@Lost_Space_Explorer5 Haha I'm no good at making new years resolutions either  I act more spontaneous and don't like following plans, so trying to stick to resolutions is v challenging. I don't think people should feel compelled to make resolutions just because it's something society does. We develop and grow in our own unique ways, so new years resolutions shouldn't be the only way to do so. ... View more

What does the start of a new year mean to you? Is it a significant time? What will your approach to it be this year, compared to years past? (This could be in terms of immediate plans for New Years or your general approach for the year!) For me, the start of a new year feels like the chance for new opportunities to arise. When the new year arrives, I usually feel like I'm asking myself, "what will happen this year?". I usually do this in an optimistic manner, but tbh I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's because the new year is considered a celebratory event, so I feel more positive about it. It definitely feels like a significant moment to me, but for me it fades relatively quickly as the days pass. I think with 2020 being such a chaotic year, I'll be more hopeful than usual for the new year. ... View more

Thanks for the tag @Lost_Space_Explorer5 , keen for tonight's GR! May not be able to stick around for all the questions, but I'm ready to reflect on the rollercoaster year 2020 has been  ... View more

Hi @jakeishere I'm so sorry you're going through this. The other posts have already inquired about reaching out for professional help, which is definitely something I support. I'm especially sorry that you're parents are dismissing your problems. Your concerns are completely valid, and they should not be comparing your problems with theirs. Thank you for reaching out to us on this forum, we're here for you if you need to talk some more  ... View more

I've learnt that how you spend your holidays is up to you. If you want a break from socializing and want some alone time, that's fine. If you want to volunteer, that's fine. Whatever you feel like doing, feel free to do it! Setting clear boundaries is a great way to ensure you spend your holidays how you want. I'll put a link to a discussion about boundaries, hopefully this will be useful to anyone who needs it: https://forums.au.reachout.com/t5/Everyday-life-stuff/Setting-Boundaries-Special-Discussion/td-p/390443  ... View more

What are some strategies you will use to cope with stress during the festive season? Do you have any holiday-specific self-care ideas? For me, one of the most stressful things is probably visiting extended family. Don't get me wrong, I love them all very much, but ... socialising isn't a strength of mine. To help me get through it, I use strategies I would use with other social situations: take a few breaths if needed, make sure I treat myself to some self-care to lift my spirits, etc.  I don't really have any holiday-specific self-care ideas, tbh. I just indulge in the same things I usually do, such as watching tv shows and relaxing. This might be because I don't celebrate xmas, but counting down to the new year always gets me excited. I guess participating in festive activities is in itself a holiday-specific self-care idea, but that's just what I enjoy. I think if you want to keep doing the same self-care tricks during the holiday season, that's totally fine! ... View more

Tagging some people who might be interested in this chat!  @GioDes @beabea @Mia238 @Sunnybear @belski @jlw13 @Bella2 @nixh @Emlo @mol1912 @James99 @Turtle22 @th967 @Liliann @Macaria @Bubbles99 @Jazz12 @clarii3105 @Shazam @Vespertine @Jeiraffe @Spicypumpkin @buildingforbetterment @JasminH @chillspace  ... View more

Are you looking forward to the holiday season? Why/why not? What are your favourite and/or least favourite things about the holidays? I'll start off the chat, yes I am looking forward to the holiday season this year! Holidays for me are a huge break from the chaos of school and work. I tend to stay at home and relax, rather than going out a lot. That's my fav part of the holidays, just getting some time to recharge and not worry about other things.    My least favourite thing is the expectation that you spend your holidays productively. I feel like with the extra free time we get, society kinda expects us to use it "wisely". A part of me also wants to use my time doing "useful" things, such as cleaning/reorganising my room, cooking all the time, going out all the time, etc. Whilst its important to do things like exercising and maintaining my health, it's totally valid for me to spend my holidays not doing a lot. I don't think I should feel pressured to do "productive" activities just because I have more free time.  ... View more

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first day of the SLOW-MO GR! Today's question is: Are you looking forward to the holiday season? Why/why not? What are your favourite and/or least favourite things about the holidays?     ... View more

Omg I used to collect Littlest Pet Shop toys when I was a smol child  I spent a looot of my free time playing with the LPS and I watched a lot of LPS videos on Youtube lol ... View more

Hey @Anonymous I'm so sorry you had to experience that. As someone who just studied three arts units at university this sem, it's very disheartening to hear that he doesn't support it. You have the right to do whatever you want, and I think the arts in general just gets a lot of slack    I think other people here on ReachOut have suggested that you could talk to a school counsellor or therapist of some sorts if you need to. If you ever want more support or want to talk, ReachOut is a safe space and we'll welcome you with open arms! ... View more

What are some ways we can cope with stress that arises from trying to manage our own and others experience of happiness? I think an important thing to remember is that we can only help others so much. Of course we can and should provide support to others, but if we feel burdened from the help we are giving others, we can set some boundaries and have a break. When managing our own happiness, it can be stressful. If we need some help, we can always reach out to others, and seek some professional support. We can allow ourselves to feel unhappiness and anger if we need to. In the long-term, it is better to let these emotions out when we feel too stressed from managing our happiness, rather than bottling them up.  ... View more

Ooh this is an interesting question! There are things we can definitely do to help regulate our emotions. For example, if we enjoy eating certain foods, then we can indulge in some tasty treats. And we can definitely make others happy! If we help others out, hang out with others and make them feel valued, they will appreciate your efforts. At the same time, I think I would be lying if I claimed to always make others happy Sometimes, we unintentionally say or do things to happen, and that's okay! And sometimes, we feel unhappy, and that's okay as well. Although I don't go out of my way to feel unhappy, I don't try my absolute hardest to be the happiest person ever. I allow myself to feel unhappiness if needed, and let myself feel happiness as well! ... View more

Hey everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late  Loving the chat so far, a very important topic to be talking about!   How important is happiness to you? Have your views about happiness changed throughout your life? How do these attitudes affect your daily life? To me, happiness has always been an important part of my life. However, my views on happiness have changed. I've learnt that people feel happiness in different ways, and that there is no one way to experience it. And they are all valid! For example, as an introvert, I am happier when I've got time to myself. I've also learnt that we don't always need to be happy, and that this is also normal. These views have been really helpful, since I feel as though I do not need to bottle up my emotions and true self. ... View more

Hi @Pasta I also miss how simple life was when I was younger, and I think a lot of people will understand this as well. I'm glad you're finding a place where you feel free, and I'm sorry for everything you've gone through. I really admire your desire to change lives + have an impact, and I wish you the best of luck for the future  ... View more

I've only been on here for a little bit, but the support you've offered has been amazing!! I'm gonna miss u sm, thanks for everything you've done over the past few years. Your posts are always so thoughtful and well-written, and I'll definitely be looking at them so I can keep improving on my own posts. Good luck for the future, the ReachOut community will miss u dearly     And not the gif from Toy Story 3, that hit me right in the feels  ... View more

I'm posting here again, talking about food fills me with unbridled joy my mum's about to serve us some biryani rice!! ... View more

I'm so sorry I couldn't join last night, I've been getting quite busy recently, especially with uni exams approaching. I read through the chat, so many great ideas being talked about    I really like the last question, since its something I think about a lot. My dream living situation would be living in a nice little house full of cats! I'd also love a house with a more modern aesthetic, and an open, grassy backyard. I also live a few hours away from my dad's childhood town, which we visit every year and has a special place in my heart. So, I'd love to move a bit closer to it. I tend to be a bit of a dreamer, so I really like talking about this  ... View more

Hi @Hope937 I'm so sorry you've gone through that. I hope you're in a safer place now, and we're here for you if need to talk or need support    I've put a link to some helplines that I hope are useful to you: https://au.reachout.com/articles/sexual-assault-support.   The helplines are towards the bottom of the page, so you'll need to scroll down a little bit! ... View more

Lol this is making me hungry  I'm about to have some home-made laksa, a hot meal is just what I need for this relatively cool day. ... View more

If you like doing art, then maybe you can start posting your work online and seeing if you can get some people to commission some art from you. This is definitely very popular on Instagram, especially for cartoon and anime artists.   There are also print-on-demand-sites where you upload designs you've made, and then the company sells products with your design on it! A lot of these sites are totally free, and they cover the cost of making the products as well. RedBubble, Teespring, Society6 - these are just a few of the sites I can think of, and there are tons more. These sites are very competitive since there are a lot of people who upload designs, so it's not a guarantee way of making money unfortunately. The good thing about these sites, however, is that you don't need to be extremely talented in art. I've seen designs that just consist of a sentence typed into a photoediting program, and booming in sales!   If you think you would be interested in providing some tutoring services, then maybe you could become a private tutor! TutorFinder is a website where you can advertise your services, and you don't need any qualifications to register. Highschooltutors is another good website where you don't need any qualifications to register. Finally, LearnMate is a tutoring company that you can register with online, provided that your application is approved (again, no tutoring qualifications necessary!). There are probably a few more options available, these are just the ones I can think of rn.   If you've ever felt like starting a YouTube channel, it can be another way to make some extra money. You'll need to reach a certain amount of subscribers before your videos can be monetized, but I think it would be a rly fun way to make some extra cash    A final way I can think of is selling old items. Ebay is very popular for selling preloved items, or you could do a garage sale. This is a loooong post, so shout out to everyone who manages to read the entire thing  ... View more

Wow so many great suggestions! I didn't even know that budgeting apps existed  I might get a journal and start writing down my weekly spendings so I manage my money better. Also love the idea of separate bank accounts, also something I'm seriously considering to do!   I think people have already given tons of great tips for budgeting and saving money, not sure if I can think of anything tbh. Just something I personally do, I always try to go for cheaper options if it is possible. I think there is this long-standing myth where more expensive items are considered better quality, but buying cheaper things does not mean you are sacrificing quality. Whenever I shop at Woolies or Coles, I always keep an eye out for deals and usually buy their homebrand products. I also study the unit prices for products to see which option is cheaper ;)   Another tip for uni students - capitalise on your uni discounts! Unis usually have select shops nearby that offer student discounts for a variety of products, so that's another useful way to budget. My uni also offers a few free conselling services, so if you feel the need to reach out but have a limited budget, check if your uni provides some free help  ... View more

I'm also going to tag some people who may be interested in joining this discussion!  @Jazz12 @clarii3105 @Shazam @Vespertine @Jeiraffe @Spicypumpkin @JasminH @chillspace @buildingforbetterment @wanderingwasp @Mayour @ameliaj @meganjane14 @celestialdreamer @sunnygirl606 @Guitarman97 @jamijam @sapphieandelfie @Abderian @Macaria @Liliann @Bubbles99 @Turtle22 @th967  ... View more

Hey guys, welcome to the second day of the GR! Here's today's question:    What are your top tips for budgeting and saving money?   ... View more

@Macaria Hi, your friend is so lucky to have you around! You've done such a great job supporting them, and it must've been difficult to go through as well. We're here for you if you need more support  ... View more

I'm really lucky that I'm still living with my parents, so I don't have to worry about paying for housing. However, I've got uni fees to cover, so it's still very important to save on my money. Personally, I've become quite stingy recently, but resisting the urge to impulse buy something I really want is still a challenge  Of course I occasionally buy things to reward my self, but I need to make sure I don't overdo it. So yes, managing money is definitely a struggle, but I'm very grateful for my current circumstances! ... View more

Hi @Pyrotechnic I'm so sorry you're going through that. I also went to a selective high school, so I'm familiar with how intense the academic pressure can be  If you feel like you need to reach out to someone, have you considered reaching out to your school councillor? Or someone else that you trust? Especially since you go to a selective high school, it'd be great to have someone you can share your concerns with.    I also noticed that you do 6 hours homework a day, which is a lot! If you ever feel overwhelmed by your work, it's alright to take a break and do some other things, like watching a tv show or playing some video games. These could also be great self-coping mechanisms, and I believe @Andrea-RO posted a link to a bunch of other ways to cope!   If you need more support or just want to talk, the ReachOut community is here for you  ... View more

@Hannah-RO haha glad I made you have a laugh  ... View more

Hey @mspaceK, we're here for you  I understand how you feel about finding work, I recently had a few job applications rejected and it was really frustrating and disheartening. And I'm sorry you're feeling this way, it's okay to take a break from adult life and do something that might be more relaxing or exciting. The pandemic has not been kind to us, so it's more than fine to be extra kind to ourselves during these uncertain and difficult circumstances. ... View more

Thanks so much for the chat guys, was an honour to hear your insights into adult life! Hope everyone learnt something through this chat, and I look forward to the next GR  ... View more