@lokifish I bought Stardew Valley a while back but haven't had a chance to play it out - I hear it's actually quite hard (with everything you have to do with the farming, romancing people etc.) so I'm actually a little intimidated to start, haha.   How have you been finding it? ... View more

Thanks for starting the thread, @sunnygirl606!   One of the most important things that I feel like has shaped my own writing is Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird   It's such a funny book that's easy to read, but has a lot of useful advice not just for writing, but for life in general    ... View more

@Bento It sounds like that you've been able to find a good balance in having to deal with such a tough situation. Even though it is sad, I think it's great you've been able to make that space for yourself to feel that emotion, but to also be able to focus on what you are able to do every day and enjoy the little things that happen moment by moment.   You're right, the article from Song Room is so relevant:   " Life in lockdown has enhanced our gratitude for small, every day pleasures... Arts activities can encourage us to be mindful, to slow down and to feel relaxed. They make us smile and feel connected to our humanity. The global pandemic has taught us to notice and savour these everyday moments of making and responding with creativity and joy."   That part in the article really stuck out to me! Thanks for sharing it  ... View more

@Clementine75 I think it's great that you were able to submit your audition and take that shot, despite feeling that anxiety. I hope you can give yourself a pat on the back for taking that step because it takes courage to do that! ... View more

Yeah, cats are usually pretty good at setting boundaries around what they want or not    ... View more

Thanks for letting me know @Lost_Space_Explorer5, just wanted to check as I know you were chatting with @Hannah-RO before    I think that doing what you can to stay mindful and protect yourself definitely counts, and like you said, it's definitely not an easy thing to do, either. When we're feeling really negative about ourselves, trying to recognise those thoughts as thoughts - not an unchangeable reality - can take a lot of effort.    When we're feeling hurt, I think it can be natural for us to want to have some space to ourselves, as well. I'm glad to hear you've been able to find some stuff to do that feels like you are being protected, and that you can keep taking care tonight - maybe even get some comfort by hugging something soft, like a teddy? I have a big stuffed dog in my room and sometimes it can feel nice just to be able to release all that tension through a nice hug. ... View more

hey @Lost_Space_Explorer5, I hope it's okay if I'm jumping in here as well (please definitely let me know if it's not!)   I'm sorry that right now things are so tough for you, and I can hear that losing your CM has also brought up a lot of other really difficult emotions from things that have happening in the past. It also really sucks with your friend, too.    I can really understand why everything that's been happening would make you feel so alone, though I hope you can also recognise that feeling like a failure doesn't make it true, and you can show yourself some of that love, attention, and care that you've given to so many others on this forum, and in your life as well.   Is there anything nice you can do for yourself, tonight? I think you definitely deserve it ... View more

That would have been a horrible experience. Thank you for clarifying and telling us. Your mum sounds like she is a great support for you. I am wondering whether you have any current supports who are helping you at the moment, someone you can talk to about the taking the medication and what happens for you when you want to stop the medication. The treatment plan does sound scary. You've explained it really well. At times when we have no say or no control about what is happening to us, we can feel quite paranoid and hopeless. It sounds like you had quite a full on day, no wonder you're feeling a bit tired. Hope Netflix helps you to unwind, what will you be watching? ... View more

Hi @Eden1717, it sounds like you wanted the familiarity and comfort of being home in your own environment surrounded by all your things that are usually in your space. On the flip side of that, being in hospital might also have made you feel safe and taken care of. Regardless of where you have been it sounds like there maybe elements of both that help you. Change can be a challenge, even if it is a wanted and welcomed change. I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with taking your medication and how it makes you feel. Have you considered talking to your GP/Psych about the concerns and challenges you have about your treatment order or when taking your medication? I am glad your mum is being so supportive, hope that take-away was great and that you got everything that you needed for the week ahead. Netflix sounds like a great idea after a long day.   ... View more

Hi @Blurryphaced, that would be really difficult to talk to your mum about it when it seems like she gets angry. I think talking to your GP is a great idea, she sounds like someone that you trust and that you can open up to. Maybe you can talk to her about your concerns regarding confidentiality and whether she would have to tell them. Speaking about it usually helps us, so try and not keep it to yourself and talk to your GP about the options that you have, ask her about the limitations she has to work in. Open and honest communication with your GP will hopefully give you some answers. If she has to talk to them about it, then maybe you can ask her to facilitate the conversation between you and your parents. A family counsellor can also help you with these conversations.  How does that sound? ... View more

Hi @Tiny_leaf , We are here to support you and you are not alone. It is disappointing when the support you're counting on is reduced. I hope that they hear you and help you with the appropriate supports. It must be hard when you're already struggling to have these confrontations. Please be kind to yourself and listen to your body, it sounds like it has been a tough couple of days for you. ... View more

@scared01 It's no problem!  I'm really glad to hear that you're waiting to see a dietician, though it sucks there's a wait because of the holidays! I think the strategy you've developed (substituting the protein for meat instead of tofu) is actually a really clever one, and I hope you'll be able to get some more support from the dietician too! ... View more

Hi @Clementine75,   That does sound like a tricky issue and having to deal with such a huge change like an overseas move is definitely tough because it impacts everything about your life. I can definitely understand why you might feel anxious about the situation, about maybe wanting to get closer to your friends here but also feeling uncertain about reaching out, and you raise a really important in that it doesn't matter if other people have it worse, the struggle that you're going through still matter, as well.   Turning 16 really is such a milestone and I think that you definitely deserve to celebrate it properly and have fun! I'm hearing that you do want to try and reach out and arrange something with your friends here, but that the anxiety is making is hard to go through with it. I'm sure that other people will chime in, but maybe it's possible to try and find a compromise so you can still have fun while doing what you feel comfortable? For example, maybe you don't have to go all out and invite everyone you know, but maybe just reach out to one or two people you feel closer to in particular here and ask them "I thinking of doing X to celebrate my birthday, what do you think?" And you might be surprised by how positive their reactions will be as well  ... View more

Hi @scared01,   That's okay! It's not a term that a lot of people are familiar with. The low FODMAP diet is a diet that a lot of people follow to manage a medical condition called irritable bowel syndrome. However, it is only recommended you go on this diet if you have a diagnosis from your doctor and your dietitian recommends it. I wouldn't try the diet without any medical advice or a diagnosis because there are so many restrictions; each person reacts to it very differently and you can get sick from malnutrition if you don't follow it properly.    I can hear that planning meals has been such a struggle lately and I think it's really cool that you've been able to find ways to manage and some solutions, like looking up vegan recipes; that's really smart! Maybe we could even start a vegan recipe thread sometime and have all the vegans of RO unite  ... View more

@scared01 I definitely understand what you mean! Our diet is such a huge part of our lives that a lot of healthy people can take for granted, but when we run into health issues it puts so much on our plate (pun intended  ) to try to adjust and manage.    I'm also on a restricted diet (low FODMAPs) and it's a bit easier now, but I can really relate to that struggle of not being able to just order out and get food, and having to spend so much time planning out your meals. It's a bit easier now that I've been able to build up a collection of what I can eat and what I can't, but it's definitely a huge adjustment and takes time and effort ... View more

@Jimh Thanks for checking in with us and that's amazing!! I hope you can take some time to feel proud of yourself for what you've achieved and how far you've come, considering all the changes and effort you've had to put into where you are now.    I'm so glad to hear you're feeling confident about being able to keep moving forward with all of this as well  ... View more

@scared01 It sounds like you're working really hard to make this special for your sister and I'm sure she'll love what you have planned   And I hope you can keep taking care of yourself too, especially because of all these big changes with your health and the pain. Often we can feel such a strong urge to push ourselves and our bodies past our limits, I'm glad you've found some things like pain relief, heat packs etc. to help even though I know that doesn't solve the pain. I hope you can extend that same effort and care towards yourself as you have been for planning that party  ... View more

hey @Eden1717,   I'm so sorry to hear that today's been so hard for you; that frustration we feel from being so physically and emotionally exhausted from bad mental health while strongly wanting to do things can be so strong, and so hard to deal with when we are already feeling so bad.    But thanks for keeping us updated on how you are feeling; I know it must take a lot of strength right now to do anything. I can really understand why you must be feeling so fed up right now, but I hope that you can also give yourself some credit as well, both for posting and for just carrying yourself through such a hard time and difficult time. It sounds like that you are giving so much of yourself into trying to take care and trying to do things, and even if you're not able to focus on what you want to, that doesn't discount how much effort you're putting into managing this and that you definitely deserve some gentleness and some care. ... View more

Hi @KimberlyMetcal, it would be frustrating having to wait to access support. Have you got any other supports in the meantime? ... View more

Hey @greenbookshelf, Welcome to our forums! I can understand why you're having such a hard time because of pandemic restrictions right now, and I'm sure that there's a lot of people who can relate to your experiences as well    I can hear that the isolation has really been putting a big strain on your mental health, and that you're doing your best to stay on top of things but that it's getting to be a struggle without being able to recharge by being with other people the way you usually do.   I'm glad that hear that you have a psych at the moment, greenbookshelf, and I hope that you can keep working with them to find different ways of dealing with this anxiety. It sounds like that in a lot of ways this process is about having to learn to enjoy spending time alone and that can be a really hard thing to do, especially when we already have so much anxiety around it.   I'm sure that other people will chime in with help once they've had a chance to see it, but in the meantime maybe something that might be helpful is trying to do a self-compassion meditation when the anxiety gets really bad? Self-compassion can be really helpful sometimes because it's about strengthening our connections to ourselves, and that could be one way of looking at things...that no matter what happens, you're not always alone and that you can always be there to take care of yourself  ... View more

Thanks for letting us know, @Lost_Space_Explorer5! Super excited to see what comes out of this week's chat  ... View more

hey @hunginc, I'm glad you were able to get some exercise today, though I agree that it would have been good to have some food and rest beforehand    I hope that you can get something nice to eat tonight!  ... View more

@November13 I really like your take on this  It's such a good way of keeping things in perspective, trying to remember that although we want to do well and study stress is real, remembering all the things that we've already achieved and that there are always ways of moving forward. ... View more

@celestialdreamer It's great that you've been finding ways to stay active, especially when our bodies really need it or we haven't been able to move all day    I've been trying to learn more about embroidery lately and that's been exciting! Someone recommended this website to me that has free online courses on things like sewing, jewelry marking and I'm excited to learn more when I have time ... View more

Read books! It would be hard not being able to go to the movies with everyone else but I feel like books are more accessible than movies...   Would you rather only eat bread and pastries for the rest of your life, or only eat pasta for the rest of your life? ... View more

Not sure if I can answer this question with a yes or no so I'm just going to say, I got some charging cables recently for my phone and I'm so glad I got more than one, because one of them broke barely a day later!    If you had the money for the plane tickets (but for nothing more than that), would you take a year off to travel the world?     ... View more

@Macaria That's such a balanced perspective on things; it's awful that you've been negatively judged before because of your condition, but like you said, we can also try to surround ourselves with people that see and appreciate us for who we are as a whole (I really like what you said about the not being a $100 note!  )   @wanderingwasp A lack of awareness/knowledge can be such a big roadblock to feeling understood, or even having that acknowledgement of how things like chronic derealisation and anxiety impacts you. I think it makes sense that you're practical about who to mention it to or not, though I hope that this can be a space where you can always talk about what's been going on  ... View more

@Lost_Space_Explorer5  Love that you did some star jumps today!! That can certainly be a way of getting the blood pumping and give our minds a bit of a break from our thoughts   Really glad to hear that things are stabilising although I get why you would also feel maybe uncertain or even a bit scared about whether things will go wrong in the future. I guess regardless of what happens, it's nice that right now things are a bit more steady, and that you're also finding ways of managing the situation like with keeping busy with volunteering and everything else   Also can't wait to hear some fun volunteer stories when you have the time to share!  ... View more

@MB95 I'm glad that what I said makes sense, and I can understand why you'd still be feeling scared or uncertain about how to go about things. Saying it in words or writing it down, I think you've raised a good point here about what's important is that at least she'll know in some way.   I think that it definitely makes sense to give things a bit of space to see how you feel later; doing assignments definitely isn't a fun way to keep busy  but at least it might be a bit of distraction?   I hope that you can get some more rest, tonight, too ... View more

@Love_elmo77 I'm really glad to hear you've been able to talk about stuff through the kid's helpline webchat  I hope that you'll be able to keep using it, and we're also here for you whenever you need ... View more