What a wonderful subject! It’s so important to talk about men’s mental health.    1. I think we can promote men’s mental health with checking in on men. Like the “R U OK” campaign - ask the men in our lives, fathers, sons, boyfriends, male friends, male co-workers etc. if they are ok. Ask them if they are concerned about something, ask if there’s anything we can do to help. Importantly just start talking to them about it. Making sure men’s mental health becomes more “normalised” and lose its stigma that it has to be kept silent.    2. I asked a few men in my life - my dad, brother in law, male friends. It went really well! I checked in and made sure they were ok and asked about their life. I was clear that I was wanting to check on them and that it’s important to ask everyone about their mental health including promoting mens. They expressed that they were grateful for me asking. So I think it was a very positive step towards promoting men’s mental health.  ... View more

This is a really great theme for this year!   As a tennis fan I learnt that Eva Goolagong former world number 1 in the 70s launched the "Eva Goolagong Getting Started" program for young girls. She is very inspiring and invested in giving everyone an equal chance.  ... View more

Sorry to hear you’re feeling this way @Hennie    I went through a similar thing a few years ago, I feel like I didn’t have enough friends and that I was lonely even though I was mostly around people. I think what helps is keeping busy, so keep yourself busy by doing chores and other jobs so you spend less time concentrating on your feelings of being alone. Spend time with friends when they aren’t busy and continue to build deeper connections. Sometimes when I feel alone even if my friend is busy it’s nice to be on a deeper level with them where I can have a 5 or 10 min talk or text conversation with them about how I’m feeling.   Regarding your question on how to make friends, I would think of something you love doing and join a social group in the activity. Social groups are an amazing way to meet people and make new friends. Also I think there are Facebook groups for people who want to make new friends and they do a range social activities every week!    Hopefully this helps! And remember you’re not alone on Reachout! I think feeling alone is a common thing people experience after leaving school and when big transitions happen in life. But keep smiling and remember there will always be someone there for you :)  ... View more

Today I practiced self care by doing a bit of shopping as I haven’t shopped in ages! ... View more

Ahh I love this question! Sometimes I can so overwhelmed if I have a really busy week ahead, sometimes it prevents me from getting to sleep because my mind is going a million miles. But I try my best to plan plan plan. I used to think I wasn’t leaving any space to be spontaneous by planning so much but I actually started to plan free time where I could be spontaneous and realised I don’t love being that spontaneous anyway hahah. I usually note all my work times, appts, meetings etc in my calendar at the beginning of the week and then plan out on paper all my other work and chores. I sometimes plan it to the hour because it relaxes me to know I can fit in everything and get everything done. But I always leave space for things to go wrong and to have down time for self care.  ... View more

Hey @aebarrie12  this is a great question that I think a lot of people would have gone through, so you’re definitely not alone!    It can be really awkward when you have a connection with someone and then things go south. I know this first hand and it took me ages to get over what happened. But I think it comes down to you as a person, if you can move past the bad things that happened and want to build some sort of connection (even just as friends) with her by talking to her, there’s a chance she can too! Time is really important in these situations, feelings relating to bad situations usually diminish after time, depending on the situation of course.    My advice would be give it a go and start a conversation with her. Try your best to put your thoughts aside of what she may think about you because sometimes we overthink in these situations. But of course only when you’re ready and comfortable, maybe try talking to her. Hope this helps! ... View more

@scared01 sounds wonderful!    Today I practiced self care by going to the gym and spending most of the day catching up on tv shows. It's my day off work so I'm making the most of it! ... View more

Hey @Lonelyboy17 the most important thing about moving on is giving it time. I know that kind of sucks but maybe try practicing patience. Distracting yourself with friends, family and work is really helpful. Putting your focus on something else may help your mind not wander and think about the girl. Hope this helps :)  ... View more

Love this thread @blobby    As my username may suggest I kinda love food haha   1. Favourite food in terms of a meal would have to be mexican - I love tacos and burritos, but pasta and asians cuisine are very close seconds. Favourite snack is mac and cheese or any kind of baked good (especially donuts!). Favourite lolly are sour worms. Favourite chocolate is a classic snickers.   2. Least favourite food is ginger! I can't stand anything with ginger in it including stir fry, curry etc. I also dislike bacon, avocado, and most cheeses. Least favourite lolly is definitely liquorice! Least favourite chocolate is anything mint chocolate.   3. I hate the avocado food trend. As someone who dislikes avocado... everything is now served with it.   4. I love sushi! I prefer sushi trains or restaurants as opposed to little sushi shops in shopping centres but I'd still eat it any day.   5. Oooo I'd have coffee ice-cream with snickers chunks all through it, marshmallows and cheesecake bites - YUM! ... View more

@gina-RO Almost!! I did number 1 and 3 (lit a scented candle and watched cute animal videos haha) but I didn’t do trivia or general knowledge ahhh. I’ll have to do better next time!    Love this thread though  ... View more

@mspaceK How was the movie? What did you see?   @scared01 A quiet and relaxing weekend is also so nice   I looking forward to my sister's baby shower on the weekend! Can't wait to meet the little one when she arrives. ... View more

What a great post @mspaceK    So I got off to a slow start today but here's what I plan to do...   1. I'm going to go to the gym today - I try to go to the gym as often as I can because it makes me feel positive about myself and allows me to relax and focus on what I am actually doing at the gym for a good hour or so. So it's like a little escape for me.   2. Today is also my chore day. As I have the day off work, I am going to do some washing, grocery shopping and cleaning. While I don't find these activities very exciting, they have to be done and it also makes me feel good and organised when they get done.   Keen to hear other people's activities for the day! ... View more

Me too! You're not alone in the chocolate department @letitgo @scared01 I have been eating wayyy to much easter chocolate hahah.   But besides the chocolate, today I practiced self care by taking the public holiday to organise and clean my house... I find it relaxing to have everything clean and tidy. ... View more

@letitgo so sorry to hear that :(  that's really hard to go through but I'm glad you have another job and you're right you can move on from that other job.     ... View more

Hey @Phantom1105 I am terribly sorry to hear about your loss. Losing a family member is one of the hardest things to go through. How are you doing recently? That's really good that your school counsellor and psychologist are helping, talking about emotions can really give us some clarity and a sense of relief. Even though it may feel like your friends don't understand, it is really good that you are open with your emotions. It may just take some time for both you and your friends to adjust and with the pressures of high school it can be really difficult. Maybe you could suggest a fun activity that you like doing? (e.g. movies, putt putt, bowling, going out for breakfast/lunch etc.) That way you can focus on the activity and enjoy your time with your friends. Hope this suggestion helps :) ... View more

I got three in the one post:   1. light a scented candle  2. trivia, general knowledge and brain teasers 3. watching videos of cute animals   I love all of these, will definitely be doing them :) ... View more

@N1ghtW1ng  where do I even begin haha. Pretty much any reality show... my guilty pleasure. At the moment I’m enjoying medical shows - good doctor, resident, new Amsterdam. But my all time favourites are probably gossip girl, dynasty and the fosters. What are some of yours? ... View more

@gmusicj I can really relate to this, I used to struggle with this years ago. I found that the best thing to do was make the house feel "busy" as @Eden1717  suggested. So what I would do is: -turn on quite a few lights in the house so no areas around me were dark, -turn the tv on and have the sound at a volume that you would normally if your family/friends were at your house, -call your parents, a relative, or a friend every half an hour or hour and that might calm your anxiety just by talking to someone and making you feel less alone, -I would usually watch a light-hearted comedy movie or my favourite tv show to lighten my own mood and I would watch it until I was pretty much falling asleep as a distraction, -order or cook your favourite food so you have something exciting to look forward to, -plan to do an activity (maybe your favourite at-home hobby?)   I hope all or at least some of these suggestions help! Whenever I would have to be home alone I would sometimes get so nervous and anxious that I would sit and worry all night. But as I started to do some of these activities, the night actually kind of became fun and time went really quickly, I also started looking forward to being home alone! Remember when the night comes, you can always come onto to RO and have a chat to someone as well. Hope it all goes well :) Keep us updated! ... View more

@mrmusic what a great post! I think it’s so important to raise awareness for many disabilities and particularly ASD as it affects so many.    1. I have completed courses at uni and completed trainings so I am fairly familiar with ASD. I thought it was a genetic disorder (gene mutation) however the cause is unknown and there is no cure. It is more prevalent in males than females. Every person with ASD is completely different. Their behaviour is different, their functioning is different and their coping mechanisms are different. I think it can be extremely hard to identify someone with ASD without education or training.    2. Three of my cousins have ASD and they are quite high functioning.    3. I think educating the community on ASD is so important for inclusivity. Not necessarily training people to identity ASD or related traits but educating people on the diversity of ASD. I think that the more people know about the disorder, the more they can accept it and learn to potentially recognise others who may have it and understand why their behaviour may be seen at times as “different”.   Acceptance can be hard but it is definitely not impossible. We should all strive for acceptance and knowledge of ASD as well as many other disorders. Spread the word of Autism Acceptance Month and let’s try to educate the community about ASD!  ... View more

@Bananatime04 I struggle with hobbies too! But here are some of mine:   1. Watching tv shows (this is a big one haha) 2. Exercising - I mostly go to the gym but I want to start going for walks and runs now that the weather is not so hot  3. Cooking/baking  4. Sometimes reading  ... View more

Today I smiled because I caught up with friends who I hadn’t seen in a while and had a fantastic breakfast ... View more

@DIVYA I am very jealous, going to the beach is my absolute favourite activity! ... View more

@queenP Anzac biscuits, my favourite! ... View more

@letitgo that's really good to hear :)    @mspaceK Good to see you're actively seeking help when you feel you need it, well done. Cuddling therapy dogs sounds amazing!   Today I practiced self-care by baking, I find it really relaxing and get to enjoy eating something delicious afterwards. ... View more

@xXLexi_Lou122Xx This is really great to hear, solving issues can always be a great relief. It's always hard when friends move away but these days it's really easy to keep in touch with social media.   I am proud of myself because I gained a position in a training course which will really help my career and help me achieve my goals for this year. ... View more

This is an awesome activity!   1. This weekend I will treat myself by going on a mini shopping spree as I scored some extra shifts at work in the last 2 weeks. 2. "You deserve this gift because you have worked a lot and have been saving a lot recently. You have also had a hard time finding jobs/volunteer opportunities, but there are some options opening up so treat yourself with this spree to celebrate!" ... View more

@WheresMySquishy  Congrats on getting an interview! I was told pretty much the exact same thing regarding the post grad study - that so many people applied etc., I think that’s part of the reason I was so disappointed with the generic response. I agree I think I missed out partly due to lack of experience, so my aim was to gain as much experience as I could this year... and now i’ve run into these issues with the jobs. All employers seem to want experience so I don’t know where to begin. Damn that really sucks about that referee sorry to hear about that, I could only imagine how frustrating that would have been.  Yes I have experienced the same. Some employers do not respond at all which is so hard. I agree, I didn’t think it would be that hard to get a paid job but I’ll have to keep trying. Good luck with it! ... View more

1. I did a solid workout at the gym after not going for weeks due to injury and then sickness 2. The weather was so beautiful today and was a little cooler so it was a nice relief from the heat 3. I completed some chores on my longgggg to-do list  ... View more

@DruidChild That is awesome that you got all your assessment done! Even though you didn't get any study done, it may have been nice for your brain to have a bit of a holiday haha and you can always start fresh with the studying tomorrow. Sorry to hear that your anxiety is bad at the moment but reaching out to a counsellor was definitely a positive step.   Negative: I am so fed up with trying to find a job and it feels as though my degree is going to waste. I keep thinking that I'll be in my retail job (that I hate) for the rest of my life.   Positive: Although I have been unsuccessful with job applications, my aunty reached out to me this week with a possible volunteering opportunity. This has given me some hope that there are still options out there and I am determined to persevere and find a job where I can use my degree. I have accepted that it might just take time to find a job and that is ok. ... View more

@skyedre @WheresMySquishy @mrmusic  YES I can relate! I am going through a similar thing, I have been applying for job and volunteering opportunities for months now and haven't been successful. It's the worst feeling becuase I put so much time and effort into my CV and into my cover letters which I have to pretty much re-write for every job application. I got through to the interview stage of a postgraduate study program with my hopes high and I got a generic email saying I was unsuccessful. I thought it was so disheartening and would have appreciated at least a personal email explaining why I was unsuccesful, so I definitely get where you're coming from. I guess we have to find strength and resilience by doing things that make us happy when we are struggling with things. Hopefully something works out for you guys soon! ... View more