Hi Luisa,   This sounds really tough. I know it can be really difficult to ask for support from people, especially family, and I'm sure my family could say that it is often really difficult to know exactly what the best things is to do to help support you.   I think writing a list of all the ways you would like to be supported is a really good idea. Sometimes, asking for something specifically is the best way to get that need met. It sounds like that would be helpful for your mum as it seems like she wants to help, but isn't really sure sure how.   It might also be a good idea to think about if there is anyone else in your life who may be able to act as a support for you as well. Do you have a close friend or another family member that you feel comfortable asking for help? That way, if you find that your mum is not able to support you in all the ways on your list, you could  see if there is someone else who is able to support you in the ways that your mum isn't able to.   And I think ElleBelle's suggestion of checking out The Butterfly Foundation is great too. This sounds like another avenue where you could find some support.   Best of luck.         ... View more

Hi nicegirl2000,   Welcome to Reach Out.   It sounds like you have an awful lot going on right now. That must be pretty exhausting and stressful trying to deal with all the time.   Like mischiefmanaged pointed out, taking some downtime to rest and accessing some support from people in your life is probably a really good idea right now. Are there things in your life that usually help you feel recharged, like exercise, or any hobbies? Doing something you enjoy is a really great way to take care of yourself.   I often find that chatting to people on the forums helps when I have a lot of things on my mind, maybe it might help for you as well? Sometimes even just playing some of the games on the forums is a good distraction from things that are stressful. There are also some really good tips on the RO about some techniques that can help you to relax and recharge when things are feeling a bit overwhelming http://http://au.reachout.com/Factsheets/W/Ways-to-relax   Remember, if you feel like things are getting to much, or if you just want to talk to someone, there are always people out there to help. If you are not sure who to talk to, you can find some helpful links here: http://http://au.reachout.com/Emergency-Help. They have both telephone and online counselling.   Look after yourself and I hope things start to improve for you soon.           ... View more

Pretty much anything by Robyn....   Although my feel good anthem at the moment is icona pop's i love it     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxxajLWwzqY ... View more

Ah, so many possibilities... maybe I can throw several dinner parties? Ok, so to start with i think a literary themed eveing would entice my inner nerd.   1.Mr Darcy - cause he know the art of clever conversation and his taciturn character would surely make for some interesting drama. And if he wears a wet whit shirt after just having emerged from the lake at pemberly that'd be pretty good too! 2. C.S Lewis - is personally responsible for the many hours that i spent hiding in wardrobes as a child and i think he would be pretty intelligent and interesting. 3. Daphne Du Maurier - My favourite author who I believe was a woman before her time. I'd also request that she entertains the dinner party by reading one of her short stories 4. Gatsby - because the guy can party his way through prohibition 5. Oscar Wilde - I think he would be a essential party guest to liven up the evening and ensue a bit of scandalous drama.   ... View more

Dear Self   Remember, each day is a new chance to do things differently. You have the power to change how this story goes.   Each litle thing adds up to make up the big picture. Just remember to take each little thing at a time and before you know it you'll be half way here   Just hold on.   Love Rachel ... View more

Great advice Rosie!   Yeah, getting in shape for summer is something I've been thinking about as well. Although, I find it helpful to approach diet and fitness goals by keeping a really positive motivation in mind. For example, instead of telling myself that i need to get fit so i look good at the beach in summer, i tell myself that i should exercise more because i deserve to have a fit and healthy body.   Because when it comes down to it, your body is just a container for the person you are and changing the outside doesn't necessarily change the person inside. We all deserve to be fit and healthy and to be the best possible version of ourselves that we can be.   I'd also like to suggest finding something that you enjoy doing. For me, exercising with friends works best. I have some friends that I meet at the gym and I'm much more likely to go if i know i'm meeting someone there.     ... View more

Hey all,   I know the stress - my birthday is next week and I'm trying to work out whether I can be bothered doing something for it or not!   Last year i couldn't be bothered so i just asked my friends around and asked everyone to bring their fav movie and wear their daggiest pj's!   I usually like the idea of going out to do an activity of some sort together - like 10 pin bowling, paintball or laser tag. There is also a really cool place in perth called Cafe Myriad - it's a board game cafe. you turn up and choose a game from their library of board games to play, it sounds kind of nerdy but i had so much fun when i last went!   You could try to google to see if there is a board game cafe in other cities/places or you could have your own board game night.     ... View more

Everyday is a brand new chance to do things differently   Also, you guys should check out minimotivation.com. It has really cool motivational quotes which change each time you refresh the page. Someone recommended it on the old forums and now its my internet homepage! ... View more

Negative: I have so many things to right now and I'm panicking about which makes it even harder to get done, and i didn't do any of the uni work i needed to do today.   Positive: I did manage to do the grocery shopping, clean my room and attend the appointment i had scheduled. ... View more

@bluebird wrote: You guys are all so knowledgeable! Thanks for posting.   I'm wondering... does anyone else ever get that niggling feeling that they 'should' be moving into the next 'stage' of life? Like, friends starting to get married or have been in long term relationships.. I can't help but compare.   How do you combat that? OMG... am so experiencing this right now! my friends have just started to all get married or settled in long term relationships, one even announced last week that she's expecting a baby!!!   Whereas I'm still feeling like I can't work out how my life should go, let alone included anyone else in that.... sometimes i start to feel a little inadequate. I feel like there is a huge pressure to "grow up" and "get my life sorted"... whatever that is supposed to mean.   I'm not really sure how to cope with this either.... any tips anyone?Generally my tactic is to loung on the couch and re-watch episodes of 30 Rock... but i don't know how helpful that is!   But thanks so much for sharing, it feels good to know that i'm not the only one worrying about this. ... View more

Hey all,   this thread has been really helpful! I have had some anxiety problems in the past which made going to uni really difficult. I had a friend who came to a couple of lectures with me a few times which helped to distract me from the panicky thoughts that were running through my head.   Or sometimes I would bring my ipod to lectures so if need be, i could just put my head phones in and tune out for a bit.  Then, after I'd been to the lecture a couple of times without having a panic attack or the world ending (or whatever scenario my anxiety had me convinced would happen), I realised that I could actually do it and that I had just been letting my anxious thoughts defeat me.   And although these things are always easier said than done, I think that we underestimate ourselves a lot of the time and we often can manage to deal with far more than we let ourselves believe we are capable of.       ... View more

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Today I smiled because I felt amazing after I managed to get my butt out of bed to go for a walk along the river this morning... totally worth it   and i just smiled again because i just found the cat emoticons! eeek, so cute!! ... View more

Thanks for starting this thread!   @ TP, I also love the Bronte sisters... although The Professor by Charlotte Bronte is probably my favourite (I always like a good love story!)   A few good books I've read recently were "Bossy Pants" by Tina Fey and also "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" By Jonathan Safran Foyer - they made a movie from it recently.   I also just finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubins - totally awesome! Her blog is also worth checking out too. ... View more

Hey, I just wondering if anyone else had any problems when altering their personal settings? I read the forum help section and apparently you can set your email signature on the personal preferences page, but this didn't appear as an option for me... Was i looking in the wrong place?   Also, I was trying to change my avatar but under 'avatar' there was only the 'from the community' tab as an option, althought the forum help suggests there should also be "from the web", "from facebook" etc.etc. options also. Again, am I simply just looking in the wrong place or do the options not show up for other people either? ... View more

Hey all,   @Emily J - yes, i too am a procrasticleaner! My house is always tidiest around exam time or other busy times!   Lately I've spent an embarrassing amount of time streaming tv shows on the internet... this weekend has pretty much been a 30 Rock marathon (LOVE Tina Fey!!).   I have even considered writing 'mindless procrastination' on my to do list... at least then I could actually cross something off that i've done!! ... View more