Thanks everyone. Shout out to @DirtWitch youre awsome!! Thanks so much ... View more

Thanks @DirtWitch its definitely much better :)   What can you do if you're not okay with discussing mental health issues with your family? Is it okay to seek help without them knowing?   Well i did this. I think it's important to have people that know your truth so that you can confide in them. I hid everything from my parents and that got pretty difficult at times especially when living in the same house. I definitely wouldnt recommend it, but i had a few really close friends i told everything and a really amazing GP and psychologist that I trusted a lot and knew i could call. I think its a complex question and it really depends. I didnt know about RO/wasn't on here when i was at my worst and I definitely think this community does a lot of people that are in situations that were like mine - i mean i just winged all of it.  I mean all of us, me and all my friends just winged it. We had no idea what to do, how to get help. I guess that's why its so important for me to be on RO and make sure other people are getting information,support and guidance cause everyones situations is complex, different and hard in their own way. ... View more

Yeah my family does I guess, but i think im the one thats always checking in on everyone. Especially my brother, he gets stressed which isnt really mental illness related but it is wellbeing related so im just always checking in. And i do find that my mum talks to me openly when shes getting anxious thoughts or anything, so that's something i think! Definitely a positive thats come out of my experience. ... View more

Definitely agree with you @Randomness, family doesnt have to be biological family! It can be friends, or family friends/mentors as well. Or all kinds of people that influence you in positive ways.   Mann these questions are super tough!! I find some of this stuff hard to talk about so sorry if I dont respond properly.   I think just starting conversations about it more so it becomes normal helps, finding time to maybe not talk about the illness but some of the symptoms and how you're going with them, what you think you need, how they can help which is sometimes hard to know but could start to make it normal. ... View more

IN my parents defence - they are doing their best and it's not their fault they've been brought up the way they have.   I definitely think its a common thread @DirtWitch, I didn't tell people for a long time because I felt like a burden. ... View more

The short answer is no. I had friends take me to my first GP and psych appts, friends coach me through starting/going off medication with my psych and GP. I got my own medicare card so that they wouldnt know etc so yeah it was pretty bad for a while. Sorry if this is over-share. I've worked hard with my parents to help them understand me and how i process things and deal with stressors/triggers but even now we talk about MH all the time but never in the context of me. And if i do my mum goes into denial and says that it was iron deficiency...   ANYWAY, they're still very supportive of me and ive been lucky to have the money and support systems to help myself but I never felt I could go to them because of stigma amongst the South east asian population around mental health etc ... View more

No Worries @letitgo, see you soon!   Hey @FootyFan26 i think it's great that even though you're different, you, your mum and bro do something together. I think even though members of a family dont always understand each other, things like that can be really nice. I totally relate to what you said about it depending on whether people are in a good mood. It can be tough to navigate sometimes.   ... View more

Hi Everyone!   Sorry im late, i put some clothes for wash early this morning and forgot about them :\ anyway here now! Glad to be here.   What's your family like? Who's in it, how do you feel when you spend time together? (Don't forget to include any non-human members in your answer!) My family is complicated but overall good. I'm lucky i have both parents, a pretty great brother and a loving dog as part of my home life. I fight with my mum a lot and have a pretty complex relationship with them, its definitely been a source of stress for me in the past. I also come from a culturally diverse background so we don't really talk about our feelings, this is hard when youre like me and tend to have a lot of feelings haha but things are much better than they used to be! ... View more

Hmm well I think you're doing all the right things to try and figure out what to do  @redhead so lets keep brainstorming and see what we can come up with.      Is psychosis what's effecting you the most day-to-day? ... View more

hey @redhead - first of all, amazing thread! Thanks for making it. I think it could be a good idea to hone in on something specific because as i'm sure you know they will be linked in some ways so maybe the best approach would be to think about which of those points would have the most impact.   From what I can see, there are two categories. 1. Skills and strategies - dbt skills, cbt, reducing SH, coping wih psychosis, safety planning/suicide management 2. Tackling personal challenges and building resilience - gender identity, interpersonal relationship, self-esteem   Does it help to think about it like this or does it simplify it too much? I think there are lots of different ways you could tackle it. Hope i haven't confused you too much. Let me know what you think and maybe we can keep brainstorming? ... View more

What are your goals @scared01?   I think my number one goal in life is just to be happy, which I guess is a short and long term goal? but otherwise maybe - going back to doing something creative like dancing or playing the piano - getting a job I feel challenged in but also makes me feel like im contributing to society - Going travelling!   I think those are the next 6months or so! Cool thread btw! ... View more

Hey @KiKi_19, thanks for sharing your story and experience with us. @May_ has given you some great support and I'm really glad to hear that you want to try and get in contact with 1800RESPECT. Please let us know how that goes.   It sounds like you have had a lot of not so great things happen to you and I think it's great that you have been able to identify and reflect on how these experience have impacted your thought processes, it's really quite amazing.   There are a few different strategies for tackling thoughts and different people on here might have different recommendations so my advice is to try them all and figure out what works for you. Sometimes when we are overwhelmed and thoughts are racing it can help to try and quiet down the mind, I find listening to a specific kind of music or meditating helps me. There are a few really good meditation apps that you can access any time. Like everything meditating is a long term thing and you have to do it for a while to really get the benefits.   You mentioned that you've tried replacing your negative thoughts with what you know is true - how have you done this? Do you write it down or say it in your head?  ... View more

How did you go with swimming and yoga @j95 sounds really amazing.   I can imagine it's frustrating when things aren't moving forward or they are moving slowly but it's a process and the important thing is that you keep coming back to the idea that you need to see someone which means that you will and you can!   How are you feeling now? Could you book an appointment today? ... View more

What! What was there reason for making you reapply @j95? Is it something to do with uni? :( ... View more

Thanks for that @NurseNettie :) Awsome  ... View more

Yeah and its not always easy to know where you can to get friendly/understanding/affordable support so that recommendation @May_ for melbourne is great! I dont know that many young people know that is an option for them. ... View more

I'm learning so much for all of you !   i think a big part is having a support system outside of your relationship with the person you're sexually active with. And i think thats important for relationships in general not just sexual ones. Its good to get perspectives from people you trust and understand other peoples experiences, talk to a GP or other professional that you trust and have develop rapport with. These kinds of relationships are hard to make but really important!   ... View more

oooft these questions are really tough, ill let someone else answer first :P ... View more

Hey everyone   Umm I think sex can be a really big part of a relationship so in that sense it can definitely impact your emotions/your feelings of safety and worthiness  as well depending on the situation so I guess thats where conset, trust, communication etc come in! ... View more

hey gang im going to head to bed. Sorry i havent been that chatty/been around for much of the GR but been enjoying reading it :) ... View more

Food is good! hmm what time do your housemates sleep? @j95  ... View more

ahh mann :( @j95    whats the plan for tonight? Music and chill? ... View more

How do you like to express yourself?   I dance and sing, i also doodle on blank pieces of paper when im supposed to be listening to lectures :P also through words i think, i like words, that's probably why im a forum person haha ... View more

1. What does creativity mean to you?   Creativity is so many different things, its self-expression through art and dance and music and singing but it's also thinking creatively in your work like thinking outside the box. I  know ive had problems or challenges presented to me at work before that i've had to figure out and I think that requires some creativity too!  ... View more

hey everyoneeee! ... View more

Yeah @N1ghtW1ng, with breaks! haha each piece was 5-8 minutes and i had breaks in between but there was one 30 minute one in the middle! I definitely couldnt do it now, i worked super hard for over a year to get fit enough to do it and then i was so sick of training and eating well that i just went off the rails and ate everything and slept heaps haha   ALSO THE PLACE I GET COFFEE REMEMBERED MY ORDER AND NAME TODAY, I HAVE MADE IT IN LIFE ... View more

THis is awsome   1. Got into the Master's degree that I wanted and haven't failed yet! woo 2. Graduated from my indian classical dance academy by doing a 2.5 hour performance 3. ummmmmm, wow im really struggling with this.. OH i did the Batyr Speakers program  ... View more

YEAH YOU DID!! I'm so glad you're feeling relieved @j95 So what might be the next step? Making an appointment with your old one?   Yeah but I think speaking to a psych is always a good idea. When you're doing well, your business will do well too so maybe it's a good thing that you're doing it now rather than later?   I agree with @Birdeye about talking that stuff out with them but we can postpone decisions about that to step 4 or 5 if you like.    You're doing great! :)    P.s. are you swimming still?.. in the rain? haha ... View more

Well you don't have to do it alone @j95! I definitely didn't! And we are all here to support you as always :)   Going to the doctor tonight sounds like a good plan, let me know how it goes! Maybe ask them if they can they refer to your old psych? ... View more