Live GR: Bringing in the New Year (Wednesday the 30th of December, 7:30pm AEST)
Hey there legends! It's almost the end of 2020 so we've decided on a topic to fit that! I hope you're all doing okay, and it's okay if you aren't- I hope you can reach out and talk to someone (and of course, we're here for you if you need!)
So this coming Wednesday the 30th of December at 7:30pm AEST, we'll be chatting about our reflections of the past year and hopes for the future. We'll be chatting about our experiences of 2020 and how we plan on approaching the new year.
Of course we'll all have unique (and shared) experiences for this year and I hope we can come together to support each other and reflect on what's happened
As always, make sure you check out the community guidelines and reach out to some support if at all you need it. These topics can bring up feelings of distress and that's completely normal so please don't hesitate to seek support if you think that would be helpful
I hope we'll see you there! Looking forward to it! 😄
@featuringme Congratulations on going to uni and getting the job!
2020 has definitely been... something. 
2 things I'm proud of this year are, I got my first job which was pretty exciting and I did well at uni. At the beginning of the year I was really nervous for how to study and if I could manage the workload because I struggled in the first few weeks to keep on top of everything, but I think having time to focus was 1 positive of isolation! As for challenges, I know almost everyone would feel this way, but not being able to see the people I care about all the time, especially my grandparents, was difficult, but really made me appreciate the times I could see them.
Some good things that happened for me in 2020, were starting university and figuring out what I wanted to study. Some challenges myself and people I know went through was the feeling of loneliness in isolation and not been able to go out getting hard
Thanks for the tip with writing stuff down @celestialdreamer 🙂 I feel like I do this whenever I get a new diary and then slowly I just forget to look at what I wrote. Perhaps I should stick things to my walls!
What are some good things that happened for you in 2020, or what’s something you are proud of achieving? What were some challenges for you or people you care about?
I joined ReachOut in 2020 and became a builder then a mod! And I started volunteering in an op shop. Some challenges for me was having everything be cancelled and having to start online uni. Now I can't get back into stuff I used to do but it's back open 😞 I just can't see the point. Also losing some of my old professional supports and having to adjust to my new ones. So many people struggled with adjusting to restrictions for covid. My friend also struggled with online uni like me. But we got through it!
@Lost_Space_Explorer5 I've looked into volunteering in an op shop. One of the organisations I've volunteered with has a lot of them, but I mostly just stick to other stuff. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun!
Having to study online sounds so tough. I used to ask tutors for help understanding the material in person and we often had group work and practicals. I have no idea how people with more practical degrees would have fared.
We also went through having to look into new supports for my sister as she could not have treatment at her usual hospital. It was such a challenge having to build up the trust with the new supports.
Something I've been trying to do the last couple of days is making my new planner pretty with stickers, paper, decorations, etc to try to make me more motivated to use it.
@A_Friend I loved my first year of uni! I hope you enjoyed yours despite everything having to go online.
@celestialdreamer Congratulations on getting the job and doing well in uni! 🙂 It's good that you can think of some positives about having to study online. I'm a lazy person, so I think I would have appreciated being able to spend less time commuting to uni.
It's so hard when you can't see your grandparents. 😞 I get worried about mine too.
What are some good things that happened for you in 2020, or what’s something you are proud of achieving? What were some challenges for you or people you care about?
One good thing that happened to me in 2020 was that I started casually making some money whilst working from home. Eventually, I got a full-time job. 🙂 Another good thing was that a lot of online courses were made available and I got to learn so much. I still use what I have learned through them.
This year, I had to face a lot of challenges. I ended up in hospital (I might not be here if I didn't go when I did), my sister couldn't get the care that she needed, my godmother's cancer returned and my grandma was hospitalised twice (she's still in hospital sadly :(). We also had to sell or long-term rent out our holiday home, which we have so many memories of over the last fifteen years. Some of my family members have had to work less, but luckily the government gave some money to my parents for their business.
@A_Friend Loneliness was such a difficult thing for so many this year 😞 That's cool starting uni has gone well
@celestialdreamer Good job with doing well at uni and getting a new job! Sorry to hear this year has been hard with being unable to see family 😞 You're definitely not alone in that one
@celestialdreamer I love the plans you've got so far, I should probably try to do these things as well!
Thanks @Lost_Space_Explorer5 so keen for this GR to start!! 
