Post of the Month January - *Winner announced*

SarahR

Welcome to POTM January Lots of voting this month so there's some great posts to choose from.

yellowseahorse was the winner of POTM December for her helpful advice in this thread. Congrats

Have a read of the nominated posts and vote for your fave:

butterfly123 nominated hmmm7 for this post in Mindfulness Colouring Book

hmmm7 wrote: »

I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about, if you were to draw a picture you would colour it afterwards right? I certainly would! You're doing positive things for your mental health I'd say that's a good thing and if anyone judged me for it, well then theyre the one with the problem not me

ninaballet and baa ram ewe nominated butterfly123 for this post in Mindfulness Colouring Book

butterfly123 wrote: »

Not at all! You're never too old for art. Whether it's for a focus or even just for fun, colouring is a creative way of expressing yourself and/or losing yourself - there's no shame in that

yellowseahorse nominated hmmm7 for this post in Mindfulness Colouring Book

hmmm7 wrote: »

This could go in creative or could go here so I'm going to plonk it here and see what happens.

This is a suggestion for those who like to draw/ be creative or those who just want to try out some mindfulness.
I recently found a book called The Mindfulness Colouring Book which uses art therapy as a way of dealing with overpowering thoughts.


It's similar to the Wreck Your Journal which I've seen is quite popular on here, so thought I would suggest this too. Sometimes I want to be creative but don't really want to draw I just want to do something that's going to take my mind off things and let my thoughts just slow down, so this book is perfect because all you do is colour the pages! It has lots of patterns which you can just colour.

I gave it a go and found it really good, it just made me focus on how I can make it look nice and just slowing down the negative thoughts which is kind of what mindfulness is all about, sometimes with mindfulness you need to sit quietly and concentrate on nothing but breathing, but sometimes I just can't stop my mind from wandering off somewhere, but found that doing this really helps! There's also lots of other versions too, I have another one called Dream Catcher: A soul bird's journey which has lovely pictures to draw and also nice quotes to go along with the pictures.

Give it a go :thumb:

gricken nominated Scary Monster for this post in Problems at Uni

Scary Monster wrote: »

First things first. Deep breath and relax. You're not the only one in this position - and despite all outwards impressions, lots of people find the first year of uni hard.

Do you have a personal tutor? They might just be called a tutor, depending on how your uni system works. Set up some time to have a chat with them, or they might have a drop in session and tell them what's going on. Talking through the problems you're having with the course side of things with them might help things settle down on that front pretty quickly. Often there are extra explanation sessions, or support or coaching available on certain topics - but it's not always obvious how to access this. There may also be some study skills support available which could help you get into the swing of the uni way of working.

What are you studying? You might find some people on here can help with some more specific tips if you want to try asking.

On the housemate front - there are a few simple things that can help. Do you own ear plugs? If you don't, now could be a good time to get some. It's not necessarily a long term solution - but might help you catch up on sleep in the short term. Boots & Superdrug sell them (and lots of other places). If you're worried about sleeping through your alarm then a phone alarm set quite loud and with a vibrate function wakes pretty much everyone even through earplugs.

Have you tried talking to your housemates about the problems? Sometimes that can work, other times it can make no difference at all but it's usually worth a shot. A rota might help. Failing that, keeping your bowl, plate, knife,fork, spoon in your room and keeping them clean yourself can be a work around.

butterfly123 nominated MikeS for this post in Positive Quotes Thread

I try and see the best in people. Everyone has a dark side, a side that we don't want other people to know about for whatever reason. But we all have that part to us so in my opinion there's no point in focusing on it - makes much more sense to me to look at the good in people and make the most of it. Like we all tell ourselves that the bad in us is what's special and it just isn't, it's a given if you're a human being. The good is what's unique, and well worth focusing on.

butterfly123 nominated plugitin for this post in Why should Marathon runners raise money for TheSite?

plugitin wrote: »

Because TS is amazing!
Because without the peer support and mods' help provided through the boards and live chat, young people who might not know where else to turn wouldn't get the support they needed.
Because TS, with its supportive environment and friendly users has been there for me and helped me feel reassured that I wasn't alone with this and reminding me to take positive steps when I've not been well.

And finally **helen** nominated ella! for this post in Can't deal with this crap anymore

ella! wrote: »

This doesn't sound stupid. It's something which resonates very closely with me and I'm sure with lots of other people too. Negative comments often attack subjects we are more sensitive about, meaning we are more likely to remember them. The more you focus on them, the harder it is to believe the positive comments. Other people can and do see positives in you and we will keep reminding you.

College isn't everything. I know, it's easy for me to say that, but when I dropped out of 6th form I felt similar because I wasn't doing what people wanted or what I was capable of. Seven years later and after taking the longer route to where I am now, I have finally realised that going to college aged 17 or 18 is not everything. In going to go against everything with is advised by career types but there is a whole world out there. Experience it. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But don't learn for the sake of learning, if it's not of interest or help. This is your life. You also had very valid reasons for dropping out of college and it doesn't have to be a forever. You are a capable young woman who has made a sensible and mature choice to postpone/stop something which right now isn't practical because of health.

You're still young Becki, I'm not saying that in a patronising way, but you have time to decide what you want to do. From my view point, I think the priority is reaching more stable ground for you and considering how that can be made possible.

Don't forget to keep your nominations coming in for next month's POTM.