Hi everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a single mum and have been struggling on and off with depression and anxiety since I had my first child. Not really sure what to write or how much to share but thanks for having me.

Welcome JK-Elle to the forums which are a great safe place to come.A lot of us strugle with depression and anxiety on here and understand it.I hope you feel comfortable and can share more if you want.

Tale care,

Mark.

Welcome 💖 I have a single Mum. You are doing the best you possibly can. We all care for you here.

Mudcakes 🐕‍🦺🎂

Hi JK-Elle, welcome. You're not alone, there's a few single Mums out there, some on here also.

Hi JK-Elle,

Welcome to the forums. Thank you for your post. I am really sorry to hear you have been struggling.

You can write and share whatever you feel comfortable with. If you don't feel like sharing, that is okay too. You may also find it helpful to look through some of the other forums on BeyondBlue. Sometimes it can be a comfort to know you are not alone in your struggles.

Whatever you do, please know that this is a supportive, non-judgmental space and we are here to listen.

Take care.

Hi JK-Elle,

Welcome to the forums, we are glad you found us- hopefully, here you have fun and make connections, seek out some great peer-led advice, and discover mental health resources that might be useful to you. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hope you've been trying to visit your "skin clinic" and dental clinic etc, it helps with self-care

Thanks everyone. Been a rough week with school going back. I'm studying full time and one of my kids has special needs, I'm exhausted, he woke the whole house up tonight. Feeling lost, I don't know how to help him, nothing I do is making a difference and I'm just feeling defeated tonight.

Hi JK-Elle I know what's it like have special need children.I have two and son wakes me up often when he is with me in the middle of the night.I never seem to get back to sleep when he does though their can be night's when he can't.It can be very hard.That is good you are studying and hope that goes well for you.
Take care,
Mark.

Hi JK-Elle,

Sleepless nights can be tough! Do you have any special self-care for nights like this? It could be really important to think about how to take care of yourself especially with your full-time study! The more you give to yourself, the more you can give back to your loved ones, after all. How's student life going for you?

Tay100

Hi JK-Elle,

I am really sorry to hear things are feeling so tough. I cannot imagine what it is like to study full time as a single mum, trying to care for your children but stay on top of work and study too. I hope you’ve been able to get at least a little bit of downtime over the weekend to relax. Is there anyone that you feel able to talk to in person or over the phone about what has been happening for you?

Take care.

It's so so with study, I struggle with computers but I'm hoping I get there with time. I slept A LOT this weekend, I must have needed it.

Hi JK-Elle,

I'm glad you were able to get some rest over the weekend - it does sound like you needed it.

Computers and technology can be such a struggle - especially when you are not used to using them in the way your studies require, plus things change so quickly with different devices and programs. You can always see if your uni/college/institution or even your local library has any classes or staff able to assist you with getting up to speed on using the programs that you need. Sometimes there are Youtube tutorials for those kinds of things that can be useful as well.

I hope you have a better week this week. Please don't hesitate to talk more if/when you feel up to it. Take care.

Hi JK-Elle

Ahh computers can be tricky- does your uni have a good IT department? I'm glad you caught up on sleep too. How are you travelling with parenting and studying at the same time?

It's friggin hard, today I just want to throw in the towel so I can be here for the kids but I know I can't. My special needs son isn't handling high school the best and is taking it out on all of us.

Hi JK-Elle I am sorry your special needs son isn't handling high school at all.I have a daughter with special needs in her final year of high school and it has been a long exhausting struggle to get her to this point.Do you a special needs teacher at your school that you can chat to?I have had many discussions with my daughter's and sons over the years.Is their anything in particular he isn't handling in high school that is setting him off?I have my own thread called Struggling with special needs chilfren.I started that as I was struggling with my two at home and school if you would like to check it out.
Take care,
Mark.