@WheresMySquishy I’m so sad to hear about your grandma  that must have been a lot to deal with, how are you doing?  and I’m glad you have a day off - what are you planning to do?  ... View more

Hi @Lilly_87 im really proud of you for recognising how alcohol was affecting you early on and stepping back from it - that takes a lot of self awareness and strength and that’s super amazing! How has it been for you giving up alcohol recently? Have you noticed a difference for the better?    ... View more

@musicfan_xo thank you so much for sharing! I love what you said - "self care isn't selfish in any way."    I have loved reading everyone's responses to this question - its so interesting to hear peoples perspectives on what self kindness means to them    1. What does being kind to ourselves mean? For me its about self nurturing, making yourself a priority, taking the time to heal and grow, taking the time to do the things you love, saying kind things to yourself.    2. Why is it important? When we are kinder to ourselves we learn to be loving and accepting which I believe builds a lot of emotional resilience from negativity. It opens up opportunities to learn about ourselves and take the time heal from the negative things we can say about ourselves.    3. Can you think of an example when you've been kind to yourself? One of my favourite meditations to do lately is Loving-Kindness (or 'Metta') Meditations. At first I was a bit uncomfortable because I wasn't used to saying these kind affirmations to myself, but as I have practiced I have cultivated a lot more kindness towards myself. This meditation here is one I like if anyone wants to check it out. Also check out Kristin Neff - her meditations are truly amazing!   4. Does how we talk to ourselves impact on our approach to different aspects of our lives? (e.g. work/study, relationships, sleep, eating, etc?) From personal experience - yes. I have always put an intense amount of pressure on myself to be 'perfect' and I would always put myself down. For about 2-3 years I really spiralled and it drastically affected my sleeping, eating, stress, study, relationships with family and friends. But now I am slowly healing and being kinder to myself - it has been a bit up and down sometimes and it has taken a lot of work but I'm getting there and I'm proud of my small progress   ... View more

@scared01  I love your answers to the questions - especially the one ‘what does being kind to ourselves mean?’ I really needed that reminder that not everything has to be perfect and that it’s important to learn and move forward  thanks so much!  ... View more

Tuesday’s question!   I hope everyone is well and having a great start to the week    I would really love to hear everyone’s thoughts on the below question:   Does how we talk to ourselves impact on our approach to different aspects of our lives (e.g. work/study, relationships, sleep, eating, etc)?         ... View more

I like to have an emotional first aid kit - if something happens I have go to self soothing exercises that I like to do    My favourite is the Hot Chocolate Meditation which I got from an Instagram account @Journey_to_wellness_ where you try and feel the sensation of a warm mug in your hand, and when you take a breath in imagine smelling warm hot chocolate, and breathe out like your trying to cool down the hot chocolate  ... View more

@iwantkrispykremedonuts  It’s great to hear you are feeling better! And I really admire that your going to prioritise loving yourself  ... View more

Totally get what you mean - bitchy friend groups can have a serious lasting impact and I’m sorry you had to go through that   I can honestly relate I had a friend group like that for about 5 years - talking behind each others backs, ignoring, excluding, arguments, bullying each other, exposing secrets - all of it rolled into one. Unfortunately I was the new kid when I met them and didn’t have anyone else to go to so I felt stuck there. Eventually I couldn’t cope so I moved groups as I had found a friend but yeah.. really not a good time in my life I was able to make friendships with other girls when I unlearnt the fact that not everyone was talking about me, secretly hating me and that my old friend group was not the “norm” - I’m not exactly sure how I did that but I think I just took time to heal with time and distance and figure out what sort of negative thoughts and feelings I was having about friendships     I have found that most of my great friendships have started when we were both focused on a task  - I asked this girl for math help and there was no awkwardness because we were focused on a task  and not each other - and now she’s been my best friend for 4 years. so things like sports, clubs, group activities are a great way to make friends I have found and you also have a common interest so you may find someone to vibe with easier   I hope this helps but I’m not great at advice :)    and I believe that you will have the Sex and The City friendship!!!!!!!!!    ... View more

Negative: I haven’t been as committed to meditating and yoga lately. I feel like I have failed and that I’m not good enough Positive: Learning a new habit take time, and it’s okay to miss a few days (I’m only human) and this is a great opportunity to learn to be kinder to myself when I do miss a few days  ... View more

1) Recently got my first tattoo on my rib cage and because I’m so ticklish I couldn’t stop laughing through it 2) I have fleeting fascinations with random topicse e.g. it was recently Marie Antoinette, now it’s anthropology?  3) I love reading so this year I have decided to read a book a month from a genre I have never tried before  4) Favourite kids movie is Rio - I love the song Hot Wings too much  5) Can’t stop listening to Blondie songs at the moment    ... View more

Woah video production! I seriously have so much admiration for people who are into that. Always wanted to do it... but I never really had much of a talent for it  You have a lot of super cool hobbies - you have so much time to explore them and more! You have so much ahead of you    And I totally understand the birthday stress too - I have extremely high expectations of myself so I often feel embarrassed or undeserving when others want to celebrate me (but I’m working on overcoming it)  ... View more

Wow @WheresMySquishy   I have never thought to use a journaling app, that’s such a good idea! I think I will download an app like that to store some of my favourites  And 58 quotes is super amazing, and I’m happy that your interested in collecting more as well! ... View more

That’s amazing! I’m so glad to hear that things are going better for you    ... View more

I also like to screenshot them! I try putting them all into a photo album on my phone or on the notes app  and then once I have time I like to write them down in this really huge notebook  (it also saves a lot of storage when o can delete the screenshots later)  ... View more

I don’t know if this counts as it’s not physical? But I really love collecting quotes - I collect them from everywhere like books, movies, graffiti art, brochures, things people in real life have said to me. I have around 3,200 now and I have been collecting them for maybe 4 years now?    ... View more

What your going through must be really tough right now, and I really understand what your going through. Toxic friends can be really draining and I understand why you wanted to distance yourself from her. From what I have read, she does seem like a toxic friend - if she is making you feel insecure, awful and guilty for having boundaries about your privacy, belittling your health concerns etc then this friendship is crossing into being toxic  This article looks really helpful about identifying and distancing yourself from a toxic friend so I hope it’s helpful to you!  https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/peaceful-parenting/201810/how-identify-and-inoculate-toxic-friendship%3famp    I also get really anxious about confrontation and so I found it most helpful to prioritise protecting myself when I do need to confront someone about how I am feeling. When I had a fall out with my best friend I found it much easier to have a friend sit by me when I texted her how I was feeling (texting makes me feel more protected and I could also step away and come back to the convo when it got too much). Since distancing myself I have felt so much more happier from spending time with friends who are actually supportive and kind to me.    I’m sorry to hear your going through this, and i hope things get better  I’m not sure if my advice is good but I hope it helps in some way. Would love to hear if things work out for you    ... View more

What are you looking forward to this year (big or small)? I am starting my first year of University this year! I am studying a B.S. in Psych - I’m really passionate about it, and excited to learn more about what I love  What's something new you want to try this year? Or something you would like to change? I have just starting learning Japanese - I’m currently on a 10 day streak so I hope I can  stick to it *fingers crossed*  What's your favourite thing to do in summer? I love trying out new smoothie recipes - a favourite right now is mango, pineapple and kale with coconut milk and coconut yoghurt (with only a tiny amount of kale btw)  What are your predictions for the year? They can be as realistic or silly as you want?  I predict that this year is going to be about expansion - expanding my knowledge, experiences, friend group and learning a lot about/ becoming more comfortable with myself as I begin my 20s     ... View more

Today I practiced self care by reading and drinking a warm cup of tea to destress. Right now I am reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and I am really enjoying it. I also took a nap afterwards    ... View more