SLOW-MO GR: Family Changes, 7th-11th October
Hey everyone!
It's almost time for another slow-mo Getting Real chat! 😄
This chat is going to be to do with Family Changes!
Family looks a little bit different to everyone, but whether big or small, found or born, one thing they all have in common is that things never stay still!
People get married, people get divorced, someone moves, someone might suddenly get ill- it's a never ending list of potential scenarios that we might have to deal with as a family!
These changes aren't necessarily always bad, but even positive changes can be tricky to get adjusted to as well!.
So to have a discussion about what changes in the family look like and how we can tackle them, join us on the week starting Monday the 7th of October for a SLOW-MO GR chat on Family Changes! We'll be posting new questions throughout the week and would love to hear what you all think! 
Family is definitely a huge and emotional topic for a lot of people! If at all you find this conversation distressing or you feel like you need to talk to someone about an issue then it's time to get some help! You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or use their webchat and email services found on their respective sites. The links can be found here. If you are new here then welcome! Have a quick peek at our community guidelines you can find them here!
Can't wait to see you all on Monday for the first question, keep your eyes peeled for an awesome chat! 😄
I think what we've been talking about ties in really neatly with today's question so i'll post it now!
What did you do to cope with this change? What support is out there available to us? e.g. for young carers or people who've become unwell themselves
2. I tried very hard to cope with the change I had to put up with, but I didn’t know what to do. So I just made myself really depressed and sad. Which is why I’m not doing the best right now.
3. I can’t really answer this question, but I am willing to read some advice...
Hi everyone. 👋
I'm so yeah me and my brother catch up every now and then but we don't talk as much as we used to. Yeah it's lonleyer now but I have had a bit of a chat to my councillor about it but we didn't really get to much of a solution. But it's ok.
What did you do to cope with this change? What support is out there available to us?
I cope with these changes by exepting that change is a part of life and I catch up with my councillor when the loneliness really hits and if she is to busy to help. I sometimes connect to kids helpline web chat and have a chat to a wonderful councillor. The thing I like about talking to diffrent people (councillor, teachers, friends, etc) I get a diffrent perspective on thing and it helps me see things from another side. And I try and catch up with my brother as much as possible even if it's only threw a phone call every now and then, and it makes the times I see him more valuable. And every chance I get I let him know he's a good brother.
Change is a part of life and it can make us sad at times, but change is a constant part of life. Change is the only thing we can really be shore of in life.
What did you do to cope with this change? What support is out there available to us?
Chatting with my mum about it helped a lot, as she felt the same way I was feeling about it at the time as well.
In terms of coping with family changes in general, I think that speaking to someone about it can be helpful. However, when talking face-to-face to someone is not possible, then I think posting a thread on the forums is a good idea to gain other people's perspective on it, especially if they have been in the same position too. Perhaps reaching out to other mental health supports like Kids Helpline and Lifeline can also help too, especially if becomes all too pain-inducing in terms of emotions at that moment.
Happy monday everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday!
When I started university, I moved away from home to another country and lived in a dorm. It was my choice to do so, but initially when I moved away I really didn't like living in the dorm and it was hard for me to adjust since I also didn't speak the language there fluently. For the first time, I had to do everything independently, which was also different from what I was used to. Eventually though, after making new friends there I began to get used to the lifestyle and was able to manage on my own, away from my family. I'm glad that I was able to live independently in another country and learn more about myself in the time that I was away from my family!
Well when I was 4 (nearly 5) my parents got a divorce.. I still remember that day so clearly and yea it’s really emotional for me to even think about. My family and I had just moved house but we still owned our old one (still do today!). These houses are 2 hours away from each other and they broke up after a week at our new house. I just got settled in to my new school and made some new friends and loved it there! Then after 8 days I woke up to mum crying and packing a suitcase. I remember saying over and over “I wanna stay with my brother, I wanna stay, I don’t wanna go” but of course me being 4 years old, I had no say in what happened. From that day on me and my brothers have had it really tough as we’ve all been split apart. We’ve never felt close and it’s really sad for all of us to think about. Before my depression came along I didn’t know how to mask my feelings behind a smile and would cry for hours when I saw them and cry for days when I left. Now that I have depression I am able to hold all my emotions inside which hurts more but no one sees them. But yea how I felt when it happened hasn’t improved much at all.. even after nearly 11 years I am still so so hurt by the decision of my parents that brought our family a lot of conflict and sadness.
Thank you for sharing your story with us @Bananatime04 <3. Parents divorcing can still take a huge mental and emotional toll on us, even it happened so many years ago. May I ask how posting that story with us made you feel now?
Wow, moving away from home for uni is one thing, but moving to another COUNTRY for it is an entirely different matter @drpenguin! I'm glad that you've learnt a lot more about yourself in your time being in another country away from home 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story @Maryhadalittlelamb. Sorry to hear about what you're going through ever since your brother moved out :(. I was wondering if you had a chat to someone else besides us about this?
Sorry to hear about your sister @WheresMySquishy. I can feel the pain and emotional toll it has taken on you and your family :(. Carers' health and well-being are just as important as the patients they care for. Sending my hugs and well-wishes of support along your way.
Wow, that must be one interesting household to live in @Bre-RO! I can totally relate to your frustrations with accommodating new people living in your household
Have you had any changes in your family that have had an impact on you? How did it make you feel at the time?
For me, it was when my family moved interstate and had to leave my dad behind briefly for a few months because of his work :(. It felt so weird and uncomfortable living away from him because it felt like a part of me and my family has been taken away with him, you know? It felt like our family was a heart, and one quarter of it was just taken away.
