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Re: April achievements, with a theme of self-care!
@lunarcat522, good luck with your exam!! I'm really happy to hear that you've been taking steps to respond to your needs and getting rid of negative influences 
@sinead276, best of luck with all your uni assignments! How are the books that you're reading? And it's really good that you've acknowledged that dwelling on the past can be deteriorating, and that you've been taking steps to move on
@Amy22, I hope listening to the brown noise was helpful! Yes, I agree that it feels so great decluttering your mind - last month I deleted my insta account since the people who I followed there gave me a lot of mental clutter, and I'm glad that I don't get their posts on my feed anymore ^^ and I really like the stress bucket self-care activity! It's really helpful that you were able to reflect on what triggers you and what activities you can do to calm yourself down
@Cosycore_Witch, ahh that's so great, I'm really proud of you! I agree that eating healthy and taking vitamins give you such a nice feeling! I hope your DBT therapy's going well, and I'm happy that you've been devoting time for self-care - the activities you mentioned are definitely so relaxing

@sinead276, best of luck with all your uni assignments! How are the books that you're reading? And it's really good that you've acknowledged that dwelling on the past can be deteriorating, and that you've been taking steps to move on

@Amy22, I hope listening to the brown noise was helpful! Yes, I agree that it feels so great decluttering your mind - last month I deleted my insta account since the people who I followed there gave me a lot of mental clutter, and I'm glad that I don't get their posts on my feed anymore ^^ and I really like the stress bucket self-care activity! It's really helpful that you were able to reflect on what triggers you and what activities you can do to calm yourself down

@Cosycore_Witch, ahh that's so great, I'm really proud of you! I agree that eating healthy and taking vitamins give you such a nice feeling! I hope your DBT therapy's going well, and I'm happy that you've been devoting time for self-care - the activities you mentioned are definitely so relaxing


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Re: Sticker partaaaaaaaaay
That's so cool @Amy22 ! Never heard of those types of stickers but they sound really interesting!
Re: Doing nothing (vent)
Hello @AnonymousToe
Just wanted to say a lot of people also feel the same way as you do when school/college/uni comes to an end. It can often feel very abrupt and weird to all of a sudden have no deadlines. It makes you realise how much education gave you a routine.
I noticed you mentioned about being on a gap year. Do you have a college/uni course starting after the summer? Or an internship/job?
It could be worthwhile to find a summer job or even part time work to help ease you into a routine? Or if this is not what you are looking for, you could always volunteer somewhere to help out the community? I’m a volunteer for a few charities myself and I find it really helps to give you a sense of purpose like you are stating you are missing right now.
Another option is taking up some new hobbies or sports? Is there anything like that you are interested in? You could perhaps look into local clubs within your area?
Hope some of this helped!
Just wanted to say a lot of people also feel the same way as you do when school/college/uni comes to an end. It can often feel very abrupt and weird to all of a sudden have no deadlines. It makes you realise how much education gave you a routine.
I noticed you mentioned about being on a gap year. Do you have a college/uni course starting after the summer? Or an internship/job?
It could be worthwhile to find a summer job or even part time work to help ease you into a routine? Or if this is not what you are looking for, you could always volunteer somewhere to help out the community? I’m a volunteer for a few charities myself and I find it really helps to give you a sense of purpose like you are stating you are missing right now.
Another option is taking up some new hobbies or sports? Is there anything like that you are interested in? You could perhaps look into local clubs within your area?
Hope some of this helped!
Re: Doing nothing (vent)
@AnonymousToe and @FordRanger
Ok, hear me out...tv. Now I know suggesting that is usually discouraged for whatever reason, but I'm not saying 'go binge watch an entire series or movie or something' because it's easy to get addicted, but sometimes that little bit of extra input is really helpful, and can stimulate the brain into doing something creative. Talking to someone about that new season that just came out and you're so excited et cetera et cetera...it can help you to socialize and enjoy yourself. Maybe it's so interesting you build up some theories, or maybe it encourages you to look into a prequel/sequel or check other franchises. Having something as normal and time consuming as that can really bring a lot of normality and entertainment to an otherwise boring situation.
Ok, hear me out...tv. Now I know suggesting that is usually discouraged for whatever reason, but I'm not saying 'go binge watch an entire series or movie or something' because it's easy to get addicted, but sometimes that little bit of extra input is really helpful, and can stimulate the brain into doing something creative. Talking to someone about that new season that just came out and you're so excited et cetera et cetera...it can help you to socialize and enjoy yourself. Maybe it's so interesting you build up some theories, or maybe it encourages you to look into a prequel/sequel or check other franchises. Having something as normal and time consuming as that can really bring a lot of normality and entertainment to an otherwise boring situation.
Re: Am I doing enough?
Hello @FordRanger i can relate to the struggles of trying to get a job and how hard it is to hear responses after submitting applications. I think I have spoken to you on previous discussions about this but another option I wanted to add on was maybe even look for a temporary job? I’ve seen jobs before of workplaces wanting someone to work for a short term period to cover illnesses for example. This can be very short like a few weeks or it can be even be quite a few months. Obviously getting a permanent role would be the most ideal option but the temporary work will allow you to gain a bit of experience and allow you to network and if a job came up in a company you already worked as a temp for then you’d have a good chance of securing that role.
It can often feel like you are the only person who can’t find a job but so many people are in the same boat. Could even be worth emailing or going into smaller businesses and asking if they have any jobs going. I know a few people who have managed to get a job this way.
Hope this helps.
It can often feel like you are the only person who can’t find a job but so many people are in the same boat. Could even be worth emailing or going into smaller businesses and asking if they have any jobs going. I know a few people who have managed to get a job this way.
Hope this helps.
Re: A guide to ARFID - Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder 💛
@Amy22 @AnonymousToe - you're both so right that there is definitely more awareness needed in this area. I've also seen quite a few posts about it on Instagram & TikTok lately so it's positive that the awareness is building.
@AnonymousToe - has your sister been able to reach out for any support with it?
@lunarcat522 - thank you so much for sharing what you're going through with us and I'm glad that you feel this post will be helpful in educating people on the topic. That was our aim! It sounds so tough to be having that difficult relationship with food at the moment. Had you heard of Beat's Hummingbird online support group before? It might be worth checking this out as a way to talk to others who are experiencing the same things. You're deserving of that support.
@AnonymousToe - has your sister been able to reach out for any support with it?

@lunarcat522 - thank you so much for sharing what you're going through with us and I'm glad that you feel this post will be helpful in educating people on the topic. That was our aim! It sounds so tough to be having that difficult relationship with food at the moment. Had you heard of Beat's Hummingbird online support group before? It might be worth checking this out as a way to talk to others who are experiencing the same things. You're deserving of that support.


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Re: Struggling to sleep
Hey @FordRanger - yes of course! Another idea that I've found pretty effective is mindfulness meditation. It helps to give me head space when I'm feeling worried or stressed, and detached from those heightened emotions. There are apps like Headspace that are great for this 


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