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.

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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!

Sophie_M 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 mindfu... View more

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.

All discussions

Saraneedsyourhelp Please help me!
  • replies: 4

Hi, before this this stupid caronavirus outbreak,I was working in a infant school as a teacher assistant. I loved my job so much and also the kids loved me. When the oubreak happened they decided to shut down the school and now I'm back to where I wa... View more

Hi, before this this stupid caronavirus outbreak,I was working in a infant school as a teacher assistant. I loved my job so much and also the kids loved me. When the oubreak happened they decided to shut down the school and now I'm back to where I was before (stuck at home doing nothing) and it's driving me so insane that I have the urge to scream and make drama to my family and they are sick of me because that's how bored I am and they don't seem to understand. It's getting worse and I don't know how to keep myself occupied while i'm in isolation without getting angry over silly things. I always ask my mum to buy me some gym equipment online but she refuses. That's why I make drama saying stuff like "You rather buy stuff for my sister but not for me?" My sister told me that I should get a job. I tell her "how dare you say that when we are in a crisis". I also got angry with that. Please help. I don't wanna feel like this anymore.

emma1425 I don’t feel like myself at all
  • replies: 7

I’m 17 years old and all of this has been going on for about a year now. I’m really suffering, no where near as bad as what i used to be but I still struggle horribly everyday. I’ll try my best for this to make sense but I can’t make any promises as ... View more

I’m 17 years old and all of this has been going on for about a year now. I’m really suffering, no where near as bad as what i used to be but I still struggle horribly everyday. I’ll try my best for this to make sense but I can’t make any promises as I can’t seem to understand all of this myself. So around a year ago I begun hanging out with the ‘stoner’ crowd I suppose and started to smoke myself. The first couple of times were odd for me, I felt very animated, like everything I was saying was dumb, like everything was more so like a dream and I just felt drained and anxious. Most people would stop there if they were feeling that way but I continued to smoke everyday for around 8 months mainly by myself at home even though it made me feel horrible and I knew that deep down. It was more so I liked the act of smoking a cone than the high. Every time I am high I start thinking about all dumb things I have done in my life or during the day and actually have to psychically talk to myself and tell myself to stop thinking about it or I will bury my face in my hands and tell myself I’m stupid, dumb etc. I would cry often and instead of walking fast of my bus, keen to get to school and see people as I always did, I begun to feel anxious about it, which was something I’d never really experienced before. I went from being loud and happy to almost completely quiet and always down. Even my best friend became very foreign to me, I remember specific times he would try to joke with me like we always did but I would always ruin the mood by saying something boring or dumb. Eventually we drifted and nothing is the same between us to this day. I didn’t know what was happening to me, it’s like my mind was completely blank and I never had anything to contribute to a conversation. Fast forward to a year from now, I don’t have a single friend that I used to, in fact I have no friends. I now dread school and when I do go the day drags by, I am lucky if I have two brief conversations with somebody and I spend my spare time in the library just waiting to go home and jump into bed. I stopped smoking about 2 months ago after deciding I can’t continue to live like this. I’m not the same as I used to be, I can’t even comprehend the old me, it just doesn’t make sense to me as to how I used to be able to live in the moment and enjoy social interactions, etc. I just want to feel like me again and know why this all happened.

CSmith1 New to this - Panic attacks everyday for a week
  • replies: 1

Ahoy, Years ago I suffered panic attacks every now and then, I learnt how to control them and I was proud of myself. But recently, with the uprise with COVID 19, there has been a lot of things that have been happening all at once and it's very overwh... View more

Ahoy, Years ago I suffered panic attacks every now and then, I learnt how to control them and I was proud of myself. But recently, with the uprise with COVID 19, there has been a lot of things that have been happening all at once and it's very overwhelming. Ive been having panic attacks everyday for the last week and a half, they are triggered every time when I try to study I feel hopeless, exhausted and I just want to be happy. University - With University going fully online, Im struggling with finding motivation. Im undertaking a full-time physics degree which is quite hard and Im struggling a lot with the content. I really want to become a physicist, but Im now having self doubts that Im not smart enough which is heartbreaking. Social life - I have a poor social life. Im always the girl that is the extra in the group, never feeling like Im valued and if I left they wouldn't notice. I continue to have hope and try to make good friends.... but Im always getting hurt. I try to smile to people, join sport and social clubs but they have all proven to be unsuccessful. I currently renting a household with some roommates, I don't really get along with them..... I feel like an alien when I try to talk to them. Having no true friends and living in a house with no one to talk to, I find myself feeling alone all the time. No money - Im struggling to save money. I work at a place that will only give me 4-6 hours a week. I've had the thought of another job, but then my financial support will cut my payments. Also working another job, Im worried that it will effect my time to study as-well. With struggling to save money, I cant get my hair cut, buy makeup and other self care items, thus causing a decline in my self esteem. Future- Im scared of the future. I don't know what to expect, and I don't know what to do. I don't want this mental status in the future, I try to change and heal but I always continue to find.myself back in this awful panic state which is making me feel alone and helpless. Thank you,

Anonymuz Feeling A Bit Numb
  • replies: 2

I don't feel suicidal at all, I just feel like no one or anything can hurt me anymore because throughout my whole life my journey has been one of constant hurt. I have forgotten what good even feels like anymore I feel like if life really is just a t... View more

I don't feel suicidal at all, I just feel like no one or anything can hurt me anymore because throughout my whole life my journey has been one of constant hurt. I have forgotten what good even feels like anymore I feel like if life really is just a test then right now I must be sitting a 24-year exam for a master's in life is crap. I have had numerous mental breakdowns and recently I have developed a feeling of emotional numbness which I would describe as a disassociated feeling from everything and everyone, I feel no longer any deep connections with people. I was also recently diagnosed with ADHD when I was 24 which should have been more apparent to my teachers, parents, etc. years ago. I have self-harmed in the past and ended up in a psychiatric hospital, a nicer private one I might add and gained nothing from it aside from the ability to get away from my personal life madness. I vowed to never self harm again and I have not since but now due to the scars on my face people cross the street and judge me. All humanity seems to be is a malevolent race, everyone claims they care but deep down do people really care for one another or just use them as a stepping stone to get to the top. I feel like unless you're a figure of fame, fortune or anything in between then no one cares about one another. It's very prevalent in western society that money and status is everything, if you don't have the money you can't get good help, if you're poor or been dealt a bad hand then you are forced into the public system, forced to be in rooms and close vicinity with people who suffer from more troubling mental illnesses, i.e. violent schizophrenics whose poor souls are trapped within their own world of delusion and have no way out, which then makes you crazier as well. The only other option is to make a lot of money, which is all good and well and can be achieved but how when you are not even motivated anymore to do anything because every time you think life gets better it just hands you a joker card and deals you with more bad news. I am not in a bad place I just wanted to express my feelings and thoughts so please don't be alarmed but I just need to know what I should try to do to make my life worth living because I refuse to give up but I also do not know where to go from here, I am already seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist but still feel this way, medications have helped but can only help so much with so many environmental factors affecting my mental health.

im_nameless Scared to tell my mum about boyfriend- help
  • replies: 1

Mum and I dont really have a relationship where we can talk about this stuff. she never asks me any questions about my private life and it makes it even harder to bring this up with her, She is always stressed and doesnt seem very approachable or tol... View more

Mum and I dont really have a relationship where we can talk about this stuff. she never asks me any questions about my private life and it makes it even harder to bring this up with her, She is always stressed and doesnt seem very approachable or tolerant especially with this type of thing. I also just dont want to feel awkward and i dont want it to change things between us. please help

Cresw1ck Possible places to live
  • replies: 4

I’ve recently left my mums because our relationship was fractured and wasn’t getting any better, stayed on the streets for a week or so and then moved back into dads, dad and I have had a history of abuse and name calling but he was working really ha... View more

I’ve recently left my mums because our relationship was fractured and wasn’t getting any better, stayed on the streets for a week or so and then moved back into dads, dad and I have had a history of abuse and name calling but he was working really hard to get better and has been doing a fantastic job, but there’s still the underlying tones and the memories, when we have fights it goes straight to me being called names and him telling me various ways he wants to harm me, mum and I left dad because of how much of a horrible person he was and I’ve always resented him for it but he’s stuck around in our lives and I dislike it very much and they still hangout all the time and it makes me uncomfortable because they play happy families, I want to move on and I want to move out but even before the struggles of covid-19 I was living on $120 a week on my 10 hours at hungry jacks due to my lack of school qualifications, and a lot of that money went to abusing drugs and alcohol to make myself feel better after having to deal with all the abuse in my household, I’m in now way saying I’m a perfect child and a lot of it started from me rebelling against the way dad brought me up, I don’t have any idea what to do but I want to move out, Or some guidance, please and Thankyou for your help Chris

datesyrup05 I feel empty..
  • replies: 2

Hi, this is date syrup i wonder if other people my age can relate but i used to be so curious and inspired by everything around me to the point of becoming a whole other person after coming to australia, however, certain family problems have caused m... View more

Hi, this is date syrup i wonder if other people my age can relate but i used to be so curious and inspired by everything around me to the point of becoming a whole other person after coming to australia, however, certain family problems have caused my feeling to be a roller coaster of ups and downs and constant breakdowns, so much so i began to drift away from what i like doing and now i just feel like... a person behind the screen that is my eyes, writing this from far away. family problems dont feel like anything, hobbies dont feel like anything, the people i like talking to leave me feeling nothing, even getting hit doesn't make me feel anything anymore. the only thing i still worry about is my school homework but even that is minimal. my taste in music changed dramatically in a short period of type. i want to do the things i like but when i do, i dont feel the same hype as before. i hate staying at home with my family, it's so suffocating but i guess i'll have to endure until the virus passes. i dont know what to do with myself. Thanks for listening to my ranting, feel free to read or ignore.

Loula_bell32 Need some advice ASAP
  • replies: 4

Hey everyone my name is Aimee I’m 16 I’m not happy at all I’m sad all the time and isolate myself a lot activity’s i used to find interesting or that used to make me happy don’t anymore I feel like there is something wrong with me due to the fact tha... View more

Hey everyone my name is Aimee I’m 16 I’m not happy at all I’m sad all the time and isolate myself a lot activity’s i used to find interesting or that used to make me happy don’t anymore I feel like there is something wrong with me due to the fact that I have self harmed on different occasions and I often of thoughts about how better life would be if I wasn’t here anymore I have really bad anxiety attacks to he point of were I work myself up to the point of we’re I want to end my life, throw up ect I have tried talking to my mum and to drop hints that’s somethings wrong she also knows about me self harming she is on meds for depression ect and I feel like she is just brushing all this stuff off bc she is scared to admit the fact that I’m like her I don’t know what to do and I want to talk to a professional but I’m only 16 and I don’t know if they will help me without an adult

User233 Parental problems
  • replies: 1

So I'm 16, my parents divorced last year and during all this I've been pushed between the two. I've now been kicked out of both homes and pretty much degraded. To my dad I'm a disgusting waste of space and time. And to my mum I'm a slut. I'm now stay... View more

So I'm 16, my parents divorced last year and during all this I've been pushed between the two. I've now been kicked out of both homes and pretty much degraded. To my dad I'm a disgusting waste of space and time. And to my mum I'm a slut. I'm now staying with my friend as I have nowhere else to go. I was just wondering how to deal with parents who have always been emotionally unavailable and now don't love me. I miss having a family and I miss my siblings. Anyone have tips on how to be happier during this?

mmx Maybe it’s just part of being a teen...
  • replies: 11

I’m 14, and for the last 3 years I’ve been feeling so alone. I have anxiety, I’m not sure about depression because there is no way I could ask for help from my parents. I really don’t like school and the stress it puts on me. There is a group of girl... View more

I’m 14, and for the last 3 years I’ve been feeling so alone. I have anxiety, I’m not sure about depression because there is no way I could ask for help from my parents. I really don’t like school and the stress it puts on me. There is a group of girls who ‘run’ my year level, and I feel like I have to live up to their standards all the time so I don’t look like a weirdo. Lately, I’ve been exercising and eating less to get thinner and look how I want to. Every day when I go to school, it’s like I put on this mask that I am this happy girl who is loving life, but when I’m alone the mask comes off. I’ve tried to reach out for help about my anxiety and thoughts, but nothing helps. I just put up with it all now. I can’t wait for this all to be over. I don’t even know why I’m here, I just want to put my words down somewhere. Reply with whatever you can.