Perhaps some background information about myself might help...   Throughout school, I knew what I wanted to be in life; to be an Officer in the Australian Army.   To become an officer, you can either go through the Royal Military COllege of Duntroon, which qualifies you in 18 months but without a degree, or go through the Australian Defence Force Academy, which takes 3 years for a degree, then 12 months at RMC.    I got into ADFA. I spent two years as an Officer Cadet in the Australian Army, well on my way to becoming an Officer in the Army. But some personal issues happened at the end of last year that made me leave. So I moved back home and enrolled into a normal university.    So my issue is about motivation when I no longer have a goal in mind. After having been accepted into one of the most difficult training institutions in the country, what now? ... View more

Wow...    Don't give up on shrinks (psychologists). There may be a good reason why your friend hasn't returned any calls or messages. But don't let her actions reflect the entire psycholigcal profession. I know some shrinks, and they're are absolutely fantastic people.    But don't let her departure unravell all the good work you've done. With her help to connect and trust again, she may have helped you, but you did all the work. You learnt ot rust on your own, so own that! It's yours! You did that! No one can take that from you. Your success wasn't based on her presence.    It may seem like you're on your own, but you won't be. Not forever. Perhaps, take this time to become confident with yourself, without having to rely on support from other people. Become your own support. Rely on yourself.    And every now and then, call 1800 55 1800. I see people posting about this number and some forums on this site all the time. They're some confidential support line. I'm sure they could give you some help.   But wake up tomorrow, and take a long look in a mirror. What you'll see, will be your "before" shot. So start picturing your "after" shot, of how an independant, self-reliant woman would look like.    - J ... View more

Hey Sofia   You're doing all the right things. Keep talking to counsellors, friends etc, keep doing those positive things your doing.   But start thinking about your ideal self. What you want to look like, sound like, act like etc... Imagine yourself as the picture of perfect health, both physical and mental.    Now think about what that person would do on a daily basis. What would their life be like? How would they wake up in the morning, eat lunch, hang out with friends etc? If it helps, write it down, and be as detailed as possible. The more you can envision your perfect self, the easier it will be for you to become your ideal self.   Once you have your self in mind, start acting like her. If your ideal self is intelligent, start researching random but interesting topics online. If you ideal self is fit and healthy, start a fitness program and eat right. If your perfect self is social, start doing the social activities that your ideal self would be interested in.   But you're doing a fantastic job already. This is all just a suggestion, but what you're doing already is working and it will show great results.   That's my 2cents, hope it helped.   - J ... View more

A good way to get warm in winter... is start a workout program.   Now for some, the idea of waking up early when its cold, putting on the gym clothes and heading outside is just... no.   But once you get active, start moving the body around you begin to warm up. Also, if you're up early enough, you see the sunrise and on a cold winter morning, that's pretty spectacular. If you can coax a friend out of their bed to join you, you can both get fit and healthy for when summer comes around, so you and them can hit the beaches in your new toned bodies.   - J ... View more

Ouch!   Sorry to hear, but i sympathise.    People can be strange at times, and she may have her reasons. It sounds like she changed a bit wherever she went to.   Hope it all works out well for you. You'll find plenty of friends on here if you want to chat.   - J ... View more

Nay   I didn't take a gap yr, I went and studied a diploma instead. The work load was much less than yr 12, but it still gave me something to do, and I was learning SOMETHING whilst doing it. Also looks good to uni's.    It was easy to fit in some part-time work, my hobbies and seeing friends. So win-win-win :) Plus you can do a diploma in anything! And they're generally only 12 months, so not exactly a long-term commitment.    That's my 2cents, hope it helps.   - J ... View more

lol, nice... also true :P   Doris draws cartoon characters on herself, then re-enacts the tv show. ... View more

And I'll get this going...   Jay tries to make words out of number plates when driving... ... View more

Hey BD   This sounds serious.    But keep on living.    Nobody ever said life was easy.   There's a reason for that. If life was easy, there would be nothing to work for, nothing to fight for and nothing to live for. It's the pain that reminds us to put one foot in front of the other, to keep travelling the thousand mile road to a destination we might not be able to see.    But if we only have one crack at this, let's have fun with it. :) Let's test the waters a bit, see what happens and make something of it. If you're a gamer, then life is like any good RPG out there (Skyrim, WoW, San Andreas) but with only one health bar. If you're a sport person, then this will be the longest game of your life, but play to win.    But there's only so much I can convey in one forum post. So give someone a call. There's a lifeline number, which I think is 1800 55 1800, but you might want to google that. Find someone who will listen, and tell them everything! Vent, vent and vent!   That's my 2cents, hope it helps.   - J ... View more

Hey BB   You know there's no problem just being upset. Sometimes it's irrational, random and completely un-called for. But if you feel better afterwards, let it out.   To me it seems like you've posted online for someone to tell you how to stop, or to tell you why you're upset. Now, there might be a reason why, and I'm sure we could help you through it. But be open to just letting off some steam. Perhaps something happened today that just got to you and you want to vent or get upset about it. That's totally cool.   But look after yourself. You've only got one body, and it functions like it does for a reason. The fun part is learning about it, and working out what you want to do with it.    That's my 2cents, hope it helps.   - J ... View more