Hi @Maryhadalittlelamb,   It's okay if you've taken steps back and haven't taken steps forward yet, it can take some time... I think it's great that you shared how you are going here and in my mind that's a good step forward :) You are not a waste of space, although it might not feel that way at the moment <3 ... View more

Wow @Bentoit sounds like you had a lot of fun at Vidcon! And it's really cool how you got to see creators you're a fan of. I would be so star-struck haha  ... View more

Hi @Bento, thanks for sharing those videos! I really enjoyed them and I like the message at the end of the last one.   Something in the last one reminded me of something my mum told me. I used to be extremely shy and my mum said that if I don't put in the effort to talk to someone, why would they do the same for me? So I think it's really great that you've been putting yourself there and making the effort. It is a very courageous thing to do. I'm sorry about the negative experiences, that really sucks and it must be hard to open up and trust others again.    I understand what you mean by wanting a close friendship where there's a real connection. I do think that a close friendship can really change things like feeling less lonely in the world. I have two friends whom I'm very close to and it was a long time before I met them. It's hard for me to find someone I 'click' with, and I think a lot of it was based on luck. One I met in class and the other I met at an event I was interested in. It does take effort to organise meet ups and maintain the friendship, but I think it is worth it in the end. I think close friendships result from sharing experiences with each other, and talking about the ups and downs of life.    It's awesome you're part of the community radio show. Do you enjoy going there? Are there often a lot of people at once at the show? ... View more

Hey @SunnyC, welcome to Reachout!   Thanks for sharing how you've been feeling. It sounds like you're figuring out gender identity and sexuality and it's been confusing. I mean, they're complex! There's a Reachout article on gender, sex and sexuality.  Are there questions you're grappling with at the moment?    It must be difficult not having someone to talk to about this, and I can see how it would feel daunting to talk to your partner about it all. Reachout has a list of support services if you'd like to talk to someone about gender/sexuality, for example, over the phone or through online chat. Do you think any of these services might be helpful to you? ... View more

Hi @blueberry32, thank you for reaching out. It sounds like your anxiety and panic attacks have made it more difficult to go out and do things. I was wondering if you have talked to anyone about how you've been feeling?   I came across this 'Payment and Service Finder' link on the Centrelink website that might be helpful. It's to help determine what payments/services from Centrelink you might be eligible for. Here's some ways you can contact Centrelink for more information (e.g. phone/email), and you can also search up more information about a specific payment/service in the search bar.    Hope this helps :) ... View more

Hey @JonoG, thank you for sharing. From my experience, thinking about existence and life can feel overwhelming and bring up lots of questions and uncertainty. How are you going at the moment? And how did you find talking about your thoughts and feelings with others? ... View more

@gmusicj, Awesome, I love music too. In fact, I'm listening to it right now!    I just saw the Weekly Wellbeing thread on music and your post reminded me of it. What is it about music that you love? ... View more

Hey @N1ghtW1ng :) that's cool that you used to play guitar! were there any songs you liked to play on it?   I don't think I have a favourite audiobook yet.. the local library's selection doesn't have a lot of books on audiobook so it's kind of limited but I want to listen to 'Every Note Played' by Lisa Genova because I enjoyed reading 'Still Alice', one of her other books. I started following a bunch of podcasts on Spotify recently, I think I got too excited with all the podcasts out there haha. I used to listen to 'Life Matters', 'All in the Mind' and 'Big Ideas' and they're pretty interesting, but at the moment I'm just listening to random episodes of new podcasts I've found, whatever I feel like that day! ... View more

Great thread idea, @Bananatime04!   I like to sing and play guitar because it's fun and I just like music in general. I also like to draw with a felt tip pen because it's a creative outlet for me, for example, I might draw about something that's going on in my life. It's a good way for to express my feelings. I also like to listen to audiobooks that I borrow from the local library because, although I do like reading, I'm finding that my concentration isn't as good anymore... there are a lot of books that I haven't finished. With audiobooks, I just listen and it's easy to get to the end if they're good. Same with podcasts! ... View more

Hey @stellbell,   Sorry it sounds like things have been really rough, just wanted to check how you're going  ... View more

Hi @gisforgreatgoodness ,   Nice work! That's great that you feel more prepared for the assignment due tomorrow - good luck with it, I hope it's going well :)  ... View more

Hey @BlueGem ,   Thanks for posting :) I watched a great episode on SBS Insight yesterday which was about loneliness, and someone mentioned that despite thinking that he had everything together, he still felt lonely. I agree with that, and think that loneliness can happen to anyone, no matter how 'perfect' his/her life seems to be. How have you been lately? What are your feelings around seeing the school counsellor?  ... View more

hey @BunnyWalks, that's great! :)     ... View more

hello @Gary13527, just wondering how you have been going and wanted to mention another service that might be useful - the Alcohol and Drug Information Service which you can call anytime of day :) ... View more

hi @luxeyes, how have you been lately?  ... View more

hey @dncinginthedirt,   i like your username :)    for me, in the morning, it's the usual - getting up and get dressed, brush teeth/wash face, make lunch for later, have breakfast.. also sometimes i have green tea so i feel a bit more awake (not sure if it actually makes me feel more awake but it feels like part of a routine) night - brush teeth, floss, wash face. it's been busy the past week so i've just been so tired i fall asleep. i agree with @DIVYA in avoiding using the mobile phone before sleeping - otherwise, i could end up sleeping really late. i'll make sure the 'blue light filter' is on the mobile if i have to use it. but for the past week, i know i have to get enough sleep to drive the next morning so i try to avoid using the mobile at all. i've also found that i fall asleep to audiobooks - but i guess this is sometimes annoying when i don't remember which section i'm up to haha. but maybe it doesn't matter if it's just any audiobook and you're not super interested in listening to it in full.    here's a ReachOut page with suggestions on getting a good night's sleep that might be helpful :)   ... View more

@Troy91 and here's a thread on things you can do to distract yourself that you can add to ;) ... View more

hi @Pearlpancake, how have you been? :)   you could have a chat with your friend about things like why he isn't in a rush to quit - is there something else going on in his life and he's using weed and smoking to cope with it? and if he decides he would like to quit after maybe doing the pros and cons list that @gina-RO suggested, are there other coping strategies that might be more helpful?    there's a great website called 'Your Room' (https://yourroom.health.nsw.gov.au/a-z-of-drugs/Pages/a-z-of-drugs.aspx) which has information on different drugs as well as resources to contact - a good one is the Alcohol Drug Information Service (ADIS) which you can call anytime for information on if there are any free services around if your friend would like further support. here's a link on ADIS: https://yourroom.health.nsw.gov.au/getting-help/Pages/adis.aspx   i think it's a difficult situation.. feeling worried about your friend and his future and seeing him continuing with the weed/smoking. i guess in the end, it's up to him if he's willing to quit, and it can be really difficult as a friend to watch if he decides not to for now, but as long as he knows that you care and want to understand what's going on for him... in saying that, please also remember to seek support for yourself if you would like some (you can also call ADIS for this) - you sound like a very caring friend :)    please feel free to keep us updated if you would like! ... View more

haha @rainbowpotato meg is very cute :) and pip kinda looks like an actual sheep! ... View more

i just reread 'milk and honey' by rupi kaur - love it. for me, it's a good book of poems to have nearby and read bits of when feeling down :)  ... View more

Bright - Kehlani   Just found this song about body image and it's great :) ... View more

Thanks everyone!! goodnight :) ... View more

What if you have lots of homework/assignments to do, should you break your exercise schedule and study or just exercise?   I would probably do the homework/assignments instead of exercising because they would feel more urgent... but I also want to make time for exercise if I can because it is a good de-stressor and helps me put things into perspective so that I'm not as overwhelmed by the homework/assignments ... View more

How do we know if we are doing too much exercise or know when to take a break/give ourselves a rest day? I think if you're feeling really exhausted from it and it's not something you enjoy doing anymore.. also if the exercise is too intense and you start to get sick from it. I think that's when to take a break and think about what can be changed so the exercise is something to look forward to more and doesn't take such a big toll on the body and mind.. in the long term, it's easier to stick to something which you enjoy i would take a rest day if i'm feeling really sore and just don't feel like doing exercise that day.    ... View more

oh yeah, i forgot one more - for yoga, although i do it by myself at home, sometimes i read the youtube comments and i don't remember seeing a negative one. it's nice reading people's experiences, seeing the support and encouragement people give to each other, and knowing that there are others out there in the world also doing the sessions. and if it's a tough session, it's kind of comforting to read if someone else felt a similar way, like you're not alone :) ... View more

What are some of the potential social benefits of exercise (team sports, gym, etc.)? for team sports: feeling a sense of belonging and getting to know others in the team better, working together to reach a goal for gym, maybe meeting new people? i haven't been to the gym so i have no idea if this actually happens or not.. maybe everyone's focused on doing their own thing   ... View more

@litgym oh yeah i forgot about sore muscles after exercise.. ... View more

@scared01 @Puppies026 @Bee yeah it's really fun :D i want to chase her around more but she sleeps a lot too  ... View more

How do you feel after doing some exercise? more calm, chilled, positive, accepting, see things more in perspective (probably from the commentary the yoga instructor does) ... View more