Hi @scared01 So sorry to hear that. That sucks. Well done for taking care of yourself. Get well soon! As @N1ghtW1ng said, we are always here when you need us!  ... View more

No worries @scared01. Thanks for such comprehensive answers. You've given some very valuable insights.  ... View more

Good self care and prioritising myself is definitely important to dealing with chronic illness.    A big positive of chronic illness is that it improves my empathy, teaches me stuff about myself and grows a better understanding how to look after myself and others.  ... View more

As a slight aside, my presently very hyperactive trying to chew everything in my house puppy, although sometimes frustrating, helps me cope with life in general.  ... View more

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the amount of medical appointments that you need to manage? What are some things that have helped/could help you cope with that feeling?   Yep all the time! Working full time and fitting multiple appointments in business hours is hard. Right now I kind of just "run" to my appointments, "run" back to work, keep going and not think about it. Probably need to think a bit more about the coping thing.  ... View more

Welcome @scared01! ... View more

@roseisnotaplant It's definitely hard getting used to appointments when you're new to it and suddenly have a lot.  ... View more

I will add, as has already been stated, wellbeing is priority and keeping up with appointments is important even if difficult.  ... View more

I think chronic illness is anything that affects your physical, emotional, social wellbeing.    Yep I have a few. Depression and anxiety being the biggest longest lasting ones. Not quite so chronic, this year various parts of my upper digestive tract have decided to play up, needing various appointments, bloods, medications, procedures. Great when I've just started working full time.    As I've kind of hinted, I have a lot of appointments. How do I manage this? Short version, with great difficulty. I just try to schedule them at the most convenient times and find people to cover me at work.  ... View more

Hey @scared01 Is there anything you can do for yourself today to help you wind down? When you feel ready, we're here to listen if you decide you want to talk about it.  ... View more

@Bee Good on you for reaching out to Lifeline! I'm glad it helped. That's great too you're applying for different jobs! We all get tired and have small oops moments like that.  ... View more

@scared01 Good to hear. How are you going?  ... View more

Hi @j95  That's a shame. What have you/could you do for yourself today?  ... View more

Hi @Tigersandlionsandbears Welcome to ReachOut and kudos for your courage in reaching out here!   Sounds like a really tough situation you're going through. Do you know why you're getting anxiety around writing? What have you've tried so far to help? It sounds like you've been trying really hard to get on top of this and it's understandable it would be getting to you messing with a subject you enjoy so much.   Have you checked out this article which has some tips for dealing with anxiety? self-help-for-anxiety There's also some apps which are great for helping deal with anxiety. ReachOut breathe and SAM are a couple of my favourites. Could you talk to your teacher and let her know the issues you've been having? Is there a school counsellor or someone you can chat to about this?        ... View more

Hi @lonelyandinsane   Thanks for sharing your struggle with us. Self harm is a tough gig to overcome. Relapse is common and ok. It's understandable you'd feel upset at yourself. Self harm is a way of coping and you must have been feeling pretty down to do that and it's your way of trying to deal with how you're feeling. Of course, as you've said, it's not something you want to be doing. Remember we can't change the past but we can work on our future. What else do you think you can do to cope with these difficult feelings?  ... View more

Thanks @DirtWitch for running the show and to everyone else who helped out! You did an awesome job! Goodnight!  ... View more

I think it's definitely ok to seek help without telling your family. I did, I have friends that did and I know lots of other people do. There are ways to do it without your family knowing and with minimal expense although it can be harder financially and logistically if younger and confidentiality can get blurry. I wish it was something everyone could talk to their family about but sometimes that's not reality. That being said, whilst not always true, sometimes families actually react better than we expect.  ... View more

I'm finding it really interesting how many people in families have shared experiences of mental illness or at least personal struggles and that's opening up more conversation about it. I think it's a big way we open up discussion about mental illness in society as a whole.  ... View more

@letitgo good night! It was great to hear your input tonight and I"m glad your family is supportive and open about mental illness.    Although mental illness is a concept my parents are still getting their head around, they do talk about their issues and there are definitely times their mental health has been far from perfect. My sister is 15 and I find she's sometimes reluctant to open up.    I try to help my family by being supportive, loving them and reminding them of positives.  My sister I frequently ask her how she, school, hobbies, life, everything is going and remind her she talk to me about anything anytime and I will always listen and support her.  ... View more

@roseisnotaplant I agree. Talking about it in general terms is something I've tried to do with my family to gage their views, improve their understanding and hopefully someday be able to talk more about my own experiences.    I think a good way to start is finding sneaky ways to start a conversation about it, eg. if they see something on TV, online, in the news or whatever and starting with general comments and questions can definitely be a good way to go.    As frustrating as it can be, I think it's important to remember that sometimes they have different reasons and backgrounds and influences for why they see things the way they do and whilst it's good and important to have these conversations and help with their understanding, getting really emotional and aggressive towards them isn't always a helpful way to improve their understanding - trust me! Keep it a conversation.  ... View more

@DirtWitch I definitely agree with both of your above comments (which probably aren't your 2 most recent posts by the time this posts!).    @j95 It's tough when your family are part of the problem. It's not what they're supposed to be. I've seen so much of you being awesome though and trying to deal with it.    For me personally, my family have always tried to be supportive of me but sometimes, although meaning well, in their caring they've done more harm than good. They however have no idea I've had mental illness or been on medication as I don't feel this is something I can tell them.    I think it's important to say as well that family doesn't have to be biological family. It definitely rings true that sometimes family is the family you make yourself. I've had many amazing friends over the years who have been super supportive and helpful with my mental health and in other ways and they are like family to me.  ... View more

Hi Everyone!    My biological family consists of my mum, dad, brother and sister. I'm probably closest with my sister, but she's still a teenager so sometimes I'm not cool!  My brother and I never really got on that well. I love my parents but my mom and I have very clashing personalities and fight a lot. I also have a puppy and guinea pigs.    I don't talk to my family that much about mental health. I want to, but I don't feel like I can. They have different views and understanding of mental health so it usually just tends to end up in an argument. I try to subltly slip things about mental health in with my little sister and be as supportive of her as I can because I want the best for her and if she ever struggles with her own mental health, I want her to feel like it's ok, she can talk about it and can "reach out" (pun intended!) for help.  ... View more

Hey @scared01 Sounds like you're going through a lot right now. I can see how hard and scary all of this would be and it's ok to take the time you need with it. You're doing so well and I'm proud to see you being so brave and strong with all of this, even if you don't feel like it sometimes. How did today go? ... View more

Goodnight everyone!  ... View more

@loves netball D/on't lose faith in yourself, you're capable of more than you realise. Also, small goals - focus on the steps needed to work towards running a marathon rather than the marathon itself. I know I'd freak if I was contemplating running a marathon! Dealing with mental illness is kind of like running a marathon too, so again, small goals.  ... View more

@May_ Awesome job tonight! This is a great topic that absolutely everyone can relate to!    In summary I'd say, set small reasonable goals, do whatever works best for you to make it happen, be kind to yourself and get help when you need it!  ... View more

@RevzZ I second that! Say that to myself all the time!  ... View more

What can you do if you find that you're struggling to achieve your resolutions?  - Rally support to help you!  - Don't beat yourself up - Take a step back for a moment and chill - Re-evaluate your goals and check you're not trying to do too much too quickly or it's not the right time to be working on that goal ... View more

@loves netball  Setting smaller goals is a great way of working towards bigger ones. Sounds like you've got some good ideas to help with preparing for the marathon. If joining an atheletics club or the like would make you super anxious, try and focus on other methods in preparing and devise your own training plan. It can be a lot easier to ask google than someone in the real world too!  Setting smaller goals for bigger goals applies to your other one as well, like setting in place things that will help prevent you getting to a place where it's hard to keep that resolution. This is a bigger discussion probably better for another ongoing thread. We'd be happy to support you however you need and help you figure that out if you want to.  ... View more

Serious answers now...    What things can you put in place to help you achieve your resolutions or goals? - Set reasonable realistic goals - Break bigger goals down into smaller tasks and work on 1 at a time - Reward yourself for achieving said small goals - Think about why you're doing what you're doing and maybe even write it down somewhere and stick it up - Be kind to yourself  - Get others in on it as support and motivation ... View more