ROdown Blog
Explore Reach Out by how you are feeling
Sometimes you might come to the Reach Out site and you don’t really know what information you are searching for – but you do know how you are feeling.
That's why we are really excited to be working with the Reach Out community to develop a new way of finding info, stories and help based on how you are feeling.
So…
We’d love your help in shaping and creating this cool new feature that will enable you to:
- explore what fact sheets, stories and blog posts other people found beneficial when they felt like you
- record how you feel and why in a personal mood diary in My Reach Out
- get a snapshot of how the Reach Out community is feeling at any one time.
The Reach Out crew and the team from Inspire Digital will be discussing ideas about how these features might work with the community through this weekly blog.
Each week Mim from Inspire Digital and myself will be posing some questions and presenting some preliminary ideas for you all to scrutinize. Your feedback will help us make sure this great new feature works in a way that will help you find the info, stories + help you need.
We've done some research and had some preliminary discussions with our Youth Ambassadors and have a come up with a draft list of 16 emotions:
loved, stressed, meh (indifferent), optimistic, anxious, dissappointed, crap, in control, helpless, guilty, scared, confident, curious, content, sad, angry
We'd love to get your feedback on whether these words resonate with you.
- Are there feelings that aren't covered by these words?
- Are there words that better describe the way young people often feel? For example: sad versus down. Scared versus afraid. Calm versus chilled out.
- Are there images, colours or icons that you associate with these feelings? For example: many people associate feeling crap with the colour black or storm clouds.
Why not add your 5 cents worth and join in the discussion below?
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30 Comments (Page 1 of 2)
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love is like heaven but hurts like hell
7 months ago
Reply Reportwell ther e was a guy that i meat though a cupple a mates and we got really close and none new about us about as time went by everone slowly started fingin out and wheneveryone did we found it funny because it took them about a month to fight it out and then i got in a fight with one of his close mates and we kinda stoped talkin as much and we slowely started driftin apart and then rumos started and he though they were true but there not and then i sent him a 7 page text askin if he still liked me and that me still ment the world to me to reply i got was yer but its up to you whats happens and then like 3 days later i asked if everything was okay between me and him and he said he just couldnt find the feelin any more and said that i have all ready moved on i spent over 30 minutes cryin over him and i had my best mate over and she had no idear wat to do and then i started talk to 2 really good mates and they are now helpin me as much as they can and ii lovee them for it
dear doug,,
i wish i could show youu i still love you and how much you mean to me and that i havent move on and that you could just see how much it kills me when i just see your name let alown you walkin past the skate park kills me,, i just wish you could feel how i feel aven just for a second just so you no what you mean to me and i think about you day and night and i dunno how long it will take me to get over youu if i ever do i just wish i could get you back...
love always
Snuffle nose
7 months ago
Reply ReportI often have massive moodswings from happy to agro to the point people think I am sick! I often am sleepy when content, as if I do nothing to despise the energy it builds and I can blow anything anytime. I yell curse, swear and jump up and down.
I am better by myself as I find it hard to mix with other people in different situations, Had a yelling match with security people about they way the picked at my dress, thick jacket and skull cap, as I hate the cold!
Been Autistic doesn't make any easier to understand the way society works.
Roisin - RO Crew
10 months ago
Reply ReportSuicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Even though you may not feel it now there are people out there who care about you and services that can help you. Thank you for trusting us and giving us the opportunity to help you. It was really brave and the right thing to do but you need to keep being brave by reaching out to someone who can help you right now.
Kids help line on 1800 55 1800 or lifeline on 13 11 14 are really friendly and will understand what you are going through. These services are both 100% confidential and anonymous. They will be able to help you with everything you are going through and come up with strategies to keep yourself safe and start to feel better again. You can call them any time of the night or day free from a land line or payphone( Kids help line) or for the price of a local call (lifeline)
You need to keep yourself safe. Try to remember that these thoughts about ending your life are just thoughts, they do not mean that you need to act on them. No matter how frequently you have them or how overwhelming they are it does not mean that you will always have these thoughts.
Speaking to someone about everything you are going through will help you organise your thoughts, get things into perspective and release tension. A professional will be able to help you work though everything you are going through and come up with strategies so that you can start to feel better again. You can get through this!
Headspace is a great service set up especially for young people. They will be able to help you deal with everything you are going through. You can find out more info about them including where your nearest office is and even take a virtual tour at their website: http://www.headspace.org.au/
Other great people who can help you is your local GP or school counsellor. These professionals are awesome because they are trained to help you with a wide variety of issues and can give you advice and refer you to services in your local area that will be able to help you. Here is some more info on school counsellors and GPs: http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/local-doctor-or-general-practitioner-gp, http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/school-counsellors.
For more info on all of the services out there that can help you check out this link: http://au.reachout.com/find/getting-help/who-can-help-you ReachOut.com also has heaps of personal stories written by other young people who have felt the way you are feeling and have come out the other side to live a happy life, check out this story written by a young woman about how she has dealt with her suicidal thoughts: http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/running-is-not-forever. This is another story written by a young person about how she got through feeling suicidal: http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/im-not-embarrassed-anymore
If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself please call emergency services on 000 straight away.
We promise you are not alone in this - you just need to connect with someone who will listen to you and help you with everything you are going through.
Keep reaching out
Roisin ( On behalf of the RO Crew)
MidnightScream
10 months ago
Reply ReportI guess suicidal in a way =\
shira
about 1 year ago
Reply ReportThere are sicknesses that cause some feelings that no words can describe.
Such as - Borderline Personality Disorder.
You could try to describe the feelings with the words - ecstatic, suicidal, alone, panic........
But the feelings that a person with BPD get, are beyond these subtle words.
You cannot describe them at all!
I have Borderline Personality Disorder, and I, as well as everyone else that knows me, find it truely IMPOSSIBLE to name the feelings.
--Shira
xXTeeheexX
almost 2 years ago
Reply ReportWhat are you afraid hes gonna find out?
Team Jacob
almost 2 years ago
Reply ReportI feel upset cause my Dad doesn't listen to me, angry cause hes always jumping to conclusions bout whats happening and scared because i cant talk to anyone without him figuring out
Roz
almost 2 years ago
Reply ReportHi,
Just browsing and caught myself upon this. i think weird and agitated should don this because that is what i feel most of the time.
anna
about 2 years ago
Reply Reporthey guys :) thanks for continuing with the great ideas! No solid info about when we'll be able to do this yet - but will be back to you as soon as I hear something :)
Ophelia.L
about 2 years ago
Reply Report@Peaceful Fray, wow that was insightful. Those things all represented one word: 'choice'
Peaceful Fray
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportPatrick Henry once wrote, ”Give me Liberty or give me death”
My liberty is precious and so is everyone else’s. I try to find truth in this life and try to find meaning for my soul. So that it won’t go unsatisfied
As Patrick Henry stood to face all the delegates I wonder what his first thoughts were.
“I’m going to be killed” or maybe “I can do this”
And he did it. He courageously spoke out against the British and asked his peers to act against them. To fight for the freedom they deserved.
Did Henry believe it was his calling? Maybe it was at the time maybe it was very necessary for him to say what wasn’t allowed.
As I sit here I wonder what I have accomplished in this life. Today I have ruined myself again.
My goals in life are to make it into Columbia University and graduate. Move to Scotland. Have kids and get married have a lot of money so that my kid’s wont have to worry about it like I do now.
Today I have lost myself in to the traps that comes from a screwed up teenage mind.Somedays it feels like what happens in high school matters. But I know it doesn’t matter. Patrick Henry took on something that would affect the lives of many and could have ended his. I’m trying to change my own life by dealing with bad luck, lonliness and other things.
Boys that never leave my head and leave me or never leave me.
My heroes are all unrealistic girls that can do what I can’t
Jessica Darling
Bella Swan
Haruhi Fujioka
Veronica Sawyer
Momo
Out of all these I can relate to J.D. the most. She let me know that some of the things I’m experiencing are normal. She helped me solve some of my problems by telling about hers. J.D. fell in love with Marcus. And they lived. Not happily ever after. But something close to that.
I know that none of what I have written makes sense. It is what I felt just a few hours ago. Right after I bumped into him and felt foolish after because I feel like I screwed everything up again with him. And also after my x boyfriend who confused me again. I wonder why I let myself fall so easily and why I can't talk to anyone about what I feel even though I really want to.
rainforest_eyes_87
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportI am feeling so down lol only cause of the pregancy.
but starting to feel anxous nervous an so on edge an have no idea just want to feel normal again an feel happy with in my self an have self convidence.
im working on it very had an will get to were i wanna go
thanks cheers :) rainforest
bobby mac
about 2 years ago
Reply Reportapprehensive
bobby mac
about 2 years ago
Reply Reporttrue, like when someone coming down off shrooms
Ophelia.L
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportCan someone tell me what is happening with this please?
GRAGINBOI
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportMake it rallt BRIGHT! Like ACONs Magazine Sticks and Stones (Y) i know bright things mk mii feel alot better =)
Hat
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportWords for me: lonely, lost, useless, tired, low, unnecessary, wasted, old, lazy, guilty, hopeless.
Helpless to me means I am looking for help and can't find it. Hopeless means there is no point looking for help because there is no hope of help for me.
Jaz
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportHey guys,
I think a word we need is confused.
I dont know about you guys... but i am often confused about how i am feeling and feel lost.
I think that it should be coloured grey and have a lot of question marks and arrows pointing different directions.
Feeling confused is common among teenagers. Am i right? And a lot of us need help and direction when were feeling confused. Thats why i think confused needs to be on here.
Whos with me ??
Jaz x
mmmm
over 2 years ago
Reply Reportevery1 listen 2 a perfect circle "gravity" so upliftin. every1 watch bill hicks everyday, laugh, sing, say wat ur grateful 4 everyday, dont go down negative spiral - avoid it like da plague by tryin every singl option availabl
*LaMa*
over 2 years ago
Reply Reportand Jess has a great idea for "unsettled"
think thats a great one
*LaMa*
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportI think helpless and hopeless should have similar content but perhaps be kept seperartley.
Helpless-the feeling that there is no one in which to turn to for help. The feeling of isolation when dealing with a problem
Hopeless-The feeling of loss of hope in anything. (probobly strongly linked with crap and depression). Feeling like everything is useless and everyday activities and achievements mean nothing and will never change anything.
(my perspective on the two words)
Frustrated is a great idea and so is numb.
For happy, perhaps "ecstatic".
ok "halfevil" i think you've hit something here, "wrong" what a word that so many people could relate to..
wrong should definetly be in there, maybe tied in with "different" (no offence intended, just thinking that before people hit the "wrong" stage, they are thinking "different"
have we put in "crazy", although you might think this is a strange suggetion, there have been many times where i thought i was crazy (mentally i mean).
Foghorn Leghorn
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportHi, I think there can be a great deal of difference between the feelings behind 'helpless' and 'hopeless'. I agree with beforetheworst that helpless can often describe an external feeling, perhaps involving other people - such as people not being able to help you, or you not being able to help other people. I also agree with Jakara, that hopeless is more of an internal feeling that involves you. From my experience, hopeless can be so much deeper than helpless and a feeling that may not be shared with other people. If I were to find out that someone felt that there was 'no hope' left, I would take that this means they've exhausted all hope, ie. they've had these feelings for some time. If they were close to me I would want to let them know that it is never 'hopeless', there is always hope for something. I understand that these are just words to describe feelings, and people will have subtly different meanings for all of these words. I just think it's important to realise that some people might see hopeless as a litte more than helpless.
This website is a geat idea though, good work :)
pamtheclam
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportScared and vulnerable are also connected to helplessness and numbness. Sometimes you just want to hide and hope the whole world just goes away
litlle bittle bittle
over 2 years ago
Reply Reportshit should be one
litlle bittle bittle
over 2 years ago
Reply Reportum ok lol
Jakara
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportI think the idea of using colors as sub-headers would be a great start. E.g Red = Angry, frustration, Yellow = Meh, unsure and so on....
Sometimes I find it hard to pinpoint only one 'feeling' or emotion thats giving me trouble. I also feel 'helpless' is an external feeling, e.g When I am not focussing on myself but all the 'bad n sad' in the world, whereis 'hopeless' is an internal feeling of not being good enough or worthy. Hope this is the kind of feedback your looking for, and I look forward to being an interactive member of the RO website.
halfevil
over 2 years ago
Reply Reporti agree with u on ur thoughts.
meanings of words effect how ur feeling and should be carefully used and not just thrown around.
Jessibean
over 2 years ago
Reply Reportwhat about pathetic, drained, useless, put-down, hated, betrayed, overwhelmed, excited, elated, lazy/no motivation?
I think helpless and hopeless are different and i base my opinion on the very different meanings of the words hope and help.
RawrDino
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportEmpty, Numb, the big black hole in your stomach feeling ;) haha
Whatever you can think of to portray that I guess
How about 'concerned' for people who want information about how to help other people?
TheBilllover90
over 2 years ago
Reply ReportLove is described more by actions then words, because someone can say they love you but in their actions they can say I hate you, it can give your mixed messages