Hey @JackyeChin  That would be very unsettling having to manage online education and staying home all the time. Have you found any ways of connecting with other people through this time? I am going to send you an email today as well, so look out for that in your inbox  ... View more

Hey there @Cameron10  Good on you for having the courage to chat to your closest friends and your mum about what you've been going through, those are really hard conversations to have <3 It's disappointing that they haven't been supportive. It's really insightful of you to be thinking this way about how you're going and very brave to recognise that it might be time to get some professional help.  There are a couple of options for getting professional help that you wouldn't have to talk to your parents about like eheadspace or kids helpline. Both of those services offer one-on-one support from a professional either through phone or webchat, is that a potential avenue for getting support that you might be interested in? Another option is to go and see your GP to get a mental health care plan. If you're 15 yrs old or older you can get your own medicare card which would allow you to book in and see a bulk billing GP free of charge. Could this be an option for you? There is also the option of seeing if you can get some support from within your school like from your school counsellor or student support officer. Let us know if you want to further chat through any of these options  ... View more

Hey @MyRainyDayz  I'm really sorry to hear about how sad and down you have been. It's totally understandable how tired you are, being really sad is super exhausting and it can take so much out of us both emotionally and physically. Big life changes can also be really tiring, even when they are good ones. It can be a lot adjusting to something new, particularly something as big as moving out, do you feel like you've had a chance to settle in to your new place at all? It can feel nice sometimes to put up a poster or get some cute cushions to make the place feel like yours  Sometimes things can sort of build up over time and it isn't until we stop that the feelings really hit us in a big wave. Have you thought about getting some professional help for how you're feeling? It might be an idea to have a chat to a GP about what is going on for you and how these feelings have been affecting you, is that something you might be interested in doing? Another option if you wanted to chat to someone is to get some support from a service like Kids Helpline or eheadspace. They both have phone and webchat services where you can talk to someone one-on-one about how you're feeling. Thanks for posting @MyRainyDayz, it can take a lot to talk about how we're feeling and its definitely a step in the right direction    ... View more

Oh my gosh @Tiny_leaf ! What an outrageous tale for a Wednesday afternoon! Sounds like a lot of pee.   I have been wondering about the mama lizard who gave birth while you were holding her! How lovely to have this update on her baby  That is a great Q about trying to get dogs to not harass wildlife, I don't think I can offer any guidance around this but I am V glad there is floofiness and wrigglyness protecting both parties. ... View more

Hey @geek28  Good on you for messaging her, I can imagine that was probably quite nerve wracking and difficult to do. I know this has been playing on your mind a lot for a while, do you feel like you have a bit more of a resolution to this situation now? ... View more

Hey @Rattata good on you for reaching out to them like that. Let us know how you go!  ... View more

Hey @MB95  So sorry you're not feeling great today, it sounds like things are really intense for you at the moment and it must be a whole lot to be managing  I think its so insightful, brave and assertive of you to make the decision to see your psych today. Sometimes things sort of jump out at us and make us realise that we need support, and it sounds like that call you got this morning gave you that opportunity to really think about how you're going and put yourself first  Is there anything we can do to support you until your appointment today? We're here for you @MB95, even if you just want to talk about Outlander    ... View more

Hey @moontune  Thanks for making your first thread - you did it all correctly and you put it in a good place for people to find it and give their support      So sorry school has been so tough for you lately, what you're feeling is completely valid, high school is outrageously stressful and I don't think enough people are honest about that fact. It totally makes sense that you'd be feeling exhausted and burnt out, it is super difficult to find that balance between getting everything done, and ensuring you have time for a break.  Is there anything you find that makes doing your work a bit easier? Like being in a particular environment or a particular time of day? Sometimes if you can work out a pattern of when you are best able to focus (for me its defs after food lol) it can help to structure things a bit more.   I'm also wondering if there is anyone at the school that has been supportive of what your going through like the wellbeing team or a student support officer? Im sorry some of your teachers are not helping at the moment, is there anyone at your school that could be better to talk to?   Great question about picking out subjects! Definitely keen to hear what the community has to say on this one! I picked subjects that I liked doing and that interested me. I knew I wasn't going to try very hard at subjects I didn't care about and it was nice to have classes to look forward to in my day. My dad definitely was not thrilled with the subjects I chose, but I think he eventually understood. What ones are you thinking you might do?   I also just wanted to let you know about headspace digital work and study service. This could be something to look into as they specialise in helping young people make decisions and chat through how their feeling towards anything to do with work/school/uni.    ... View more

Hey @MB95  That was really sweet of you to say thank you last night, so lovely to read that you feel you can  be yourself here. We really value all your contributions to the community and it's beautiful how you support others - so thank YOU too!  I have just been catching up on this thread and I know you weren't doing well last night, good on you for having conversations about how you're feeling and some distracting things too (think I might need to watch Outlander!) How are you going today? I also read that you had a psych appointment booked for today, and you weren't sure if you were going to go to this. Do you think you will go to this appointment today? We care about you so much @MB95, hope you're doing alright today    ... View more

Hey Xi, great to hear 355 are in favour, good on you making so much progress with this    I think stigma can absolutely be such a horrible thing that affects lots of us, its awful that there are negative portrayals of systems out there.    Good on you R for telling your counsellor how what he said made you feel  I'm sad to hear you think you're a hopeless piece of crap  I think you're really wonderful and valued  ... View more

Hey @MB95  I'm sorry you're having such a crappy day today  That guilt around not feeling able to do anything, it is truly so tiring and I'm really sorry you're going through this. It's a horrible feeling. If you want to chat through anything or you want to talk about something fun for a distraction we are here for you @MB95    Is there anything you think you might get up to this evening? ... View more

Hey R I hope the process of seeing who is in agreement for your surgery is still going well And that having a chat to A brings some comfort. What your KHL counsellor said sounds like it was a bit confusing, did you get a chance to tell them that you didn't think anyone had taught you that? It's really nice to hear from you  ... View more

Such cute Qs @WheresMySquishy !!! Can you believe we're halfway through April already?! What on earth is happening to time?!   1. Scrambled like my brain  2. I think opals are pretty amazing, they are all so unique. 3. Probs the bunnys in this book, though they are real in my heart 4. When I moved away to uni that was definitely a big and exciting adventure! 5. I feel very inspired by the gif from this Q, and would LOVE a holiday where we all get to hang out with baby animals all day!  6. My brother told me when we were little that a part of a tree that grew all over our neighbourhood was poisonous - so I never touched it! It was very much not poisonous and he forgot he told me that as a joke. 7. (Obsessed with this Madonna gif) I like to express myself a lot through my face and through emojis. ... View more

Slows ... View more

Rod ... View more

Hugs right back to you @Bre-RO ! ... View more

I had never heard of them until recently either @MB95 ! You're right they aren't Australian, they are a type of weasel found in Europe, Asia and North America. I really wanna touch one    Good Q @Andrea-RO, I'm gonna go with art galleries.   Green tea or black tea?  ... View more

Hey @abdulkebabdul  That is awesome to hear about the cool new people you have met recently! That is really exciting  Meeting new people you connect with is such a wonderful thing and there is lots to look forward to. That must have been really full on hearing that person say all those things about how you treated them, it must have come as quite a shock if they hadn't mentioned it before. Were you able to explain to them your side of things?    I can imagine it could feel quite awkward hearing back from people that you'd hadn't heard from in a while and that maybe waiting to hear back might be making you feel quite nervous, do you think that is what is causing you to have these sensations?   That is a great question about making more friends or strengthening existing bonds - what a big and interesting Q! I think everyone is different in terms of how they experience friendship, what do you think would work for you? Having lots of different friends or having fewer, closer friends? ... View more

Hey @Eden1717  It must be really awful not being able to drink water throughout the day, is there anything that might make this a bit easier? Like getting one or two of those big bottles to just pop next to your bed? (This tip comes straight from my old psych, for me it has to be a bottle cause if it's a glass my cat will drink it) It's ok if you don't get around to ticking off your whole to-do list, you have a lot on and it's ok to prioritise the super basic stuff first Have you had an alright day today? Here for you always @Eden1717  ... View more

Hey @Rattata  I'm glad you're starting to feel a bit better, it does sound like you've got a lot on your plate at the moment and that things must be quite stressful for you. That is really tough that your girlfriend has to stay in the closet with some people  I can imagine that must be really hurtful as her partner. Have you asked her about what helps her cope with this and be unaffected by it? In terms of coping with the situation on your own, it's definitely tricky and can take some trial and error. It can sometimes be helpful to focus on what you yourself can control, for example if something happens with these people that really upsets you, you can remove yourself from the situation and do something nice for yourself to feel calm and comforted. Does that make sense? Is there something like this you can think of that could be helpful? ... View more

Thanks for letting us know @MB95, I'm going to send you a email to check in on you  ... View more

Hey @MB95  I'm really sorry you're having such a hard day today and that you're feeling so crap. Are you still at uni at the moment? Do you want to try maybe going to a part of uni where you feel safe so you can catch your breath? We're here for you  ... View more

Hey @Blurryphaced  So sorry to hear how hard this all is  It is a big time of change and it's really challenging to navigate all the things life throws at us at this age. You said you have felt on the edge of being suicidal, have you been able to get any professional support around these feelings? They are really intense feelings to be managing alone and we can chat about different supports that might be helpful  Can I ask what you're going to be studying? Are there things about moving away to uni that you're excited about? I think you're actually in a position to be more prepared for these changes as you seem really aware of what these decisions mean. When I moved away to uni I didn't realise until I'd been there for 2 weeks what I had done! And i was like oh my gosh this is huge why didn't prepare myself for this at all?! I totally get that you're feeling really scared now and that is so totally normal and valid, and sometimes it's this fear that can help us do our best to get ready and be more mindful about what we need along the way. I also think it's really important to continue doing things from our childhood that we love and bring us comfort, some friends of mine at uni would watch barbie movies together in our dorm and I think you'll find that you too can connect with others over these things ... View more

That sounds really horrible @Eden1717 you must be so exhausted  We're here for you if you want to chat about anything, what do you think you might get upto this evening? ... View more

Hey @tashmcl  It's beautiful to read about how proud you are of where you're at - and rightfully so. You have been really brave and it's powerful to read about your journey  I'm really sorry to hear that you grew up in an abusive household, that must have been really hard for you, please let us know if you would like some support around this.  Thank you for sharing your experiences with us @tashmcl, you are clearly incredibly insightful about your needs which is so amazing and will set you up to have great, loving relationships in the future. You said you're working at the moment on filling your needs of self compassion, validation and social connection, which is really awesome  what is it for you that helps you fill those needs? ... View more

Hey @-pringles-  I'm not sure I can give an answer to this question, do you feel like there are some people in your life who have become quite arrogant suddenly? Its not fair for anyone to bully you or treat you poorly, is this what is happening for you at the moment? ... View more

Hey @Eden1717  That sounds like it must be really unsettling feeling that uncertainty around your medication with it being the generic brand, have you been able to take it yet? I understand its all really scary and it must be super hard to concentrate and focus on uni work, did you get some sleep last night? I'm really feeling for you @Eden1717 and everything you're going through, let us know if there is anything we can do to support you  ... View more

Hey @htiaftisi  Go you for having this super tough chat with him! I can imagine it must have been hard to bring up your feelings with him around it, but it sounds like he was pretty understanding and was able to see where you were coming from. I think it is super understandable to be feeling this way about how he talks about his new friend and to be feeling uncomfortable around him saying she wants to be with someone like him. I also get why you don't want to have another conversation with him about it, do you think he would understand why something like that would make you feel anxious?   Also "Ugh Feelings!" Is a V relatable statement. Do you think you might get a chance to meet her soon? Do you think that could ease your mind a little bit? ... View more

Hey @Rattata  Good on you for having this really hard conversation with your girlfriend, how are you going today? Setting boundaries is a really, really tough but important thing to do, especially with friends. It sounds like your girlfriend is coming from a good place in her friendships with these other people but I can understand it's having an impact and can be too much at times. It is ultimately her decision to make the boundaries that she is comfortable with, did she say what sort of boundaries she would ideally like to set with these people? Maybe then you can work together to figure out ways to implement them? Its really good you've been able to talk to her about how all of this is making you feel, that isn't easy to do and its lovely that you two are able to have open and honest conversations  ... View more

Hey @Nojokes  So sorry to hear about your family loss. That is really lovely you've started practicing meditation and have found a way it works for you  ... View more