Great thread, @statuscaring!   Most of my weekends are spent either at work or doing Uni work  So I haven't been doing many fun or interesting activities as of late!    Although a few weekends ago, I did discover the beauty of exploring the city that I live in. I went to many of the places I hadn't been to before and saw things I never even knew where there, haha! It's amazing all the things we miss when we're not looking    ... View more

How did I not know this thread existed? I love a good book!    @Maddyw I love Greta Thunberg, I'll have to add this book to my list!  I just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, which I found a really insightful and thought-provoking read.  ... View more

Hey @Harleigh,    Wow, that sounds super rough. I can definitely understand where you are coming from - I had a very similar situation with one of my brothers when I was your age.     It can be so hard when we see our close family members go through rough times. We want the best for our family, and it can be really discouraging to see them go down paths that worry us. We try our best to remind them of what we think is good for them, and it can be especially frustrating when they don’t want to listen.   It sounds like you are a very resilient person, and are trying your best to do right by your brother. Do you have a parent or guardian that is helping you and your brother in this situation? Or any other trusted person that you could confide in? It could be useful to share your worries with a support person to ease your burden and ensure you’re not tackling this all on your own.   I think while it is great that you care so much about your brother, it is also important to think about how all this is affecting you. Remind yourself that it's okay to sometimes take a step back and focus on your own wellbeing and mental health  ... View more

Hey @Eden1717    I'm so sorry to hear you've been feeling this way  Trying to manage Uni work with other life stressors can be really challenging, I'm sure there are many people that can relate to this. You say you don't have any support, does your Uni have support services that you could access? Do you have any close family or friends that you could open up to?    It sucks that you've been waiting so long for a psychologist, that must be so frustrating! Have you tried any online or telephone counselling in the meantime?    You're definitely not bothering anyone, and you don't have to keep everything locked inside! We all experience some tough times every now and then, and we're all here for you  ... View more

You're welcome    I used to be the same! I always tried to squeeze in all my uni work into one day and try to get it all done. I found when I worked this way it got too overwhelming and I became annoyed with myself for not getting enough done. Obviously everyone is different and we all have different ways of doing things, but you just have to find what works best for you and find a your ideal balance between work/play.  I hope this advice works out well for you, let me know how you go!  ... View more

Hey there @BlueGreen   You are definitely not alone with this! I myself struggle with the sort of procrastination that you are experiencing, so I know how you feel. I often find myself putting things off until the last minute, then everything I need to do just piles up and becomes so overwhelming that I'm too anxious to get anything done!    When I am experiencing these feelings, I like to make a list of little things I can do each day (e.g. spend 1 hour working on an assignment, or read 1 paper) and just get it done before playing games or watching TV. Try to do just a little bit everyday (nothing too strenuous) and then before you know it, all the little things you have done throughout the week have added up to a pretty substantial amount of work done. Have you tried to do anything like this?    I hope this helps!  ... View more

Great activity, thanks @Jess1-RO! Quite relevant to me at the moment, as I have been struggling with my sleep! Definitely going to be taking some of the tips here    Do you have any tips for improving sleep hygiene? Staying off your phone right before going to bed (I am guilty of this!). Time can really get away from you if you're playing games or just scrolling endlessly through social media. Try not to eat too close to bedtime. I find that when I eat too late at night, I have too much energy when trying to sleep.  Make sure you have a comfortable and clean space to sleep in. I find it a lot easier to get to sleep when my bed is clean and made. Also if you can, invest in a good quality pillow! While I really love the idea of going to bed at the same time every night and setting an alarm for the same time every morning, I work different shifts and cannot always do this! For anyone else in this position, I find it useful to keep sleep as consistent as possible!  What will you try this week to improve your sleep? I have been trying to stay off my phone and instead read a book before going to bed. I find reading really helps me relax and puts me in a mood to sleep. I just have to remember to stop checking my phone right before I go to bed!  ... View more

Great topic!   I personally think it’s a really great idea. While I don’t really use Instagram much these days, I did when I was younger. And I cared a lot more about likes back then compared to now. It was always a source of stress and anxiety uploading something to Instagram, just hoping enough people would like it. It’s definitely a good thing that people won't have to feel that kind of stress when uploading pictures anymore, they can just get creative and upload the things they want to.   I think it definitely eliminates the element of competition with other users. Not being able to see how many likes another person got will mean not being able to make comparisons. However I do agree with @Maddy-RO all these problems of comparison can also arise with number of followers! At the end of the day, I think that in this day and age, even though it has its problems, social media is here to stay. So I think that even small changes such as this can be a big step forward. ... View more

It's totally ok to not be fine, and real friends will understand that    It's amazing that you're getting prepped for the future! Can never start too early, the time will definitely fly  It's great that you have a good idea of what you want to do, with so many options as well. I still have no clue what I want to do yet!    I hope you have a great time at youth group tonight, even though your go-to person won't be there. Maybe think of it as an opportunity to make a new friend?  ... View more

Hey @xXLexi_Lou122Xx    I saw your post about how you were feeling in another thread and I thought I would respond to your post here. It sucks that you're feeling this way. Some people can be really mean and say really awful things. It is understandable that you didn't feel comfortable confiding in your friends. Sometimes it is easier to just say you're fine than open up to others. But bottling things up is not always helpful, especially if you hate lying. Have you tried telling your friends how you feel before? They might be more understanding than you think.   Also I think it's really great you want to be a psychologist. I also study psychology, and it is a really great degree, don't give up!  ... View more

I love this idea! Thanks for the tag, @Jess1-RO. Reflecting on positive memories can be really soothing and fulfilling. I'm a really nostalgic person as well, so I find I am often reflecting on memories and past experiences.   Recently a childhood friend of mine got engaged, and even though I had not seen her in a while, I was invited to her engagement party. This inspired me to look upon all the old pictures and videos of the two of us. A particular favourite activity of ours was creating dances and skits and putting on shows for our families. Thankfully my dad kept all these videos! Watching them all was really special for me, as it reminded me of how much fun we used to have, and how great our friendship was. It was a really great reflection and provided all the warm and fuzzy feelings!        ... View more

Cool theme! My inner child is delighted!    Hot potato, mashed banana, or cold spaghetti? Has to be the hot potato dance, such a classic!   What colour car do you drive? (If you don't drive, what colour would your dream car be?) Silver.   Can you point your fingers and do the twist? Sure can. (Had to make sure, though. It's been a while)   What's your favourite thing to put in a fruit salad? (Yummy, yummy!) Oooh, tough one. I love all fruit. Apple is essential but pineapple makes a fruit salad even more delish.    If you were a pirate, what would your name be? According to the pirate name generator, my name would be Barracuda Bart?! hahaha ... View more