from what i've read, you sound like you're doing the best you can ! employee-manager relationships can be really hard to navigate sometimes, especially when they're picking up something we've accidentally done wrong for example. Personally, i've found it hard to communicate with my own managers in this kind of situation and gets me feeling a lot of not-so-nice feelings because i want to do well and for them to be happy with me! in times like this, good open communication has always helped me to clear things up and move forward with the manager in a comfortable way - and by the sounds of it you've had some of this also! You sound like the kind of employee i'd like to hire if i owned a business - you come across as hard working and someone who cares a lot about the quality of the work they're delivering - which i consider a really positive thing! I'm hoping things at work settle down for you soon sending you lots of hugs!! :) ... View more

Thankyou for this - I love this idea! Pick a gif that represents your relationship with study at the moment Tell us a little bit about your studies I am almost at the end of my second year as a full-time psychology undergrad ! (yay only like 6 years to go! *facepalm*)   What do you enjoy about your studies? I learn some of the most interesting things! Psych is just so relevant to everything in our daily lives, who we are, our interactions and how we understand the world - it's been really enjoyable! stressful.....but enjoyable!   What are the signs that you are stressed from studying/experiencing study stress? : When I don't feel like talking to anyone and just want to sit in the dark in my room watching netflix When I start crying out of exhaustion and stress When I find myself not enjoying the things I usually enjoy When my thoughts are constantly racing When i'm having a really hard time finding motivation  What are your top study stress busters/coping strategies? I usually am doing uni-work 7 days a week but sometimes i take a day off to just have some me time! I talk to someone i love about it or a friend who understands I use my casual work as a bit of an escape sometimes  I try to use positive self talk as much as i can and not beat myself up over assessment results i can't change   Set a goal for managing study stress! I want to bring some more work-life balance into my life starting next year, i'm going to cut down working 5 days a week at my casual job to probably 3 days. I realised work was not only taking time away from uni, but also leaving me too exhausted to be effective when I am doing uni work. ... View more

I am grateful for the friend I have made this semester at uni. She has helped me and supported me through some really hard and stressful times this semester and I think I would have lost my mind without someone in my life like her who understands what I'm going through because she's going through the same thing. I didn't know friends could exist like her - those that would almost drop anything to be there for you. So today and for the whole semester, I am grateful for her. ... View more

just here to send you my support ! I value the way you've put together both 'sides of the coin' and i'm hoping the hard last few days you've had lead into some better ones for you :) ... View more

I find uni incredibly hard to manage without getting really overwhelmed at the best of times - so i take my hat off to you for dealing with your studies and your struggles with OCD at the same time - it's massive! I'm wondering if you have any supports around you at the moment for your OCD? sending you my thoughts! ... View more

@Bee thanks for talking to us about this - reading what you were saying really identified with me - although i of course don't know exactly how you're feeling - i've been in a similar situation at work and amongst people in my own life and it felt very confusing and distressing for me at the time. As recently as yesterday i also had a friend get really upset during class and she didn't know why - she ended up putting it down to being really stressed with uni at the moment. The exhaustion usually does it for me - i'll come home and be talking about something completely random and just start crying! Of course these things can happen for different reasons for different people - and if you can't put your finger on what's caused it - that's okay too! These things happen - our minds are such complex things that even experts don't fully understand them - in my opinion we don't always have to understand although it's natural that we want to! So i guess what im trying to suggest is - be gentle with yourself :) ... View more

@mspaceK it sounds like you had a bad night :( however it's good to hear you reached out to someone for support - you aren't alone in this and letting someone in is a good way to remind us of that when things get really dark for us. I don't want to make suggestions because it's very likely you know what kind of self care is going to be best for you - the ps4 sounds like a good way to recharge and take care of yourself - but what i will add is that maybe getting to bed early tonight and catching up on sleep is another thing that can help :) You sound as though you're being gentle with yourself today and i'm sure your body will appreciate your self care and giving it some time to recover Sending you my thoughts today, :) ... View more

hey @scared01, just checking in to see how you've been going in the last few days? :) ... View more

Hey, first of all im really happy to hear you had a positive talk with your friend and it sounds like you really effectively conveyed how you were feeling but also displayed a lot of understanding for their reasoning. Second of all - things seem pretty hard at the moment, although i can't imagine just how it feels, i can identify with some of the pressure of exams - i find they put me in quite a fragile state of mind in the sense that things mount up and get really overwhelming really quickly - especially if there's things going on at work at the same time! Your therapist sounds like she's been a positive support in your life - i think doing little bits of time is a really good idea to try :) Different things work for different people of course, but i also find doing little bits at a time helps me learn the content more effectively and helps me not to get too overwhelmed. I'm wishing you the best of luck for this coming week! ... View more

i've also had a similar thing done to me after declining to go out a few times - and yes it doesn't feel very nice to see them out having fun without even asking you if you'd like to come too. In my experience - this kind of thing happens often and it usually happens once you decline a few times. I think their reasoning is something like 'well they've said no the last few times they're either too busy all the time or don't want to come' and so they no longer feel like it's necessary to invite you for whatever reason. In my experiences - it hasn't been personal with them not wanting me to be there it's just that they know i have my own stuff going on etc etc. Now im not saying this is exactly your friend group's reasoning or this is exactly what's going on - but i think there's a chance it could be similar.  So maybe talking to them in a way such as 'Hey I know i've been busy with work the last few times we've had get-togethers, but i'd really like to come to the next one and catch up with you all' - because it lets them know that you still want to make an effort to come - squashing any kind of doubts they might have formed. I hope this helps! ... View more

hey i'm just here to send my support to you - it sounds like you're being really proactive in doing as much as you can to start feeling better and although i've never done drumming it sounds like an amazing outlet! :) ... View more

eheadspace sounds like a useful tool and feel free to post on this thread again at anytime in the future wishing you all the best :) ... View more

thanks for reaching out! Have people been telling you that you've annoyed them or are you feeling that you've annoyed others? :) ... View more

you sound like a really good friend - someone who is there for the other when they really need it - so it warms my heart that there's people like you out there :) ... View more

I really love this idea! I find uni can be extremely emotionally, physically and mentally demanding at times - and can definitely benefit from hearing about how i can better manage my stress!   What helps you prepare yourself for a successful study session?  I try to make sure im feeling calm and in comfy clothes and I sit somewhere peaceful that isn't distracting - somewhere where i can't reach my phone especially!   What do you enjoy most about your studies at the moment?   I study psyc so i just enjoy learning more about why we are the way we are. My positive psychology course has gotten me to start practicing mindfulness myself - i just love how practical the degree is :) ... View more

@manutd23 it sounds like you've been going through a really hard time with everything :( I'm wondering whether enquiring with beyondblue's New Access program would be beneficial? They do counselling, are free and have a provider in your area, if you go here you should see their contact details.   I hope one of the suggestions you've been given helps :) ... View more

hey @ApplesRoses i really appreciate you sharing how you've been feeling. I just want to make sure that im understanding you correctly - you've had these feelings of anxiousness and worry that sound like they've been causing you a lot of distress. You spoke to someone about it and you feel as though that's helped you but you're worried you'll go back to feeling just as anxious as you were before - is that right? You've also mentioned that you're feeling really lonely, i'm wondering is this because you feel as though you can't talk to anyone in your personal life about what's been going on? or you don't have anyone to talk to?    In my experience with anxiousness it can be a little hard to personally work out what's a normal level of anxiety and worry that we all experience from time to time and when it's time to start looking at getting some more support because it's quite negatively impacting your life. Where do you think you fall in between those two things? Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to have a chat with you :)       ... View more

from reading your posts it sounds like so much is going on for you right now - i couldn't imagine how overwhelming it is. I hope that through all of this you'll be able to find some time to take care of yourself a little bit, because it sounds exhausting. I'm a list person as well - i feel like they keep me sane sending my best wishes to you :) ... View more

I'm wishing you all the best for your supports meeting on Sunday, hopefully they can work with you to find what's going to be helpful Talking to someone can help when we feel really overwhelmed - I'm glad you've found them useful :) ... View more

@Hozzles taking on a smaller number of units sounds like a way of being kind to yourself - full time uni is difficult at the best of times so im really glad to hear you're putting your own mental health first, even though it may not feel ideal with delaying graduation. I'm sending my best wishes for your appointment next Monday :) ... View more

@mspaceK i'm really sorry to hear you've been feeling this way and these things have happened - my family is quite dysfunctional whereas my partner's family is almost picture perfect - at the beginning of our relationship i had a bit of a difficult time coming to terms with realising just how dysfunctional my own family life was compared to his - so although i don't know myself how all of this feels - i feel like i understand a little bit about wondering why it's your family that is dysfunctional - if that makes sense.  thankyou for sharing something so personal with us :) ... View more

@blissfulhope what you've said makes a lot of sense - meeting other queer people sounds like it may help to create a bit of supportive network of people that also likely have experienced some of what you're going through and can lend some of their experience. It's definitely hard and i can't imagine how hard it is for you - but what i can say is it sounds like some of the changes you've come up with are really good steps towards your own happiness. It takes strength to do things that are really hard to make things better for the future :) ... View more

@scared01 hey i'm just checking in with you to see how the last week has been for you - how have you been feeling? ... View more

@Tiny_leaf I thought i'd just check in with you to see how your last week has been ? :) ... View more

@Ladybug i've heard the same thing about volunteering and academics and it's really hard to know where the bar is about how much they expect - i guess we can only do our best :) ... View more

@Hozzles from also reading the replies you've received - having a look into a uni psychologist might be really helpful :) I don't feel it to the same extent - but i also put a lot of pressure on myself to do well and it definitely can be really hard to come to terms with failing something or not doing as well as you wanted to in an assessment. What has helped me this semester is the whole 'i'm going to do my best and that's just going to have to be enough' type of self talk. I also tell myself that it's okay to have good days and bad days - we can't be perfect all of the time and we aren't going to nail an assessment every single time either :) ... View more

Welcome to the forums! exciting to have you join us !:) ... View more

@Tiny_leaf i honestly have no words for the amount of pain you must be going through, i could only imagine how it would feel.  ... View more

Hi ! @scared01 it definitely sounds tough, i agree with @Tiny_leaf it's disappointing to hear support services are not more accessible or affordable :( ... View more

@blissfulhope i can only imagine how all of this would be making you feel, it sounds very overwhelming. I don't think you're being an awful person, i think you're just trying to work out more about who you are and what makes you happy :) Being in constant fear must be really painful, have you had any ideas about what you might be able to do to start moving things in a kinder direction for your own happiness ? ... View more