Young people

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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 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!

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first

replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

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School said i'm getting 0 if i don't complete HSC trials

replies: 10

Hi everyone, I'm a year 12 student from NSW whose in the middle of her HSC trials. I'm not sure how much background information i should add (this is my first post) but here's a brief rundown: - Struggling with depression + anxiety since year 8. Also diagnosed with ADHD - My school has been aware of it since year 9/10 as i regularly see the school counsellor - Currently seeing a psychiatrist and am on medication for ADHD. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be helping, however she wants me to try it for a little longer. Not on anything else right now as she said it would be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the medication if i don't take it in isolation - Have started seeing a new psychologist. Only one session so far so i can't really comment on effectiveness. My last psychologist was with CMHS but she just wasn't a right fit, both agreed i wasn't making any progress. Unfortunately this is a tricky period to star afresh with a new psychologist who doesn't know me well. - Was on additional medication last year. It didn't seem to help - Took an overdose last year near Christmas time (hence CMHS) - Currently not suicidal, not self (although i struggle with dermatillomania) Okay, so here's my issue. I have missed 5 of my trial HSC exams, these exams are worth 30%-40% of my school mark. My school is aware of my mental health history and has helped me reschedule and space out exams to lessen the stress. However i'm finding in really overwhelming and difficult to cope and consequently missed my rescheduled dates. 2 days ago they brought in my parents and told me that i would have to either do HSC over 2 years of i would have to complete all 5 exams as well as my major work by the end of next week. I decided against pathways (2 years) for several reasons, including the fact that the HSC syllabus is changing next year, i want to just get HSC over with rather than stretching it out, not keen on going to TAFE and finishing my HSC there and the fact that up until now, my grades have been quite good. I'm almost certain i won't change my mind regarding pathways, but it leaves me in a difficult position, with 5 consecutive exams and my history ex major work due all my next friday. This is an absolutely insane amount of work. My school says i must have it all complete by the end of next week or else i will be getting 0. I don't know what to do, it doesn't seem negotiable as my school was quite firm even knowing my situation. It honestly seems incredibly unfair to me.

Feel empty, struggling with purpose/goals

replies: 4

Hello, I just finished my third degree last year and have been looking for work for a while. Other than that I am trying to do things I am interested in, but I find myself questioning the point of doing things I enjoyed doing before and often can't find the motivation. When I think of the reasons to do something (e.g. earn money, help others, make others happy, impress others or for enjoyment) none of them interest me and I don't know what will make me happy in the long term. As a result, nothing interests me and I spend a lot of time playing games and watching movies to escape the mundanity and I feel guilty that I'm wasting time. I have been looking for work for a while but I don't know what I want to do and have never really known. When recruitment agencies ask me that question (and annoy the hell out of me), I reply with "Anything I can do" or "anything that matches my resume skills." My mother sometimes yells at me frustrated that I don't know what I want. I did a bit of paid and volunteer work last year at a school but have been unable to do that this year due to new COVID restrictions, but I am currently doing a bit of volunteer work on weekends as an accompanist. I studied an Arts degree and an education certificate mostly because I felt pressured by my parents and didn't know anything else I wanted to study. Before that I studied Music because I enjoyed performing and composing, but now I often don't enjoy it and ask myself what's the point. I guess I worked really hard to finish my degrees and feel it has been a waste of time and effort because I can't find work that uses them, and I am afraid of making another fruitless investment of my time and energy. I also had a very stressful experience during work experience in 2019 that a counsellor I saw described as "traumatic" and that I might still be recovering from. One night a week I have dinner with friends from school and once a week I do a morning walk with a local group but usually I can't have meaningful conversations with them because I can't think of things to say and end up just listening and feeling left out. I talk to friends on Facebook but mostly small talk and the conversations don't last long because I don't know what to say to keep them going. These friends are either interstate/overseas or are busy. I have tried joining Meetup groups but feel I can't connect with anyone because I rarely have anything to say, so often lonely. Can anyone relate or give any advice? Thanks.

Got no idea anymore

replies: 1

Hey guys haven’t been back in a long time but currently 22 years old finished first degree had a job all be it an internship ready to go then covid hit, graduated 3 months later without much to show for it and due to the fact that the economic ramifications are still affecting my industry I’ve decided to be proactive and get another degree in accounting whilst gaining a few credits from previous study. in saying that I am so lost, I basically did the degrees because that’s what was expected of me and my family who is in the industry have really been unhelpful whilst me attempting to find work experience is not a position I can be put in due to my job being financially secure and having to split my wage to give to struggling family members. this has put me in a rut as I am very far off financially where I could be and have missed out on heck of a lot of opportunities because family is so reliant on me to pay for daily grocery expenses etc which hard for me to deal with right now. not even sure what I want to do with life either I know I have a very analytical mind and I do enjoy studying however my thoughts have drifted to mute physical jobs ie trades but even then at my age is almost impossible to start and be successful even if I do pre app subjects. any guidance would be heavily heavily appreciated in what I should be doing

Autism and the Internet never mix

replies: 11

I have no problem with having Autism, I always say If there was ever a cure for Autism, I would not even consider it! It would change me too much, I am happy who I am. I am happy having Autism. Expect, when you are on the Internet. It all started on September 14th, 2016 when I was only 10. That was when the cyber bullying started. It has never stopped since, It is one of my biggest regrets joining ROBLOX. It started with the occasional troll that would say some mean stuff, but as I was 10, I could not handle it! But I made it. But that changed when I joined a communist military group on ROBLOX called the Imperial Robloxian Federation. I joined so I could play other roles in another game I played called Papers Please. There was some who we will call Doctor Henry, who was abnormal of bullying, and would abuse his power on me. It made me loss lots of confidence, and I joined and left multiple times within 2017. It became more serious when I joined Discord in December 2017. Where there was more severe cyber bullying to the point that I have never seen! Then it ended on the first week of March 2018 when I had my own fan club. With immense pressure I was forced to create a NSFW section. No big deal, they just put in some non christian stuff there like swearing, no big deal. That is what I thought. I did know it was for over 18's, so I tried for other people to take care of it, which they did not. I also had to test it. I thought that Hentai was just for swearing, not for porn with animation! I did not know that it was porn. I was shocked for life what I saw. I had to deal with that for a week, and my parents kicked me out. This same thing happened every few months on British Zulu Army, Stepford County Railway, Australia by Tony, and more! This just kept repeating itself, and it has never stopped. Now they know my last name, my old school, and almost everything except my address. Now for people who say Why did you not do anything about it?. At the beginning, I did not know how to report on Discord, nor take photo's of the bullying. Why did you not report it to the Police?, I did. I ran away from home to go to my local police station, but they told me to leave. It was good for only a little while. WHY ARE YOU STILL NOT DOING ANYTHING? I did report it to Discord and ROBLOX multiple times. ROBLOX ignored me and told me to report it again. Discord told me to do it the proper way, but that would make me too upset. I am also banned from talking about it. HELP ME

I need a diagnosis but im scared to ask for one

replies: 4

Hey there, I am a 16 (almost 17) year old who needs some advice. Within the past probably 2 or so years as i have gone through puberty, I have started to notice that it has become increasingly hard to concentrate among other things. I have done a bunch of research around ADHD and really dont want to self diagnose but i fit the bill pretty closely. I dont quite know if these symptoms are due to my anxiety (which i know can coincide with adhd) or if it seriously is something to look into getting tested for. Now heres the problem, my parents. They both are very much your "stop being dramatic, its just your mind finding excuses" type of people and also dont realise that not everyone with adhd presents the same way. What is a good way for me to possibly bring up the idea of going for testing? I just need to know what's going on in my mind. Thanks Macaroninoodles

High School and Not-Getting-Along-with-People-in-My-Grade Syndrome

replies: 4

I'm struggling to get my head around it. TLDR; There's either a problem with my year group or that I'm the problem standing in their way. I'm currently in my final year in High School and fall under the autism spectrum. I have a mixed reputation, had nasty rumors circulate (they don't even know me either) my first three years. After diagnosis and regular sessions, I have no clue whether I'm respected in my year group or downright shamed. I started my journey of mental health four years ago, I’ve made many buddies along the way. I do well in my classes, had as many as 4 drama/music/art extracurriculars when I was in Year 9-10, have kept in touch with most of my friends and acquaintances up to now, and most importantly, I'm doing fine. I know I'm loved, worthy, and respected; That I have people around me who I can talk to and hang out with when I have the time. But unfortunately, I can't do any of these extracurriculars anymore. It's tough meeting up with my extracurricular mates now. My friends are diverse. From all walks of life, some started high school, some have a job, some dropped for TAFE, some go to UNI. And we mainly interact online until time allows us otherwise. I've always felt iffy with people my age. At first, it was me being judgmental, but afterwards I told myself; "What's the worst that could happen?" and dove right in. I opened up to the kids in my year group. Some kids were nice, some were straight up dismissive. I tried to reach out. I smile. I ask groups if I could eat with them, I ask if I could sit and talk with them, I join in conversations where applicable. I'm always the one having to start the conversation. And all I get? One worded answers. Strange glances. When I sit with people they eventually move away from me to sit with a friend. When I greet them they give menacing glances. They make strange faces at me. I’ve caught them pointing and laughing at me. When they have questions about a subject I do my best to help them out. When I struggle with a problem, I ask for help from kids too. But in the end, nothing. It's so isolating. Fyi, I DO have friends the same grade as me. But 80% of the people in my grade say otherwise. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. As much as I want to ignore them I NEED them. My friends take different career paths than me, I'm stuck with these kids in my subjects. If we want to succeed in the HSC we have to work together. But they aren't giving me a chance. What am I supposed to do? Is it me?

Finding it hard to make friends at school..

replies: 2

Hi everyone I’m new to this forum & don’t usually spend much of my time on forums, but I thought I’d give it a try and see what happens. I’ve been having a lot of difficulty feeling secure and confident in myself when it comes to making new friends. I’m in year 11 and have been lucky enough to have the same friend group all through high school. But I really want to make some new friends. Everyone in my small circle has their own close friends as well, outside our circle, but I don’t. At the start of this year I promised myself to make new friends this year. But I’m finding it really hard. It’s mainly the feeling of rejection that scares me, and feeling unwanted / like someone I approach won’t like me. I feel like it shouldn’t be this hard to make new friends. This has made it really hard for me to feel comfortable in class. It’s become so bad that I’ll skip class because it scares me so much. Has anybody else felt like this? Is there anything I can do to help myself? Thank you in advance! PS. I don’t do any sports or other hobbies outside of school, and part of me wants to pick something up but the other part of me wants to keep my schedule clear for studying. I’m not apart of any clubs or groups, but if I were to join I wouldn’t know where to look!

Feeling down - friends and life

replies: 5

Hi all, This is my first time posting and I’m a bit nervous haha. Lately I’ve just been feeling down and I often find it happens when I overthink but I do have social anxiety so overthinking isn’t new to me. I’m not a very social person but I have 3 close friends although we have all moved away from each other due to uni. We still talk regularly but it feels like they are so focused on their own lives. Although that isn’t a bad thing I feel like I have no one to talk to. I have one friend who I feel really understands me and how I’m feeling but she is going through a lot of stuff right now so the last thing I would do is burden her with my problems. As for one of other friends she always talks to me about what’s happening with her life. I’ve helped her through her difficulties and it is honestly draining. I am more than happy to help her and be there for my friends but it honestly hurts when she doesn’t check in on me. I think I have a bit of resentment towards my friends at the moment but I don’t know what to do about it. I do fear that if I mention something or express how I feel then they will check in on me due to a feeling of obligation. Being able to be here on this forum and really express how I’m feeling does offer a bit of relief. There are a lot of other things that also cause me stress but this is probably one of the main ones.

LIFE GETS TOO MUCH. REGULARLY

replies: 9

So I'm new to this.. never looked for help in anyway because I never think I need it. I still don't think that I need help.. I don't even know why I am here, i guess I want to know if I do have some form off mental illness or if I just get overwhelmed with life on s regular basis.. I feel like I deal with a lot for a 22 year old.. I've been dealing with the same life since I was about 17.. my mum had cancer, I took care off her, I was pretty much her mother in the end, she acted irrationally & like a teenager I guess, so I was the one to always calm her down when I was the one who needed a mother.. she ended up passing when I was 19, I lived on my own for about a year and a half then moved back to my grandmothers bevause I had no one, I had moved into stayed with my mother before she passed because she wanted to run away from life and our family.. I'm now caring for my grandmother, sounds like an asshole thing to say but I'm dealing with her emotional life aswell as trying to put my own life together & on track. She always has a go at me because she thinks I never have enough time for her while I'm trying to work and earn money, plus live with my boyfriend spend time with him, then on top of that trying to have time for myself to relax, as well as sell a house I own interstate. I feel like I have alot on my shoulders and I'm honestly just sick & tired off it.. this is my life in a nutshell so yeah I dunno haha just giving a back story about myself I guess and the reasons why I feel like I implode every few weeks..

"smart kid" struggles

replies: 2

Hi everyone, I'm in year 12, doing ATAR. Ever since I was young at primary school, I've been known as the smart kid. I'm always doing really well, because I work hard for my grades, and in year 10 and 11 I was dux of the year level. I'm known as the smart girl by my peers. That's how it's always been. My predicted ATAR is even 99.4, based on my grades last year. But at the end of last year, I burnt myself out. Really badly. In fact, I still think I'm not quite over my burnout from the end of last year, but it's what I had to do to get those grades. My self worth is largely tied to my grades. So far this year, I've found small amounts of schoolwork overwhelming and difficult, which is very unlike me. And over the summer holidays, I was able to spend loads of time doing what I've discovered I enjoy- reading, art, writing and watching shows. I don't have time for all those things now that school's gone back, and I've realised that I've always worked myself far too hard. But if I decide to put myself first and do more of those things which I enjoy, I know that my grades probably won't be as good and I'll slip down from the top- and in my last year it would be a waste for me not to be the top of the year after all of the work that I've put in. I'm known as the smart kid, and I know that the school expects me to do great this year. I'm torn between my grades and spending more time to relax and going less harsh on myself. If I don't do as well as last year I'll consider myself a failure, but I don't want to waste my last year working myself to death. In conclusion, I hate the pressure. And I've realised that I wish I wasn't the smart kid, with the perfect grades. Maybe then I would have been so much happier.

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

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first replies: 0

School said i'm getting 0 if i don't complete HSC trials replies: 10

Feel empty, struggling with purpose/goals replies: 4

Got no idea anymore replies: 1

Autism and the Internet never mix replies: 11

I need a diagnosis but im scared to ask for one replies: 4

High School and Not-Getting-Along-with-People-in-My-Grade Syndrome replies: 4

Finding it hard to make friends at school.. replies: 2

Feeling down - friends and life replies: 5

LIFE GETS TOO MUCH. REGULARLY replies: 9

"smart kid" struggles replies: 2