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Just Sara A Bouquet for Pearls - share your appreciation for other members
  • replies: 715

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful word... View more

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful words. I hope this thread stays active through members giving out praise regularly to people they feel deserving, and therefore keep generosity of spirit alive within the pages of BeyondBlue Forum. My bunch of Red Roses (my choice) goes to Wishful for the following sentence; 'Personally, I see no reason to be praised in me, but I'm learning that seeing through the eyes of others can be more accurate!!' I so hear you Wishful. Just beautiful... Try to keep your leading comments short to focus on 'their' words. Choose specific flowers (or a gift if you like) to present to them. Sign off respectfully and sincerely. I hope this takes off... Spreading the love...Sara

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Tonic The Therapeutic Art of THANK YOU Letters...
  • replies: 4

Hi Gang/Posse!The FINE and Therapeutic art of Thank You Letters.Great way to COUNT Your Blessings, and fun to write out your Gratitude for some Past Act that Made a Deep Impact on you... Some Small Kindness of some Friend or aquaintance (or Stranger,... View more

Hi Gang/Posse!The FINE and Therapeutic art of Thank You Letters.Great way to COUNT Your Blessings, and fun to write out your Gratitude for some Past Act that Made a Deep Impact on you... Some Small Kindness of some Friend or aquaintance (or Stranger, you Don't have to SEND THEM, its Sorting Out your Gratitude in your Mind). Great if you CAN send them!! I used to write letters to Imaginary Friends when I HAD no Friend I LOVED from age 8 (didn't think I deserved NICE friends, I got the psych abusers and Toxic ones) to 19. Sometimes I would write their kind replies too, stuff I need to Hear, by Projection. I wrote to REAL childhood friends I had lost Contact with by age 8 (we Moved ALL the Time. Left Me Vulnerable, missing Friends terribly...) Here's Good example of the sort of thing I mean!LoveTONIC/D--To Paul R...Tried to Track you down on The Net - have located Some old Friends like My Name was Earl, but can't Find you. I wonder if you'd even Remember me (hope so! ).But you were my First BEST FRIEND! I was Horrified on my First Day of School, that my Mum could LEAVE me in this grim place full of noisy Strangers... Roy Orbison's Pretty Papers was on the radio that morning, and it gives me the Whim Whams. I was sitting by myself at recess time, Crying, and You came and sat beside me, and Put an ARM around me, and said it "Wasn't so bad when you got used to it."And offered your Wonderful FRIENDSHIP.I fell in LOVE with you Instantly for your Kindness, Empathy, compassion, PERCEPTION and Charity.We went Everywhere together, Joined at the Hip. I had you for a year... then moved 10,000 Miles away, to the other side of the world.I waited for the New YOU to show up and OFFER me Friendship, I was Way too SHY to ASK it of some boy or girl I ADMIRED...Your Like came 2 more times, Debbie W at 6-7, Andre S at 7.Lost them.Then fell in love with a Predator, the First to offer me Friendship in another new town. A much Older boy. They call it IMPRINTING in the Animal Kingdom... Not Your Fault! Bless you for your Kindness, and a Model of Wonderful, Kind Friendship. I lived off its Memory for Many Years, a COMFORT.HAPPY thoughts of Happy Times.Live Long and PROSPER!Your Friend,TONIC

Tonic Morning (beyond) BLUES...
  • replies: 2

"Well Ya Wake up in the mornin'..." The Midnight Special..and The Weight of the World comes crashing Down on You.LOAD: Existential DREAD... If you Lay there Half Asleep, it will all keep churning around in your mind. Self Inflicted Suffering, but i D... View more

"Well Ya Wake up in the mornin'..." The Midnight Special..and The Weight of the World comes crashing Down on You.LOAD: Existential DREAD... If you Lay there Half Asleep, it will all keep churning around in your mind. Self Inflicted Suffering, but i DO IT myself still.. Don't WANT to be seething with Depression, but don't want to Face the DAY Either..."I don't wanna Face... the Day... the Day... TodayLong Night leaves me Stranded - Black Visions, Danger Signs""Cover my Head - Stayin' in Bed - Too late the Luckless Warning" - The ANGELS, Face The Day. Best thing to do, if you haven't figured it out, is to GET UP straight away. Make a cup of tea of coffee, DISTRACT yourself, and the Worries seem less. Same applies with Bad Dreams. Lay Half awake and it will keep Playing over and over. The Quicker you get up, the more of the dream you will Forget. Light on - ALL the lights On, get a drink, have a snack, calm down, Centre/Get Grounded, you are Not in Danger, DISTANCE yourself from The Nightmare. I have some LuLu Bad Dreams from the past. Worth a Try! Tonic

Tonic Music Hath Charm...
  • replies: 3

".. to Sooth the Savage Beast" - William Congreve, 1697. Blows off SORROW, as I just covered, but can Calm, Relax and INSPIRE also. I Like UPLIFTING songs too. Like Eurythmics "Right By Your Side" and many others. I have Therapy Songs for New Survivo... View more

".. to Sooth the Savage Beast" - William Congreve, 1697. Blows off SORROW, as I just covered, but can Calm, Relax and INSPIRE also. I Like UPLIFTING songs too. Like Eurythmics "Right By Your Side" and many others. I have Therapy Songs for New Survivors too (and OLD ones! ) Great Music, and sometimes the WORDS work out Awesome from a Survivor's POV. Just FIT!! Two good Starters, for a bit of HOPE and HEALING here.. "I'll Find My Way Home", by Jon Anderson of YES, and Mr Vangelis Papathanous, of Chariots of Fire Fame. "You ask Me Where to begin - Am I so Lost in MY Sin You ask me Where did I Fall - I'll say I Can't tell you When But if my Spirit is Lost.... How will I Find what is near? No Question, I'm Not ALONE - Somehow I'll Find My Way Home And Our Own Lady Olivia Newtron Bomb, (((RIP))). MAGIC from Xanadu Loved the Eerie TUNE - what IS that Guitar chord? - and when I SAW into the Words, well Olivia was the Kind voice of Every Guardian Angel I ever dreamed of, ready to Drop Everything And Fly to my Rescue.. AND Offer Healing. Awesome! "Come take my hand, you should KNOW ME I've ALWAYS been In Your Mind - You KNOW I will be KIND, I'll Be GUIDING YOU, Building your DREAm Has to Start NOW, there's No Other Road to Take You Won't make a Mistake, I'll be Guiding you" "I'll be Near You, Come ANY Time you call, Catch You when you Fall.."

BullGem29 Time to move on?
  • replies: 2

I've been experiencing extreme levels of frustration for some time. I'm stuck in a predicament and I'd love some impartial opinions. One of my colleagues doesn't pull their weight. Comes into work bang on 8 30, goes to lunch bang on 12, comes back ba... View more

I've been experiencing extreme levels of frustration for some time. I'm stuck in a predicament and I'd love some impartial opinions. One of my colleagues doesn't pull their weight. Comes into work bang on 8 30, goes to lunch bang on 12, comes back bang on 1, leaves bang on 5. Comes into work in a law firm in ripped jeans. Only answers the phones when they know someone else won't or needs to be prompted. Disappears to the toilet 4 to 5 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Wears air pods in both ears all day so doesn't hear the phones or us when we talk to them. Management are aware but don't do anything about it. My frustration levels have hit an ultimate high. I think management believe it's just me being a whinger. Yesterday I was running late to work, which doesn't happen very often, she was aware early, still didn't come in early. I managed to get there at 820 so had to open up and we had a client come in at 8 30 which was theirs to deal with. As they weren't there I had to deal with the client while they wandered around the office talking or making their coffee while im running round like a headless idiot doing work or answering the phones. My predicament lies in that I could move jobs but I'm currently studying to be a lawyer and there is a 90% chance then when I graduate in 2 years time I will have a job there. What would you do in this scenario? Move on? Suck it up? Concentrate on myself and what I can do that's good for the office and the team and not worry about what they are or are not doing?

ScarlettR The benefits of walking on the beach
  • replies: 4

Now this may be obvious to point out that walking on the beach is healthy, both mentally and physically. But I think we really need to look into what makes this activity so great. Two hours in nature reduces stress. Plus the happiness of walking amon... View more

Now this may be obvious to point out that walking on the beach is healthy, both mentally and physically. But I think we really need to look into what makes this activity so great. Two hours in nature reduces stress. Plus the happiness of walking amongst other people, not being too focused one oneself and observing the sights and sounds. Plus walking on the beach is a free thing to do, and is just so fun to do, and different sights and sounds happen every day. So… for those experiencing mental illness including PTSD (like myself)… we should make it a goal to spend at least 2 hours on the beach (walking, sitting down and reading, etc).

Tonic Distraction - the Best Medicine...
  • replies: 8

Hi, Bipolar NOW (as of 2003), But Depressive since aged 14. Load O Sh*t Happening. I Learned Distraction Early.. 15? My Mind was in Guilty, Depressive Turmoil every night, Insomnia and more. I got a PILLOW SPEAKER - plastic disk with cable, small spe... View more

Hi, Bipolar NOW (as of 2003), But Depressive since aged 14. Load O Sh*t Happening. I Learned Distraction Early.. 15? My Mind was in Guilty, Depressive Turmoil every night, Insomnia and more. I got a PILLOW SPEAKER - plastic disk with cable, small speaker inside. To Distract Thoughts, Break up the Negative Cycles of despair. First I listened to music& talk back radio, late at night. Learned some Interesting things - the 2UE/2KO Twin City Show (link up). Then I got a cassette player that would keep reversing/switching and playing end to end. Sometimes Music, sometimes Comedy Tapes. Monty Python albums, Billy Connolly, USA's George Carlin... I had more comedy albums than music aged 14 - 16. Learned some Great Routines too. Very Good Distraction, cost me about $6.95 for the speaker... When my Mum was going into catatonic depression after DAD passed away, I got her a Radio and Pillow Speaker - Just in case The Magic still worked... (It didn't really. Mum had one Course of Shock Treatment, worked wonderfully Well, No headaches, loss of memory and the effect Permanent, not transitory for a few weeks only.) WALKING.... Got put on a NEW WUNDERDRUGG for Bipolar a few years back. I stopped that drug immediately, but Going OUT for a walk was the ONLY Distraction that Aleviated it in any way... I read that the Panic Attack Thing happened in about 10% of Patients. Dropped the SSRI, didn't seem to be DOING anything. I used to feel I was about a meter below the surface of the water, looking up.. Now I BOB on The Surface! And Any DEPRESSIONS Not nearly so bad as before, Must Hold One's Mood DOWN further..? Some stuff to think on! Kindest Regards TONIC the BARD

JMarch15 Trying to make better changes in my life but surrounded by judgement still need some guidance
  • replies: 2

my current issue was longer but wouldn’t all fit… for my first BB post. Ive got to the point where I needed to make changes in my life I’m cigarette free for over a year cut back completely on drinking and had developed a drug habit so have cut that ... View more

my current issue was longer but wouldn’t all fit… for my first BB post. Ive got to the point where I needed to make changes in my life I’m cigarette free for over a year cut back completely on drinking and had developed a drug habit so have cut that off aswell but mostly after being on anti depressants since I was 18 and I’m almost 34 they wearnt helping me they were just numbing me to my problems and made me more lazy. Have spent the last 6-8 weeks correctly coming off them as my GP would do whenever I had to change anti depressants every couple of years because I thought they had stopped working so we would try a different brand, trial and error with all anti d’s. And my plan I’ve put together is to go back to a psychologist and rather than continuing to take anti depressants work threw my problems and demons Asap. My main problem now is that I’m stuck in this hole where all I feel is that I’m being judged by the people around me, feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells around my father mainly because once my parents found out about my blood disorder Haemophilia they shelved me as not likely to accomplish anything but we also do have no communication skills between us, and as for the friends I see often I feel like they sit back and judge me for still being on painkillers despite doing my best to cut back and stay off all the other addictive things alcohol, ciggys, drugs etc alcohol being my Achilles heel I guess I’m just looking for advice as to why I keep feeling there’s no one supporting me and only judging me I’m doing my best one day at a time to create a more positive outlook on life but being stuck in a small isolated community and getting nothing but negative comments form those around me has got me to this point of really struggling mentally and psychologically that I get angry at myself and start doubting what I’m doing to try better my life there’s just no positive reinforcement not even from my father the one person I thought knowing what I’m trying to do to better my life would be full of positives to help keep me going but nothing still the same negatively. As soon as my GP returns from leave at the end of the month I’ll be getting a mental health plan and psychologist as I just feel so alone, worthless and useless at the moment and need good guidance and also thought I’d give this a go.

Guest_00092208 Can't sleep
  • replies: 4

Not quite midnight yet. Though I am going into 48hrs plus awake. Having some physical/psychological issues which ate plaguing my ability to relax. Anyone else awake?

Not quite midnight yet. Though I am going into 48hrs plus awake. Having some physical/psychological issues which ate plaguing my ability to relax. Anyone else awake?

Ggrand Small achievement you managed to do today....How did it make you feel? Did it help you feel better today?
  • replies: 498

Hi everyone.. Their are days when just getting out of bed is a huge achievement...Other days we can achieve things like washing up the dishes or clothes, sweeping the floors, mopping the floors..very mundane and automatic robot like chores for the me... View more

Hi everyone.. Their are days when just getting out of bed is a huge achievement...Other days we can achieve things like washing up the dishes or clothes, sweeping the floors, mopping the floors..very mundane and automatic robot like chores for the mentally well...They do these chores without even thinking about them...for people struggling with their mental health..these are huge tasks... Very often I’ll get my vacuum cleaner out to vacuum ...then it will sit their for days, me looking at it, walking over it...until I can get motivated enough to vacuum..after I do find the motivation to vacuum...I am pleased with myself... Right now I have a small foot cycling peddle machine, sitting on my front veranda..I got it out last week..to start exercising..it’s still their, I’m still looking at it...My thoughts each night is I’ll use it for a few minutes tomorrow.. My car hasn’t been washed getting close to a year now I think...Today I did managed to wash it....and discovered that it has a nice shine on it.....I did it...I achieved something positive today..which made me feel better in myself... Have you achieved a little something today...and how did it make you feel...If you want to share that achievement it might make other people a bit more motivated to achieve something they need/want to do.. Looking forward to hearing about your achievement....and how it made you feel.. Little steps and achievements can lead to bigger steps..and bigger achievements... My kindest and most caring thoughts...everyone. Grandy...