super cute idea @mrmusic    will report back on my endeavours :P  @drpenguin i love that smiling at someone made you feel less stressed and happier! Such a win-win :D  ... View more

Really looking forward to seeing all of the awesome chats for this Mental Health Month @Jess1-RO ! I was looking through the 10/10 Mental Health Promise to reduce stigma yesterday, and my mental health promise was to check in with my friends and let them know i'm here to listen ... View more

Because we touched on so many different family changes, and the repercussions they can have in other areas of our lives, I thought i'd pop together some different resources to have a look at! Some of it is ReachOut content, and some is external websites and hotlines For Dealing with divorce and custody and How to cope with your parents' divorce, RO has some really helpful articles and infographics to get started. It's got some tips for communicating what you need and how to feel more in control amongst other advice!   There's also the brilliant resources for young carers that @WheresMySquishy linked, which i'll post again so it's all here too There's also the CarerGateway hotline  1800 422 737. I think there's also potentially a callback and counselling service available through this service too, not sure if anyone has any experience using this service?   There's lots of advice for coping with bullying here, which also has suggestions for building a Bullying Action plan and methods of coping We're also always here to talk things through as well! RO has some starting points for moving out of home and moving away to study  which could be worth taking a peek at for ideas! :D    To be able to talk to someone about anything that's been going on, whether to do with family changes or not, there's also: Lifeline 13 11 14  Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (their tagline is Anytime. Any Reason. So there's no reason too small to get in contact with them! ) eheadspace   If anyone has any more resources feel free to add them! :D  ... View more

@drpenguin I love that! Sounds like an awesome change coming home after four years! :D I really like your comments there, about how change is always happening, whether big or small. Really good point about giving yourself the space and time you need to process and adapt to change, rather than forcing yourself to cope right away! If anyone's missed out on this chat during the week by the way, no stresses! You're more than welcome to keep chatting on this topic over the weekend too! Would love to hear what you all think! ... View more

Last set of questions for this week's GR guys! It's been awesome hearing your thoughts/experiences! It's not an easy topic for sure, so lots of hugs to you all xx   What can we learn from change? As a person and as a family?   and to end on a good note! Has there been a big change in your family that's been positive?  e.g.  birth of a sibling  :D ... View more

Those are some awesome resources @WheresMySquishy ! Thank you so much for sharing them! I agree that the internet has lots of 'miracle recoveries', which kind of vary between being hope inspiring and being just way too good to be true, you know? It's hard to sift through! Glad that some of the information you've found has been helpful in explaining your own conditions and your family's. I think you're definitely right there, it seems like there's lots of variation depending on what kind of information/support you're looking for!   @xXLexi_Lou122Xx alllll the gifs! :D  I'm so sorry to hear that these transitions have been really hard to work through :( It sounds like there was a lot going on all at once How have you been finding the start of the new term? Big hugs your way! @Pasta having so many changes in such a short period of time sounds so so frustrating and really overwhelming It sounds like it's left a lot of difficult emotions that are really hard to work through :( Is there anything that helps when you're feeling upset and angry, that's a safer outlet for how you're feeling? I know some people do things like scream into a pillow as a way or releasing negative emotions, would something like that work for you? @Bee I agree with you times a million with everything you said about communication! We really run the risk of assuming we know how people are feeling and thinking when we're not communicating, and oftentimes we're not quite on the money with our assumptions! That's when really big misunderstandings start happening :/ Also really agree that it's just as important to listen as it is to be heard. Very frustrating talking to someone and having what you say go in one ear and out the other!  ... View more

Thursday Time! How can we keep open communication going through times of change in the family? Why is this so important?    ... View more

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   ... View more

@Bananatime04 my heart hurts for you reading your response, i can't imagine how that must have felt and still feels :( do you get to see your brothers often or are able to contact them much? Sending you a massive virtual hug xx    @drpenguin so glad that moving country has ended up being a really positive step for you in terms of independence,and growth, but it sounds like it was a really tough transition! Making the decision to study in another country where you don't yet speak the language fluently is beyond brave and so admirable! :D   @Maryhadalittlelamb ahh that sounds like a really big change, having an older sib move out makes the house feel so much emptier! :( Do you guys still chat with each other a bit to catch up with what's going on? xx   @WheresMySquishy ah gosh that sounds super frustrating, having your concerns ignored or brushed aside! :( You put in so much love and care and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that you'll be able to get the respite you need     @Bre-RO that sounds like a lot of adjusting! With getting used to people being there and then having to say goodbye and be used to them being gone   @Esperanza67 that's such a beautiful way of describing your family, as one heart I'm glad it was whole again after a few months ... View more

Hey Guys! Happy Monday! It's time for the first question to kick off this GR! :D    Have you had any changes in your family that have had an impact on you? How did it make you feel at the time? Examples include: - living away from home for the first time, - new step-parents, - parents separating, - family transitions, - changes in parents' careers, - illness of parent, relative or sibling, - being a young carer But that's by no means a comprehensive list!      I'm going to tag a bunch of peeps, but please feel free everyone to join in on the discussion! :D   @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @Bananatime04 @Maryhadalittlelamb @Pasta @not-an-otter @Tiny_leaf @WheresMySquishy @lennycat2017 @scared01 @Bee @mrmusic @Esperanza67 @drpenguin @reach804 @Sam9631 @Milkninja222 @katurian @Hozzles @queenP @Decal21 @MisoBear @mspaceK  ... View more

@reach804 that sounds like a really good way of maintaining work-life balance :D  ... View more

@xXLexi_Lou122Xx i'm not sure if this is helpful at all, but if i'm starting to get exhausted from study stress i try to take a day/half-day (if possible) where I have a complete brain break from study, and focus on something else entirely, not sure if that might also work for you? I know taking a day off can make you feel behind and so isn't always helpful...  ... View more

@drpenguin 10 mins a day sounds like a really manageable and gentle way of getting back into a hobby! Rather than trying to spend 2 hours practicing and then being exhausted and not coming back to it for a long time   I've been working my way up by reading a short story each day for the past little bit, to get back in the habit of reading :)  ... View more

Thanks so much for chatting with us @Roxy879!!! :D    ... View more

@Jess1-RO just that it was really nice to hear everyone's different experiences and ways of dealing with study stress We're definitely a varied bunch :D It's nice to get tips i've never even thought of! ... View more

@Jess1-RO that's putting it perfectly :heat: ... View more

@Roxy879 thank you so much for sharing those reflections and experiences with us! It's such an important reminder that there are ways and ways of getting to where you're meant to be, a failed assessment now doesn't mean it's the end! ... View more

@WheresMySquishy ooo good point about balancing study stress with other stressors! ... View more

How can someone manage the stress of studying for future assessments when they failed previous ones? What advice would you have for someone who is concerned about failure?   In this scenario it can be helpful to figure out what might have gone a bit wrong the last time. Did you not understand the task? Did you not leave yourself enough time? Was the study method you used not right for you? (it can take some experimenting!) If possible it might be helpful to talk to your teacher/tutor and be honest about your concerns, see if they have any constructive criticism or advice for the next assessment :)  ... View more

@Roxy879 true! It varies by person, and even by subject! I feel like it's also possible to overstudy material sometimes, where you aren't really progressing any further even if you keep on studying. That's why when people say things like, spend an hour studying for each hour in class it's not all that useful. It's a bit like asking how long's a piece of string :P  (also lmaooooooo) ... View more

@WheresMySquishy i'm just imagining everyone in this discussion singing while they post ... View more

@Roxy879 love love love those suggestions!   Getting up and moving is my go to stress-relief as well! :D Just physically detaching myself from my desk and going for a walk helps me calm down and reapproach my work with a much clearer head! Sometimes it's like my brain is planning without me realising and I'm much more directed as well   Another de-stress during studying is to move everything I don't need off my desk and onto the floor so I don't feel trapped, cluttered, or like i'm drowining in paper! Visually having less in front of me reduces how much it feels like I have to do straight away!   @WheresMySquishy naps are so so good!  ... View more

@scared01 getting smaller things out of the way is so satisfying and such a relief! :D ... View more

@Roxy879 love that point you can only do what you can do   @WheresMySquishy OneNote is life! :D ... View more

@Roxy879 totally relate there!  I know myself, and I never check my diary lol. So i write it wherever i might remember it I've been having a lot of success writing on stickies and putting them on the cupboard door or light switch, with the downside that sometimes they all fade into the background or there's too many of them! I've been tring to set reminders in my phone too.    @Jess1-RO to break down tasks i like to divide e.g. essays into 'thinking time' 'writing time' and 'editing time' For me researching and planning is the most stressful so I try get that out of the way, so that later I can calmly write everything up and then check again at a later date. I know once I get that initial research/planning out of the way, my stress levels drop wayyy down! ... View more

@Roxy879 really agree with that advice! sometimes writing down a big to do list is helpful and sometimes it's like   way too overwhelming!  @WheresMySquishy working bit by bit really does make things feel less frantic!  To try combat study stress when i'm time poor i try to prioritise based on what's most urgent and what's most important, so that I know i have my bases covered. Trying to stay organised with my materials, notes, and due dates helps too :D  ... View more

@Roxy879 i'm so sorry to hear that were put in such an awful position :( So glad leaving has been so positive for you ... View more

So glad i could catch this chat! :D looks amazing so far!   @Roxy879 it's so cool hearing about your study experiences and getting your insights! I agree that the body's always trying to tell you things, it's just hard to understand sometimes! Almost like we need an interpreter   ... View more