I smiled because I got through the day stress-free and assured of love by my family and boyfriend ... View more

Hi @hellofriend  I hope you are feeling better today. How are you feeling at the moment?  What kinds of things have you tried to help feel a little better?    I understand things must be tough for you right now. But I believe that things can change. Please hold onto hope. We're here for you on the forums. Update us here when you can    ... View more

Thanks @Sophia-RO !   I really appreciate it. I'll have a look at the headspace link. I'll update you when I can after trying out some new techniques to help the perfectionism.  ... View more

@DruidChild Good thread! My comfort object is this little bear my boyfriend gave me. He sprayed it with his perfume so it smells like him. Something about familiar smells is really comforting for me. I know that whatever happens, he's there for me even when he's not with me in person. So having the bear to hold and smell can calm me down so much when I need it most.    Does anyone else have something to smell that brings comfort? I know other people have specific smells that help them calm down like lavender. Let me know!  ... View more

Hey @lemurien  Definitely a relatable thread! I personally like to get out of the house just for a short walk on the block. As long as you maintain your distance, it's a good idea to get yourself some fresh air  It can really make a world of difference when you've been stuck in your room for ages!   Another thing my family and I did (not sure if you live in a house or apartment), was we had a picnic in our backyard. We played music on a speaker, had a bbq and ate in the backyard on a picnic mat. It was honestly so fun and I'd recommend it to anyone.    Other things would be to surround yourself with as many people as you can online. Play games like skribbl.io or there's some websites that have interactive card games. I play mario kart often with my boyfriend while facetiming him. You might also like to bake/cook something with a friend over facetime for fun too!   Hope these help  ... View more

Hey @Phantom99  I totally empathize with you! I also worry about finances quite a bit. Not only for myself, but for my family and even my boyfriend! It's definitely tiring and can be a little draining at times to be worrying about it for so many people. I kinda come from the same background. My parents have never had too much money and so the same kind of thoughts was also ingrained in my head in terms of really thinking so much about how everyone was spending money. My sister for example is a spender, whereas I'm a saver. She enjoys shopping and things whereas I don't. I think I had a few experiences where my anxieties often made her upset because I'd tell her to spend less and when I reflect on it, I went about it the wrong way and made her feel guilty. I'm learning about having a better balance and communicating my anxieties in a better way.   Yes, it's really good to be sensible with money! I'm so proud of you for being able to responsibly save money and look after your family. Like the others said though, make sure you also take time to look after yourself! It's alright to treat yourself or your family as long as you make the decisions sensibly.    Personally, I like to put aside money that I know I can spend on myself. This was a great tip by many on this discussion thread! It can really help make a difference and stop you from feeling so guilty about spending.    Let us know how you go though! That was such a great topic you brought up and I'm glad you did because the responses helped me too!  ... View more

Sounds fantastic @natalya_alianovna_romanova !   The three positives of today 1. My boyfriend and I got to facetime and bake 3 ingredient brownies together- turned out yum!!  2. I went on a nice walk to the oval and lay on the grass. It was super relaxing just watching the clouds 3. My boyfriend and I came up with a new thing to make sure we're communicating, supporting and loving each other in the best way. Every night, we'll tell each other 3 things we love about the other person, and one thing we'd suggest each other to do in order to better support each other in harder times.   Hope you all had a fantastic day and have a wonderful weekend!  ... View more

Hey @Aluzar  I hope you're doing better and that you're safe. It must be hard for you right now especially since schooling was probably quite interrupted because of covid and stuff. Please update us when you can. We're all here for you.    Like the others have said, don't be too stressed about your ATAR and things. It might sound super corny to say coz everyone says it. I used to be like oh but everyonnee says that. The thing is, as soon as I went to uni, I realised it was true. There are so many things you can do after school whether it's uni or not. I hope you can gain some peace of mind from this.  ... View more

Hey @Heretorelate    I'm so sorry you feel that way. I care about you and I'm listening  Please let us know how you are and give us an update when you're ready. If you are still feeling quite overwhelmed and sad, please reach out for help from a professional psychologist or psychiatrist if you can. I know that those services may sometimes be out of reach but like @Anzelmo also said, there are also helplines that are available 24/7. If you need me to link you to some, please let me know. We're here for you    ... View more

My three positives of today 1. I'm finally enjoying uni break 2. I was able to be proactive and plan ahead for other things 3. I spent time with my boyfriend and watched a standup comedy show on netflix ... View more

I appreciate my body because it helped me achieve my goals of health and fitness today after a long time of neglecting it. I appreciate my body because it gives comfy and warm cuddles to my sister. ... View more

Three things I like about myself: 1. I always try my absolute best and push myself 2. I stand up for what I believe in  3. I am caring  ... View more

Hey @Clementine75,   I just want to pop up here and say I agree with @Tiny_leaf and @Taylor-RO. I'm so sorry that you've been put in an uncomfortable position. I understand it must be hard for you because you're hurt by their words, but they're your friends who are otherwise nice people. I want you to know we're here for you and please update us on how things go and what you choose to do.  ... View more

Do you guys find that you're using technology more nowadays? Do you ever feel the need to switch off for a bit? Definitely!! Firstly, uni being online is definitely making me use my laptop more. That in addition to generally being more bored since we can't go out as much as we used to is really making screen time overkill. I feel like everyone needs some time away from technology, especially nowadays. My eyes also get tired a lot quicker and it's making study more difficult, but I'm managing.  What are some fun wellbeing activities that you can squeeze into a short break to give yourself some space from technology/social media? I always love going on a quick walk around the neighbourhood because fresh air makes me feel refreshed the quickest. Either that or I'll do a quick 10 minutes exercise to get blood pumping and feel less sluggish after hours of being on my laptop for uni and studying.    How's everyone else doing?  ... View more

I can imagine @Jess1-RO! It's why I love doing arts and crafts, and colouring in because there's something so soothing and relaxing about seeing colour gradually fill in blank spaces.    I've been super busy this week actually! Uni has been really stressful  but I always manage to give myself free time once during the day and then just relax and wind down after dinner. My boyfriend wanted me to play this game called Stardew Valley which is basically like a game where you build a life on a farm and there are storylines with people in the village that you can develop by building friendships etc. hahaha. It's actually very relaxing and the music helps too. Apparently the game creator made it with the purpose of like getting 'out of the city' and busy life- something I think we all need sometimes!   Other than that, I've just been watching Brooklyn 99 and going on walks. How about you? ... View more

Hey @Jess1-RO  That's such a fun list!! What colour are you painting the rooms?  Time with family is always so precious- why I love board games! Gotta love a bit of fun playful competitive spirit  ... View more

@Janine-RO Some good coffee can really make your day!!  Three positives for today for me are 1. Had a really productive day and felt proud of my work 2. Was able to spare more time to spend with my boyfriend and just relax guilt-free because I knew I had done the necessary work 3. My family surprised me with a nice takeout dinner because they knew I was working hard ... View more

I'm proud of being able to adjust to my new schedule, hand in assignments early and push myself to study. I'm also proud of actively seeking better ways to have a more balanced life to reduce stress, and give myself more time for self-care activities ... View more

@WheresMySquishy Aw that sounds really nice! I've been looking for new restaurants that do takeaway too actually. It's definitely important to support smaller businesses especially right now and it's great for me too coz I get yummy food!    Stargazing seems so relaxing... another thing I want to do more of! Nature is so beautiful and can really make you feel so much better. ... View more

Hey @WheresMySquishy! Thank you! I'm glad to be back  Ooo that's definitely something I'd love to do actually. I want to learn to bake more yummy desserts (definitely have a sweet tooth!) I've also always had an interest in bullet journaling too but never got around to it. Maybe now is the time!   And gardening is such a good idea! I've been meaning to do some because the weeds are starting to grow haha  ... View more

Hey @Anzelmo! That sounds so fun! Definitely something I'll be looking into. hahaha I need more things to keep myself entertained  ... View more

Hey guys! I'm not sure if there's already a thread for this, but feel free Mods to move it under an existing thread. I just wanted to start something where people could spread positive news from around the world at a time when it's often hard to distract yourself from the constant bombarding of news about the virus.    Here's a link to some good news I've found!  Share the love and support and positive vibes only https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/03/music-and-encouragement-from-balconies-around-world/608668/        ... View more

Hey @Rattata,    I'm late to this thread but I wanted to hop on because I can relate!  I'm also in a situation where I can't see my boyfriend a lot just in general (pandemic or not). It's been tough but it got easier over time and we're almost at our one year anniversary. I'm not sure how we managed to keep everything good and see each other the number of times we did, but I can tell you that as someone who has had to mainly see their boyfriend on a screen, it does get easier  I want to give you some hope and offer you a positive outlook.    Some of these have already been suggested but you could do a lot of activities together over Facetime such as cooking, painting, watching Netflix/Youtube, playing the 21 Questions game for quality conversation (I find this particularly fun because it brings up childhood memories that are so fun to talk about and you learn stuff about them you never knew before), finding games on your phone that are multiplayer (we do a lotta mariokart haha), sharing memes (ofc) and lastly, idk if this applies to you, but my boyfriend and I are of the same faith and we often do devotions in the morning together and give each other comfort so we are able to stay calm in a time of anxiety and uncertainty.   Hope these suggestions are fun and helpful for you! Sending love your way  ... View more

Hey @Leviathan    Thank you for being so brave and asking for advice on the forums. I'm so happy for you that you are taking steps to feel better      I'm so sorry you have experienced so much hurt but you are now on the other side of it and on your way to recovery.    Do you think you could try to join a social group outside of school? Sometimes a music/sports/crafts group can help you form new connections that might make you feel less lonely. What are some things you do and love when you're feeling down?  ... View more

Hey @dragon3,   I'm just catching up on your thread and wanted to check in with you  How are you doing? Have you tried any of the techniques from other threads @Janine-RO has linked for you? If you have, are there any in particular that might be of help? Something that helps me sometimes is an app called Smiling Mind :) It's a guided meditation app!   Thank you for reaching out and remember we're here for you ... View more

Hey @ApplesRoses! I was just catching up on the threads and I want to say congratulations and that I am so happy for you! Getting out of the funk and anxiety is a challenge, but one that is so worth it and so rewarding. I'm glad that you are receiving the support you need and on your way to being healthier and happier.   Sending love your way  ... View more