Hi @unwind! Welcome back to the forums! I'm glad you find them to be a safe space to share your thoughts. :) Friendships can be so complicated, and no matter the reason a friendship has to end, it can be so sad and tough to lose a friend. :( I can't tell you whether blocking your friend was the right decision, but it sounds like it was a hard choice to make, especially as you had a lot of good times together. I wouldn't know what to make of the way your friend acted either. It sounds like his behaviour was really confusing. If I were in your shoes, I would also feel hurt and drained. It sounds like you made an effort to chat to him about how you feel, but he wasn't willing to take responsibility for the way that he acted. That's sad, but you probably did all you could to repair the friendship. How are you feeling now that you've blocked him? Sometimes, when I'm feeling upset over the loss of a toxic friendship, I try to think about the reasons why the friendship had to end and the positives I'm experiencing, such as less drama and feeling less anxious. It's also important to take time out to focus on yourself and allow yourself to feel any emotions that arise. What are some things you've done in terms of self-care since then? We have an article about how to deal with a friendship break up you might find helpful. ... View more

Hi @xXLexi_Lou122Xx! It feels like it's been ages since we last chatted. I'm sorry I haven't been on as much as I'd like to. I hope everything goes well with the performance. It's understandable you would be really anxious about it. I used to get a lot of anxiety about having to present in front of other people, but some of my teachers were understanding when I told them how I felt. It's good that the teacher offered to get someone to check in with you, but it's frustrating that no one has done that yet. :( If someone does end up chatting to you, would it help to ask them about what kinds of things can stay confidential and when do they have to tell someone? Confidentiality would be important to me too. I hope you can feel better soon. ... View more

Ekans ... View more

Urchin ... View more

Arrowroot ... View more

Who else is excited for Turkey Day on Thursday? I always seemed to miss the event in other Animal Crossing games. I mostly remember the Gamecube version of it. ... View more

Yesterday, I had some pasta in a tomato and capsicum sauce for dinner. :) I'm still deciding what to have today. I think we might be getting Thai. ... View more

I think this is a super important conversation to have. I think an ally may not completely understand what it is like to be a part of a particular group, but they can still try their best to be supportive. This can include listening to what the people of that group want, creating opportunities for them to have their say, standing alongside them in events and raising awareness. I have lots of friends who are from underrepresented groups and I think just being their friend can make a big difference. I know that as a young carer, I have often felt like I was going through the experience alone because there wasn't much opportunities to meet other young carers or people who were willing to support me. So I think just showing that you care about someone can go a long way and it doesn't have to be anything big. :) ... View more

@Janine-RO  I think she'll like it! It's mostly aimed at kids but I have no idea how some of the kids are able to guess the fibber better than I am. I can only tell when it's a topic that I know well. I feel like anyone who likes guessing games (e.g., The Masked Singer, etc.) will like it. ... View more

Welcome back @musicfan_xo! It's great to hear from you again! :) Happy birthday! You've made some amazing progress and it sounds like you've achieved so much since I last chatted with you. Well done! :) ... View more

We will miss you so much @Jess1-RO! Thank you for all you've done to support builders and mods over the last few years. You have made a difference to so many people. It's so sad to see you go, but I know you will be amazing in your new role. SANE is lucky to have you. Goodbye and thank you! :) ... View more

Hi @kutekitty01! Welcome to the forums! It's really awesome of you to come onto the forums to find advice about how you can best support your friend. She's lucky to have you in her life. You may not know it, but you being there for her may have already made a big difference for her. I echo the other comments in this thread. I think it's important to keep in mind that Bob may or may not be ready to discuss what's happening in her life at the moment. Speaking from my own experience, I've found that it can really help to continue acting like a friend and doing things that friends would usually do with each other rather than keeping every conversation focused on their feelings. What are some things that you enjoy doing with Bob? How do you think she would react if you suggested doing more of those things with her? At the same time, it must be so worrying to have a friend who might be going through a tough time. I would have also felt concerned by her responses if I were her friend. How are you coping with all of this? ... View more

Hi @raineghjkl! Welcome to the forums! It sounds like you're feeling frustrated with your boyfriend's drinking, which is understandable, especially as you have a child on the way. I'm glad that he cares about you, but at the same time, it must be so exhausting that he's so dependent on you. You sound like a really caring person who has done all they can to support him. I can understand you being on the fence about whether or not you want to continue the relationship. It sounds like a really tough decision to make. :( How do you think your relationship would change if your boyfriend drank less? If you told him about your concerns, how do you think he would respond? ... View more

This is such a great thread! Thanks for making it @hunginc. :) One thing I have learned about myself this year is that I can be flexible. When something doesn't go my way, I often have to adapt and find something else that I can do instead. This could be something like finding a fun activity to do indoors due to not being able to go outdoors, finding services that will come to me or finding new professionals and supports when we haven't been able to access others. Although one door may be closed, other avenues might open up or still be available. I have also learned that people can be really altruistic and find a lot of ways to help out during a time of crisis. I love reading good news stories about people finding new ideas to stay positive and show others that they care. I also love seeing so many new builders stepping in to support others on the forums this year. You guys rock! :) ... View more

@Tiny_leaf  I'm so sorry your mum said those things about you. :( If I were in your shoes, I would be upset too. I can totally understand your symptoms flaring up as a result. With my sister, her emotions are often linked to her FND and pain. So if she's feeling sad or stressed, her symptoms get worse too. It can be a really hard thing to cope with because sometimes we don't have much control of whether or not bad things happen. I've found that with my sister and I, it can also be hard to find things that calm us down if we're really upset with what someone has said to us. I just wanted you to know that our whole forums community does not see you as a burden. Despite going through such a tough time yourself, you still find the strength to help others who are struggling on here. I think that you're really empathetic and although you might not always know the impact you've had on other people, I'm sure that you being on here, checking in on people and validating their feelings is enough to make them feel better. Your support has meant a lot to me in the past. I don't think that you're being selfish for needing the support you need. I've often been told similar things with regards to my own health. For example, I've been told that I shouldn't get my parents to come with me to my appointments even if they offer to or want to come themselves. Almost all the time, the people who say these things are lucky to not have health issues or disabilities themselves and I think they take their independence and good health for granted. Almost everyone will experience ill health or disability at some point in their lives and some of us are just unlucky enough to experience it earlier than others. I hope you can manage to get through the schoolwork! Studying can be so boring. ... View more

@Eden1717  I think it's understandable that you're worried about whether the doctor will believe you, given what you've experienced in the past. I know from my own experiences that it can be hard to find doctors who take your concerns seriously and sometimes we have to keep looking for the right professional for us. Sometimes, I have found it hard to open up to professionals because I am afraid of how they will respond too. I try to tell myself that the more information I give them, the more it will help them find the right treatment for me. There have also been times where I've given feedback to them or asked to be referred to someone else if I feel as though I'm not being listened to. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot at the moment. :( I agree with @Lost_Space_Explorer5  and @MB95 that your health and wellbeing is more important than grades. Universities are often quite flexible and failing your classes doesn't necessarily mean that you have to give up on your career ambitions. I know that some universities can offer a non-graded pass if you show how your studies have been impacted by things outside of your control. I hope everything goes well with the psychiatrist appointment. ... View more

Thanks so much again @Saltwaterdreamtime! Discussions like this one are so important. I hope we can have more of them in the future. Have a goodnight everyone! :) ... View more

We're so lucky to have you here in our community @Saltwaterdreamtime! You bring so much to it. This AMAA is only one such example. Thank you for chatting to us tonight! :) I really liked what you said about recognising everyone's different experiences. It has really helped me to consider that I might not know what someone is going through or how they might interpret something I tell them. ... View more

That's so true @Saltwaterdreamtime. Often when you're caring for someone, it can be easy for the relationship to turn into more of a patient-carer relationship rather than the relationship you had with them before. It's important to do fun things with them too. :) ... View more

I'm on Darug land right now and we get some animals and lots of nature, but I sure wish we had echidnas and dolphins close to us! ... View more

It's so cool that you're surrounded by so much nature @Saltwaterdreamtime! :) ... View more

@Hozzles  I think that's so true. Something can be well-intended but it might not actually be very practical or helpful for the people it was actually designed for. I also think it's important to look at people's different experiences rather than treating whole groups of people as having the same experience. ... View more

I have also heard people say those sorts of comments @Saltwaterdreamtime. They're so horrible. :( I'm sorry you have to deal with so much racism. ... View more

@Saltwaterdreamtime  That reminds me of one of our friends. She and her family arrived in Australia as refugees. A kind couple took in a lot of refugees, including them, and helped them out with money and property. They still kept in touch as adults and she considered them her foster grandparents. It's amazing that compassionate people like that exist and I'm glad they looked after you. ... View more

What you said about family is so true @Saltwaterdreamtime. It can be a real struggle to find people who are supportive of you, even if they are your family. A lot of people don't understand that family members can be toxic or unsupportive if they haven't experienced something like that themselves. I'm glad that you've managed to find people who really have your back. :) ... View more

@Saltwaterdreamtime  That's such a great response! It's awesome that you find ways to connect with your culture everyday. I think it's wonderful that schools are providing young Indigenous people more opportunities to have their voices heard and their needs addressed. ... View more

We had a staff member like that at my second high school @Saltwaterdreamtime. She was a teacher but she had set up a group for people to learn more about Indigenous culture and for Indigenous students to connect with each other. I think I went to one of the meetings and it was really valuable. ... View more

I agree with you @Saltwaterdreamtime. I think Indigenous culture should be covered more in schools. ... View more