Last one for the week guys!         What does sharing your story mean to you?   Huge thank you to everyone who's shared in this GR, you're all so wonderful (tbh, everyone on RO is :P)   ... View more

@WheresMySquishy and @lennycat2017 that's really lovely that connecting this way with people you care about has brought you closer and helped build trust   Next question!   Have you connected with someone after sharing your story?   If you have shared your story, what advice would you give to someone who is wanting to share theirs?   I think we've shared a bit about the first question but i'm interested to hear what people say about the second :D   ... View more

We're on a roll guys! Here's the questions for Wednesday!   Has somebody ever shared part of their story with you? What was it like? How does finding out someone has a similar story to you make you feel?   ... View more

Tuesday Time! :D   What are some things that have held you back from sharing your story and talking about your experiences? ... View more

@queenP thanks so much for sharing that was really beautiful to read! i really love your answer to the second part, how sharing is connecting :D xx   Have you ever shared your story with somebody else? How did you feel before/during/after? I've been varying shades of open about my experiences with friends and family, and i think how i felt differed every time haha. What was really wonderful was confiding in friends with similar experiences and having them just get it, no questions needed. That was really comforting and made me feel super close to them It also meant that i could share things that other people might find alarming or scary, but that they just took at face value, which made me feel a lot better and more willing to potentially talk to a professional about it. I love them so much xx   Why do we share our experiences? What do we (the storyteller) get out of it? I really agree with queenP that we connect to people when we're open with them. We're able to ask for support and to offer support in return. Sharing can help show people that what they're going through is something other people have been able to recover from and can inspire hope   ... View more

Looking forward to this one! :D :)   Can't wait for the discussion to get going tomorrow!  ... View more

Hey @ilovehatevodka  I'm so sorry to hear that things have been really hard for you lately, and that you're struggling with the end of your relationship :( I know that substance use can be really hard to talk about because it's so stigmatised, but you're definitely not alone in using it as a coping mechanism for painful emotions Your mileage might vary for these suggestions (we're all different!) but i've found them pretty helpful, at least to get started... Do you think it would be possible not to keep any alcohol at home? (i know that's not always possible though ) i know for me having alcohol in the house meant drinking it even if i didn't plan/want to :/ You also mentioned drinking when you feel lonely or stressed, and sometimes it can be helpful to identify the emotions that trigger substance use, and then having an alternative activity you do instead. e.g. feeling stressed might mean you go for a run instead (bad example sorry, but the idea's there) or feeling lonely, so you might call a friend or chat with people here on ReachOut. It might be helpful to have a plan in place for when you know something's going to trigger a certain emotion too? e.g. tomorrow's going to be really stressful at work, what can I do to cope afterwards?   Do you think any of those could be helpful for you? I totally understand that not everything works for everyone   I've heard good things about the Daybreak app by Hello Sunday Morning, which could be worth a shot too? I'm pretty sure it's free for Australians. There's also Counselling Online , which has AOD phone and web support, and also has lots of self-help tips too that are helpful. Sending lots of support your way, we're always here to listen if you need it xx (PS i'm just going to add a TW to the title :) ) ... View more

@StuckInReverse welcome to RO Thank you so much for posting, from what you've mentioned I don't think anyone could blame you for feeling stuck and unsure. I can't imagine how frustrating things must be right now, particularly as you were taking the steps to press charges :( it sounds like you've had to carry this for a really long time, and it's definitely understandable that you're struggling with it @Tiny_leaf linked some really good support services up above, would you feel comfortable contacting one of them? I was also wondering if there was someone in your life you could reach out to for support right now as well? If you felt you could talk to them about what's been going on for you? Sending lots of support your way We're always here if you need someone to listen xx   ... View more

  That's such a beautiful way of describing change @TIL  You're so right, every individual journey is different and no one knows the road you're travelling but yourself, showing compassion for ourselves and others is also important, but at the end of the day you don't have to justify yourself continuously to others (you've really got a way with words by the way! that post was really evocative ) ... View more

hey @ZadieGeorgeRowling , thank you so much for posting I can hear how frustrating it is for you, to have your experiences and internal struggles dismissed as not being important, even if it's intended to be comforting. I really agree with you, the subtle prejudice the LGBT community faces alongside the overt hatred has really awful effects too :(  I'm a bit like you in that i've struggled a lot with shame and my identity, still do sometimes, and that shame was really reinforced by all of the thoughtless and 'not that bad' comments that i heard from those around me and the media.  It's definitely understandable that you really need your voice to be heard, and that sometimes you do things you don't necessarily enjoy, like lying, out of frustration, even if it's not ideal. You're only human I know you mentioned feeling pushed to the edges of the LGBT community (you're definitely right there, we've got some prejudices lurking of our own in a lot of LGBT spaces :( ), but i was wondering if you were linked in to any LGBT community groups? sometimes they have specific services/events etc. for people of colour to connect and speak about their experiences, do you think that might be worth giving a try? Even just generally i think there'd be a lot of people struggling with the same subtle day-to-day hurt that you do... I was also wondering if you've ever tried contacting Q-life? They've got a webchat and hotline, and i know lots of people on here have found them really helpful when dealing with identity struggles/homophobia/transphobia   Would love to keep hearing how you're doing xx ... View more

@statuscaring awesome thread idea! :D my version of a Monday is Saturdays usually, because i work weekends and need to amp myself up for that frequently. So i really love taking some time on Fridays to chill, do things i enjoy, and get ready for the next day. Then on Saturday mornings i listen to music that gets me up and ready to go :D ... View more

1. ran some errands, not very exciting but glad to have got them done 2. warm inside, rain sounds outside 3. tea :) ... View more

Today i practiced self care by drinking lots of lovely warm tea :) ... View more

@gina-RO it's been a fun one! i agree that when supporting anyone for any reason, taking time for self-care afterwards is really important! Personally I like to take some still time, just to reflect and sit in a peaceful moment. As for music genre... rock and metal all the way! :D ... View more

I've been absolutely blown away with what you've shared with us tonight @Bart-Livewire ! The work you do with Livewire is so important and so wonderful, and i'm really grateful for the opportunity to have learned more about what you guys do ... View more

good question @scared01! ... View more

@Bart-Livewire  i'm sure they could!   ... View more

@Bart-Livewire that's a really interesting intersection between your different careers! Music really is so good at connecting people, it transcends language! :D ... View more

@gina-RO  My twin has a chronic illness that has a lot of both physical and cognitive symptoms, and because it's a fairly invisible one sometimes people don't always keep that in mind :( Beyond just offering practical support for things that might aggravate her physical symptoms, I always try to make sure that i'm always checking in and conscious of how her illness affects her day to day life, because people can really belittle how hard she has to fight to do things they might take for granted :( @WheresMySquishy those are really lovely ways of showing your sister support I know my sister was really isolated too, she couldn't really attend school at all for almost a year and friends were checking in less and less as time went on. I agree with @gina-RO there, what @Bart-Livewire said sums it up perfectly. Being there ongoing is so key ... View more

@Bart-Livewire  it must be so rewarding and encouraging to see that kind of growth in confidence in users and their comfort with the service :D I really love organisations like RO and Livewire because they have that potential to reach people all over Australia and connect them with others going through similar things, even in really remote rural areas, there's so much potential for a really powerful impact ... View more

@Bart-Livewire that's really interesting, i've heard of livewire before, but only the online version! What kind of online chats do your run? (we're having an online chat about online chats....chat-ception :P) i really love the idea of everyone being able to play games in real time together i hope you feel a bit better @mspaceK ... View more

I'm really awesome, how are you? ... View more

Hi there @gina-RO and @Bart-Livewire !! :D ... View more

So exciting!! ... View more

I'm gonna head off for the night as well everyone, it was so awesome reading all of your responses ... View more

are you into the production side of things @indieinsanus ? ... View more

really good point, self-love is so important, you're the one who's always there at the end of things :D people are whole full stop, not having a romantic subplot to your life doesn't make it empty   ... View more

@indieinsanus agreed! more content with women that doesn't revolve around romance in 2019 please! (not that romance isn't epic too, but.. it's not everything :P) ... View more

Night @Hozzles , glad you had a great time! ... View more

Nice catching you @Puppies026 , hope you and @Esperanza67  have an awesome evening!!! ... View more