cut so even from the... View more

Hi All, The particular problem that's getting to me at the moment is asking for time off and seeing a doctor to get the time off. Nearly a year ago I started a new position at a new company to help a friend out. I took a huge pay cut so even from the beginning it was effecting my life financially. I'm not a materialistic person but I hate to not even have $1 left in my account at the end of some weeks if I need it. Coming into the job was already a big task, there was years of work built up that needed to be fixed and completed and that was my job but on top of that I had to continue to fill the requirements of the position while handling the backlog of work single-handedly in a job suited to at least three people. I had just started to go into recovery for an eating disorder right before I started the job and I was getting to a point where I could manage my depression and anxiety well without help or medication. When the deadlines started coming in harder at the start of this year it was ok to manage at first, but I was drowning in a sea of paperwork and I was going down quickly. Now I'm stuck. I can hardly remember the past few months. I've been trying to leave on time and forget about work when I go home but it's getting so bad that I can't stop thinking about it all. I've been getting sick every few weeks but every time I go to take sick leave a new deadline appears and I can't bring myself to take leave while there's no one to pick up the work when I'm gone. I've just finished the most recent deadline but now I can't bring myself to go to the doctor. I've been struggling with mental health since quite a young age and I got very good at hiding it. I never wanted to get professional help for my problems because I know I can win the battle myself. But lately I can't see clearly, I can't order food, I can't answer the phone, I can't even sit still even though I can't sleep and I'm exhausted. I've thought about taking my partner to the doctor with me so I don't feel as anxious about talking about everything out loud but they work too late and no doctors are open in our city then. The thought of calling in sick makes me so dizzy that I can hardly even try to think of a plan to go to the doctor because I know I'll have to pick up the phone afterwards. Does anyone else have anxiety about seeking medical help or calling in sick to work? How have you gotten over the hurdle?

Boogs My Head
  • replies: 3

My head just feels like its constantly trying to explode It feels endless It feels like Its dying And I’m trying so hard to fight and I’m trying so hard too stay awake That the fight is killing me Eating me from the inside out Turning me black Turnin... View more

My head just feels like its constantly trying to explode It feels endless It feels like Its dying And I’m trying so hard to fight and I’m trying so hard too stay awake That the fight is killing me Eating me from the inside out Turning me black Turning me cold Making me think and feel things of defiance and resentment I don’t know why its there I don’t know how to get rid of it It’s like a black cloud Trying to fog my view of what I want and I can’t see what it is or even how to get it I can’t even see the light at the end if the tunnel I’m locked out… With me I am paper and water Push even the lightest Even unintentionally I drop I fall I drown I hit the bottom and half the time I don’t even know why. I have thought about going to see someone bout it But if I can’t even trust the people I have around me, the people that I should trust If I cant do that how can I or anyone expect me to trust someone trust How can I tell my life to someone I don’t know

Artastic55 Recommendations for what I should do about my mental health state
  • replies: 6

Hello, I came and made a thread because it looked successful so I'd like some help and recommendations in which someone will hopefully give. Ill start off with the basics. I've been really depressed for about 4-6 years, it started in my early for me ... View more

Hello, I came and made a thread because it looked successful so I'd like some help and recommendations in which someone will hopefully give. Ill start off with the basics. I've been really depressed for about 4-6 years, it started in my early for me and it's lead up to now, where I have concerning thoughts which I've been dealing with and have reached for support. Psychologists no longer work and all I really feel is frequent sadness or sudden happiness and crazy bubbly activity, all affected by certain events such as going from one boring place where I felt awful, to a friend where I become crazy. Ive been taking medication for ADD, which I was diagnosed with around a year ago, along with another antipsychotic medication to help with paranoid thoughts These paranoid thoughts were things like "They're watching me through the window", "Am I saying my thoughts aloud or can they hear them?", "They think *such and such* about me" and sometimes I have full conversations with myself as if I was another person that I know. These paranoid thoughts have lessened, along with being depressed with my new medication which is good, but it really brings out another awful thing which is my anger towards the majority of things. I get so angry so quickly that I've gotten to the point of almost hurting other people badly; I actually have to think about not hurting them. It's concerning that my mind goes into wanting to murder people for small inconveniences. To my last point, I have this horrible thing where very faint images pop up when I blink of me hurting people, in many ways and sometimes my mind just goes and thinks about hurting others for no true reason, or I just don't like them whatsoever. Apparently it's not normal. Sorry about the length if someone read it, but that's stuff I can't bring up with my psychiatrist because I'm not too sure about saying anything for so reason. What do you think about this situation and what can you recommend for anger outburst, mood swings, paranoia and ect. Have a lovely day.

louisaoooo Not sure what is wrong with me at the moment
  • replies: 2

I am a 15 year old and for the past few months I have been feeling strange and feeling different to how I ever used to but I can not find an answer as to why. I have had general anxiety disorder and panic disorder for as long as I can remember and I ... View more

I am a 15 year old and for the past few months I have been feeling strange and feeling different to how I ever used to but I can not find an answer as to why. I have had general anxiety disorder and panic disorder for as long as I can remember and I got treatment for it and things were finally starting to get better. Now I am having a lot of trouble controlling my emotions and I am having mood swings daily from feeling fine to feeling sad or angry or even just tired. I find myself getting angry or upset over things that aren't worth being angry or sad over. I never act upon my anger although I definitely feel like it, I just internalize it. I have a very short temper and I have never had good relationships because of my anxiety. I find myself opening up to people and they leave, I can be clingy sometimes only because I want them to understand me and not leave me. I open up to people then feel stupid and like a burden afterwards. I always get upset if I am not appreciated or recognized for something when it shouldn't really matter and I find myself becoming even more clingy and losing my temper. I am really not sure as to why I am feeling or acting this way and I am to afraid to talk to anyone about it because they will think I am attention seeking or making it up. I feel like nobody I talk to will understand.

Firebrand Not sure where i'm at mentally...
  • replies: 4

and if you thought that title was kinda weak-sauce then don't worry-it was on purpose. I 'feel' a strong sense of emptiness in my life as a 17 yr old and i've decided that i'm growing tired of the comfortable malaise i find myself stewing in. i make ... View more

and if you thought that title was kinda weak-sauce then don't worry-it was on purpose. I 'feel' a strong sense of emptiness in my life as a 17 yr old and i've decided that i'm growing tired of the comfortable malaise i find myself stewing in. i make this post after having to put up with 3 years of my 'numb' mental state and about 6 months of playing at child counselor after my maternal mother and step-dad broke up due to a lack of mutual social and emotional development between the two,(or that's my impression of it anyway,) as well a failed relationship with my paternal father which i'm told by my counselor should be more of a concern to me than i make it out to be. So in regards to how i am,despite my comfortable middle-class life and healthy social life i find that nothing fazes me. nothing chages' the way i think or feel. even when i doled out harsh counsel to my step-dad,who was brought to tears by my words,or when i have to play emotional dumpster when mum decides to unload on me,or when i'm by myself ruminating on my existence as a collection of thoughts and experiences i still cant manage to drudge up a strongly emotional response. not even when friends try to drag it outta me. my general emotional range,if i were to sum it up, could be described with the expression, "who cares?" That's not to say i don't care about anything. i'm pretty sure i still have that part of me in active use - rather, what i mean is, that expression,"who cares," springs up whenever i shoot towards a high or a low diffusing whatever emotion decided to try for center stage,painting everything a bland grey in its' wake. Now,i said i have a healthy social-life,but it would be more accurate to say "had." that is to say, as of one-and-a-half years ago i stopped bothering with socializing and i quit on having aspirations along with it,which even for me,was a bitter pill.I don't post this in the expectation that i will receive the kind of answer that will rock me to the core,or indeed even get the kind of answer i haven't already heard. i put these words out there in a half-hearted attempt to reach out to like minded individuals. people who keep even themselves at arms length,and have no idea how to gain that distance back. but most of all,i send these words out on a child-like whim. at half-past-one in the middle of the night i chose to shout into the dark on the slim hope that i'll get a response that changes my world view,or gives me a new perspective. sincerely, Firebrand

dan63841 My New Reality
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I've recently been diagnosed with severe depression and severe anxiety, I've always know something was wrong for my whole life but now that I've got a diagnosis, I can't help but think tha... View more

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I've recently been diagnosed with severe depression and severe anxiety, I've always know something was wrong for my whole life but now that I've got a diagnosis, I can't help but think that this defines me now, that I've got this label of "mentally ill". Exactly a week ago, a lot happened, my girlfriend and I broke up, and the relationship was so special and we promised we wouldn't leave each other, but my depressed tone everytime we talked made us both drained. When we broke up, it put all these thoughts in my head, "I'm alone again, I hate it I've been dealing with everything on my own my entire life", I told my parents this. They didn't know what I meant, and this brought out my biggest secret, I was bullied and treated like a freak my entire life, I just never told anyone. They only knew about the last year, but not the last 15. This is what caused my depression and anxiety, not telling anyone about my struggles for my whole life, and it all got too much. I just don't know what to do, my new reality is so scary and I'm confused on how to cope

LaraW Thrown out of my comfort zone.
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, my names Lara. I'm 21 years old, and in my final year of a Bachelor of Arts (Film Studies/Literature) at Deakin Uni. I'm graduating in February next year and I'm just going to be totally honest: I.am.terrified. It feels so scary to transiti... View more

Hey guys, my names Lara. I'm 21 years old, and in my final year of a Bachelor of Arts (Film Studies/Literature) at Deakin Uni. I'm graduating in February next year and I'm just going to be totally honest: I.am.terrified. It feels so scary to transition into full time employment, after 15 years of education. I'm currently living in Melbourne in a share house with my best friends which is totally awesome, But I'm scared that when I finish my degree i'll have to move back home for financial reasons (I've been unemployed for 2 years now and the film/tv industry is super competitive here). I've been actively job seeking, and volunteered at many festivals, conferences, non government organisations and charities, as well as several clubs on campus and I'm slowly gaining experience in TV production, and short filmmaking. I also have previous experience in the hospitality industry (2.5yrs) back home, however i've struggled to find paid work since moving down to the city. I've also struggled a lot with stress, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder, while studying at uni, and as a result i've lost a lot of self confidence and self esteem. I'm slowly learning to prioritise self care, eat healthy and exercise and practice mindfulness with the help of a psychologist but I'm nervous of all the new and scary changes coming up and the lack of structure i'll experience once uni finishes. I'm also really scared about what will happen if i do go home cause home really isn't the most ideal environment. I endured through abuse for eight years as a teen living at home, and going home carries a lot of emotional trauma for me and it feels like a bit of a scary place due to really rough family circumstances, which i don't really feel comfortable talking about right now. So in a lot of ways, it feels like i'm stuck in a rut. I want to find a job but I've been unemployed for so long that i'm scared i'll struggle to pick up work again and won't be able to afford to live in the city, but i also don't want to move back home because its pretty rough at home right now. Anyway, I guess i'm just trying to stay strong and focus on the everyday. Playing music and taking dance and yoga classes has helped me immensely, but i just don't understand why I'm so afraid of the future, and relentlessly wanting to seek control of the future, despite all the uncertainty which i know my graduation will bring. Does anyone on here have any effective tips for coping with change? Thanks!

what_why Can anybody help me understand?
  • replies: 7

I just don't know whether I am just a spoilt brat or if there is something seriously wrong with me. I feel bad just writing this (it really makes me cringe) because I know people (personally and out there in the world) that have it way worse than me ... View more

I just don't know whether I am just a spoilt brat or if there is something seriously wrong with me. I feel bad just writing this (it really makes me cringe) because I know people (personally and out there in the world) that have it way worse than me and by all accounts...happy and sociable. But here I am at 2:30 am creating an account on this website out of pure impulse to blab to a bunch of strangers about "what's wrong with me". My life at the moment is somewhat perfect, my dad (an alcoholic and diagnosed with GAD) has been sober for nearly 7 months now and even when things got bad he never hurt me in anyway other than betraying my trust by drinking, in fact both my parents never ceased to express care for me and my siblings, the whole family seems completely happy and to quote them "the house is starting to seem bright again". But for some reason I keep thinking about the worst nights and the chaos that occurred. I have friends who, if I am being honest, maybe use me as the butt of the joke a little too much, however I can assure you they have proved that when push comes to shove they have my back. Still even then I can't help but feel they couldn't care less and that they will leave me or they are talking behind my back about what mopey, coward I am or something like that. All of these things only come out when I drink (how original right) and my most recent escapade had me throwing up and crying over god knows what to a few of them effectively ruining their night which, although they won't admit it, I did. I think the thing that most describes what I am paranoid about is explained by something I heard in the show 'Mad Men'. That is Leonards dream about being in a refrigerator, hearing everyone outside. Then the fridge opens and they smile and are happy to see him, but they might not look at him, and they might not pick him, then the door closes and the light goes off. As you can see I have given this a lot of though over something like 6 months... I just want somebody to tell me whether I am being a whiny pain in the ass or if there might be something wrong with me. I have done this before and I always get told that this is normal and it should pass, but this feeling still isn't gone. I may not even look at this thread again out of embarrassment or I may just do so for the same reason, either way just tell it to me straight because if its something bad I probably need to hear it...

Batgrl96 Partner on holiday
  • replies: 9

Hi all I am struggling lately as my partner has left to go on holiday for 9 days but it seems almost unbearable to be away from him for so long. I already have pre-existing anxiety and understand that my fears are irrational however I am still unable... View more

Hi all I am struggling lately as my partner has left to go on holiday for 9 days but it seems almost unbearable to be away from him for so long. I already have pre-existing anxiety and understand that my fears are irrational however I am still unable to deal with him being gone. I am trying the distraction technique and have taught my self how to knit but seems to not be helping very much. Any help is much appreciated.