Hi everyone I love this thread and have been checking it super often and writing down everyone's study tips. I'm really bad with study stress but it's something I'm really trying to work on, so I've found this very helpful! I think when I don't get a grade I wanted I use that as motivation to do better next time. Usually when I don't get a good grade it's because I've lost motivation, left it to the last minute and not done enough study so I use that to give me push for next time, making sure I read all the feedback and comments and use it as a real learning experience, trying to have a positive mindset when looking at it. Also just remembering that grades aren't a representation of value as a human being, I know it's a cliche but for me it's super important especially when I feel pressure to perform. And also of course doing something a lil fun to remind myself it's not the end of the world and it was only 1 grade  ... View more

@lavendertea I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this and feeling quite scared, but know that you aren't alone and we are here to support you! It takes so much courage to share something so personal and the first time can be so scary so I'm so proud that you took this step and felt comfortable to share on here. Do you feel as though there is someone close who you trust and could talk to about this, or even a counsellor or psychologist? I always find talking to someone really helps me, sometimes I realise or understand things better by talking aloud or also writing things down. Do you think maybe journalling is something that could help you identify your triggers for these experiences? You mentioned that you think you have them weekly, maybe writing down what you are doing before/during/after or where you are could help you identify any patterns if there are any? I hope you are okay  ... View more

@Guitarman97 I've been playing violin for almost 12 years! I do a lot of heavy reading at uni and so when I read in my downtime I love trashy novels, especially teen fiction, I have so many favourite books, but a series I'm rereading at the moment that I can never put down is Vampire Academy by Rochelle Mead.   Your favourite psychology books @Guitarman97 @Wolfie_ sound super interesting I'm definitely going to read them in the near future. What type of painting do you like to do? How are you finding having your own business?   @wanderingwasp that's super cool I'm also really into writing but I haven't done it in a while. Are you working on any particular pieces at the moment? ... View more

Yes I do!   If Santa, tooth fairy, easter bunny etc. could be real, would you want it to be? ... View more

The packaging of my face mask.   Aqua ... View more

At the moment I'm very productive at night, so sleep during the day.   Would you rather only be able to read books for the rest of your life or only be able to watch movies for the rest of your life? ... View more

Awesome thread idea @wanderingwasp I also love reading and yoga! My other favourite hobbies are teaching myself songs on the violin, journalling and sport (mostly aerobics, going for walks, dancing). The 2 things I really want to get into are boxing and learning a new language. I've kinda always wanted to have a book club too    @wanderingwasp what film genres are you interested in?   Everyone's hobbies sound super fun and it sounds like we all love reading! What's everyone's favourite book? @wanderingwasp @scared01 @WheresMySquishy @Guitarman97  ... View more

I've absolutely loved being part of this GR as my first one! It's been so insightful and I've learnt so much about other's experiences and perspectives and got so many useful tips for myself too! This chat was exactly what I needed tonight  hope everyone has a lovely evening ... View more

The tips I would give someone struggling with self-acceptance: - Remember that it's okay if you aren't self-accepting all of the time, I like to think that if there's something that's bothering you it's an indication that maybe it's something that requires change or improvement and that's okay and may help you on your journey to self-acceptance, journey being the really key word there! - Pursue things that make you feel genuinely happy and interact with others that make you leave with a smile on your face – you don't need negative energies in your life. - Challenge your negative thinking to help you reframe it positively ... View more

@Hozzles they are great tips! I hope you feel better soon! ... View more

@WheresMySquishy it's called daily mantras to ignite your purpose by Lisa Messenger ... View more

Yes! For my birthday my friends got me 365 affirmation book I love it so much! ... View more

@Lost_Space_Explorer5 that's a good way of thinking about it, I think I definitely need to continue working on reframing.   I think all the little things in life make us feel good about ourselves, like having a nice conversation with someone, helping someone out, smiling at someone, eating your favourite food, doing self care etc.    Something that can make you feel bad is being shut down or ignored in a conversation, or made to feel that your input isn't valuable.   Having positive self-talk, reaffirming that you are worthy, talking to someone you trust, indulging in some self-care, doing something that makes you happy can make you feel better after a bad situation. ... View more

@WheresMySquishy it also helps me, it makes me feel happy which is why for so long I didn't realise it was interfering with my life and I also day dream about similar things, using it as a creative outlet sounds like a good idea though, I will definitely try this! ... View more

@WheresMySquishy I really like the idea about writing what you are in control in, I find that helps me a lot too! To me self-acceptance is just being okay with who you are and not trying to change who you are to fit in with everyone/everything else around you, just feeling at peace. I would say one thing I'm trying to improve is my tendency to daydream a lot in inconvenient moments and I know it sounds like such a small trivial thing but it was something that began to interfere with my life when I was in exams/tests, doing work, driving, but lately I've been trying to work through and notice what activities make me daydream more and when the people/activities I'm doing where I don't daydream at all. Something else is my tendency to get obsessed with finishing something I started or having to do things a certain way, I'm trying to reframe this and let myself know it's okay not to finish something or do something a different way if it's going to do more harm than good. ... View more

Hearing everyone’s ideas about identity and sense of self has really made me consider new aspects of the concept like memories, how you’ve been brought up, school environment and past experiences and looking inwardly vs how others perceive us. I love how everyone has such a unique viewpoint! ... View more

I find these questions so tricky to answer. I just did a subject at uni that involved looking at our culture and identity and it's not something I actively think about so I find defining it really hard but I think identity is made up of lots of different things, maybe our personality, how we respond to things, our beliefs, interests, values, hobbies etc. I think our sense of self comes from the things and people we surround ourself with. ... View more

Hi @Brian6787 it's been a little while so I just wanted to check in and ask how are you feeling? Did you find the articles @Taylor-RO sent helpful? ... View more

What's your favourite type of bird? Hmm I don't really know any birds, does tweety bird count lol, I used to love tweety bird as a kid   Do you ever wish you could fly? Why/why not? Yes I would absolutely love to be able to fly!! It would feel so freeing and the view from above would be amazing plus I hate driving and have really big driving anxiety so it would definitely solve that problem!   Are you an early bird or a night owl? I can be both depending on my activities, I used to be a rower and had to wake up at 4:45am for training I love waking up early and watching the sunrise, but at the moment I'd say I'm a night owl because I find I'm getting a lot more uni work done at night.   Why do you think the chicken crossed the road? To be honest I never really got this joke, so here's a chicken gif instead   Which came first - the chicken or the egg? Ooooh this is a tough one, if you say chicken then it would've been an egg at some point but then if you say egg what lay the egg?   ... View more

@ruthxxx that can be really tricky when someone is being passive aggressive and treating you that way, there was one girl I knew and she used to just walk away from conversations when she was pissed off and it made people not feel great. This doesn't work for everyone, but I did talk to her and asked what was wrong and we figured it out, but sometimes you just have to let it run it's course and focus on yourself. I know this is such a cliche, but you never know what is happening behind closed doors, so although everyone around you may seem 100% happy (and maybe they are and that's fantastic for them!) but they may also be dealing with their own struggles internally, so know that you aren't alone and we are all always here to support you. Managing stress and anxiety is much easier said than done, don't be too tough on yourself, it's a process. I know exactly how you feel though, maybe you can try focusing on one thing to help with your anxiety like writing in a journal, or maybe even trying a new activity at school, if you're comfortable, to mix with a new group of people.     ... View more

hi @ruthxxx I'm sorry that you're feeling this way, I hope today has been a better day for you. Just know that there is never any shame in seeking help, knowing when you need help and taking action takes so much bravery and courage! I know how you feel about your friends finding out you're seeing a counsellor, I went through something similar last year I didn't want to tell my family that I was seeing the school psych because I didn't think they would understand and I thought they would ask me heaps of questions. It was a really scary conversation to have, but I eventually tried to bring it up casually. Losing friendships, especially with people we were very close to can be really hard, especially when we don't know why, do you think if you saw her at school one day you could ask her how she's going or start a conversation with her online? Also maybe it would be good idea to talk to your counsellor and tell her about how you're feeling with your progress, maybe you can even write a break down or action plan of small steps to help you visualise and achieve your goals? Do you think that's something that could help you? ... View more

@marlee I hope you're going okay in Victoria right now and that you're uni stress has settled a bit (I totally get you though, now is such a busy time in the semester)   Right now I'm trying to figure out all the cool features of the ReachOut website (I'm a new builder). I'm also currently making a September songs playlist because the last playlist I made was in April and I'm so sick of those songs if any one has any good song recommendations let me know! ... View more

@WheresMySquishy I most definitely relate to this! I have so many notebooks/journals for different purposes – a daily journal I write in, a to-do list notebook, a random thoughts notebook it goes on and on! If this planner has a page for everyday you could do a 10 minutes of non-stop writing every morning, get all your thoughts out on a page and start your day fresh I love doing this it makes me feel as though I've cleaned the room in my mind and can be open to the day, I think it's called morning pages or you could plan fun activities to do when you're on holidays and research different activities to do where you live things you haven't tried before and new places to explore! ... View more

@Tay100 I'm a massive reader so I love imaging where I would take the characters if I were the author nerdy I know but when I was younger I really wanted to be an author so I think that's why I do this now hehe   @Mayour that's so cool that you're working in a neuroscience lab I'm studying psych cog neuroscience right now! It makes perfect sense but I've noticed so many people are studying psychology – what's everyone's favourite psych topic? ... View more

@Janine-RO @Hannah-RO thank you both so much for the tips about inserting gifs  I hope your recovery from shingles is a speedy one (I tried to insert a cute gif I hope it works  )   ... View more

Hey everyone! This is such an awesome thread, thanks for the tag     Rose = the weather was so beautiful so I went for a walk with my sister Thorn = I have a massive uni assignment due in a couple of days Bud = it's my one of my friend's birthday this week so I really excited to catch up with her and my group cause it's been a little bit since I last saw them   Question as a new member to ReachOut, how do you add gifs to your post? I always see people posting these really funny and cute gifs but have no idea how to do it!   Hope everyone has a lovely day!   ... View more

How did you first hear about ReachOut and when did you decide to get involved on the forums as a user? I heard about ReachOut earlier in the year at uni, but I only just began getting involved in the forums, but it seems like such an awesome and friendly community I'm really excited to get way more involved!   What's your favourite post thread? My favourite post thread is the self-care one. I'm naturally a pretty stressed out person so I'm always looking for new and creative ways to destress and live a calm and happy life, so hearing about everyone's ideas of self-care is really fascinating to me.   Why did you decide to become a Builder? I decided to become a builder because I really love helping people, using my experiences if possible, supporting others and listening to their stories. I love how everyone has a different walk in life and how everyone has different perspectives and experiences. I'm also studying psychology so participating in community things like this is exactly what I am passionate about.   What do you do during the day (Study? Work? Hunt ghosts? Fight Crime? Taste cupcakes?)? During the day I usually do some uni work/go to uni, go to aerobics (I coach it and do it) and go for a walk. I also really love reading and spending time with my family and friends, so I try to make sure I always check in with them every day.    Do you have any weird hobbies (Train a rubber duck army? Teach lizards Spanish? Learn how to the master the recorder?)? Not really a weird hobby but I kinda love to daydream, just to be with myself and my thoughts and my wild imagination.   What's you're all time favourite TV show? My favourite TV show is called The Last Ship, my sister got me into it a few years ago, but it's actually scary how similar it is to the events of this year with coronavirus! ... View more

Today I'm grateful for my sister. She just kept doing super kind things for me, like she invited me to go on a walk, she made me a smoothie, and made me dinner. Also earlier in the week I wasn't feeling great, she came into my room and noticed I had fallen asleep with my laptop and homework on my bed so she moved it all to my desk and made sure I was comfortable. I'm also grateful for the absolutely beautiful weather today, the sun was out and it was so warm! The final thing I'm grateful for today is my super comfy bed :)   This activity really made me feel great, and it gave me the opportunity to stop and think for a second about the things/people in my life that I am so blessed to have and to take a moment to consciously appreciate them. I do try to do some type of gratitude journalling at least once a week, but I'm really trying to be more conscious of the wonderful things in my life. ... View more