@Tiny_leaf just to be clear, was it voices that you could understand what they were saying? Or noises that weren't acute voices? If it was voices, a strategy that sometimes helps is vocalisation- so talking, humming, whistling, listening to music or murmuring can often curb voices. If it was noises, it can help to remember that they aren't actually there- there isn't anything necessarily "wrong" with you, lots of people experience noises that don't exist. ... View more

@Tiny_leaf I don't really know how to help at the moment, but do you think there is anything in particular that might have made you hear sounds and voices? Like walking past a particular location or looking at a certain object? ... View more

Thanks @Taylor-RO I have tried a journal, but often I'll forget to write in it or I won't be motivated enough to even think about putting anything in. IN terms of people helping me with things like this, I have never actually talked to anyone properly because I hate being vulnerable. @WheresMySquishy I'm not actually sure what the root cause is, things are normal at home, I don't have excessive schoolwork I'm just not coping well with anything at the moment I guess it could just be a build up of so many different small things that I didn't think would have affected me but apparently do. ... View more

Hi @Jess1-RO things haven't been great this week I'm pretty stressed about everything and I've been really down yesterday and today and I haven't been sleeping well either which I know isn't great for my health. I can't concentrate properly and I'm not motivated to do my schoolwork which isn't a good combination. I don't really know what to do because I can't think properly at the moment. ... View more

Hey @Tiny_leaf how are you feeling today? I hope you're doing okay right now ... View more

@Tiny_leaf just to add to @WheresMySquishy 's website list, https://www.livescience.com/ is another science-y website with some cool stuff to browse through ... View more

ah that's okay @Tiny_leaf is there anything you might need from us right now? I agree with @WheresMySquishy Wikipedia is a great distraction, I hope it's still working for you at the moment ... View more

@Tiny_leaf it's good that you've found something that has helped you feel a bit better, is there anything else that you know can help you when you aren't feeling great? ... View more

I'm planning on studying architecture at uni, so I'm picking my subjects for next year around working towards that goal, but I'm also going to choose psychology so that if I change my mind in the next few years I'll have experience in a different field that I'm also interested in. I love science and maths, but I also love art so I thought architecture could let me study both science and maths as well as art subjects. ... View more

Hey @Tiny_leaf, if KHL isn't useful perhaps you could try and email your trusted psychologist? Instead of spending time on a new issue during your sessions, you could email them to let them know before your next session. Do you think this could work? If this isn't an option, there's always the forums and people to chat to and give you advice. Also, Reach Out has an article on self confidence here which might help; https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-ways-to-feel-better-about-yourself ... View more

I definitely agree with taking your own time to explore your sexuality- there is no deadline or due date for sexuality and you can take as long as you need when figuring it out.   Have you or are you questioning your sexuality? Right now I am actually questioning my sexuality, mostly because at the same time, I am also figuring out my gender so the labels I use are changing. For now though, I am using "queer" because it is a term that I can find a community in which isn't reliant on my gender. Another thing is that I am finding lots of terms that would describe me well, but I don't "feel" like I identify with a lot of them (such as bisexual or pansexual) which has led to a lot of confusion where I can't distinguish between attraction or "I want to be them." This is especially true for males, where I often wish I was that person because then I wouldn't be questioning my gender.    It can seem a little overwhelming when you first start to question your sexuality, as it has been taught from an early age that being straight is the "normal" and there is nothing beyond that, so when you start to think that you might not be straight, it can be really daunting to deal with. Sometimes it helps to talk to another person about this who has lived through a similar experience or someone who has more knowledge about the subject and who can help you figure yourself out  ... View more

Question 2: What do you do to practice self-care? Do you notice any impact on your mood/well-being? Like @lennycat2017, @Esperanza67 and @Hozzles have said, I also love decluttering my room because it feels like I have at least some control over things in my life and that I am actually being productive which makes me proud of myself for achieving something; however small it may seem. There is definitely a large impact on mood as a result of self-care, my mood often lightens up a bit and I feel much more capable and as though I have achieved a small milestone. ... View more

Very excited for this GR and looking forward to what others have to say    Question 1: What does self-care mean to you? How is it different from just taking time to chill out? For me, self care is actually taking the time out of my day to properly focus on what I need for myself and taking care of myself; even if it's just making my bed so that I feel more relaxed when I fall asleep, it can really help with my mental wellbeing.  Taking time to just chill out can be really helpful towards self-care, but its also about being present and in the moment rather than being distracted with something else. Self care is about caring (funny that  ) for yourself and making time to do so; setting aside everything else that is going on in your life and just focusing on you in the present moment. ... View more

Hey @Bread I'm glad things are going better for you right now and I think its great that you are trying to focus on the positive things in your life    I think making friends in older year levels is a really good idea if that's what you think is best, because they can often be more mature and friendly towards you (plus all the great advice your bound to receive  Also as you get older, age starts to become less and less of a factor when it comes to friendships and not all of your friends are going to be the ones you made in school that are the same age. ... View more

Walrus! ... View more

Good luck @xXLexi_Lou122Xx with everything going on for you on the holidays! I'm sure the musical will be excellent; what musical are you doing? (big musical theatre fan over here) I've had a pretty big semester this year- our schools production of wicked took up a large chunk of time (I guess it was good to distract me for a bit) Right now, I'm currently in the process of picking my year 10 subjects for next year which I'm kinda scared about actually. I don't know what the workload is like and if I can handle two VCE subjects early arrgh and then which ones to do I'm interested to hear about how everyone else's school year has been so far and what everyone is plannin for the holidays and next semester? ... View more

way it goes- Hippo Campus ... View more

red bellied snake  ... View more

Ibis, impala ... View more

Par ... View more

Rainbow frogs   First musical instrument you think of ... View more

It's okay to be not okay ... View more

When I get older- Wild Party ... View more

Hey @xXLexi_Lou122Xx  I know it's difficult right now and I wish so bad I could make all your problems disappear but right now that is outside of my human capabilities  I know you can make it through this week of school, is there anything at all that you are looking forward to this week? Small goals can make every day worthwhile if there is something to look forward to at the end    You are definitely not alone at all, for starters there is everyone here on the forums who all care so much about you and also there's bound to be dozens of people in your real life who want you to be happy and who love you  ... View more

Hey @Bread and welcome to the forums! I think it's great that you have enough self-awareness to realise that you are struggling and that you are having trouble trusting people. Some advice that might help you trust people a little more is to try and find friends outside of your school where it is unlikely you will see them often. If you have any special interests or hobbies perhaps your local area will have a club or groups where you can chat to people with the same interests as you? This can help especially because there is no commitment for you go every single time, such as there is with school and seeing the same people everyday. You could even do some volunteering if that is something your interested in for an organisation near you to take your mind off things and find something that you are passionate about and meet some new people. There's also a billion (almost) threads here like the games section and hangout area where there's a whole heap of people in similar situations to yours who also want someone to chat to Hope this helps a bit! ... View more

Hey @Blurryphaced I'm sorry to hear things are really stressful for you right now, it might help for you to check out our thread on coping strategies and distractions here; https://forums.au.reachout.com/t5/Getting-Help/1000001-COPING-STRATEGIES-amp-DISTRACTIONS/m-p/142884#M32248 Another thing that could really help when you go to work experience is to do lots of breathing, as useless as it sounds, it can really help to calm your nerves  and bring your focus back to the situation.  Also, just trying to stay focused on one thing at a time really goes a long way- try not to stress about a million things at once. For example grounding exercises; like 5 things you can see, hear, touch, smell and taste or just holding something in your hands like a rubber band or a fidget toy. Hope your doing okay right now ... View more

@Tiny_leaf it's okay, you are not doing anything wrong asking for help from your family when you need it  I know it's hard when the people around you are upset and angry about something that is out of your control but they most likely just don't know what to do to help you so maybe you could try and think of some specific things that could help? Like a glass of water or some fresh air? ... View more

Glad your feeling better now @Tiny_leaf  ... View more