Lived Experience Forum

[Softsoft61]

I was wondering has anyone ever felt like their stuck at home with little support at home besides the

professional people sees you now and then? I have very little friends and they have more things to do than me. And they also have mental health issues.

I would like to make some friends but i find it hard at times, so i feel isolated from other people sometimes.

Where can I meet new people and friends? any suggestions?

I've been to meetup but some activities i find dont suit what i feel like.

is there anything similar to meetup? I'm also gay looking for LBGT community or find similar people

I can relate too and non judgemental...

With online sites I can be bit iffy, prefer to see them face to face.

thanks

[Former-Member]

Hi welcome to the forums, sorry I don't have any ideas for you but hope that you do find some new friendships. I've felt the same about - isolated except for my support workers and people. I'm hoping that going back to work will help me meet people and ease that a bit. Would you be able to volunteer anywhere to meet new people maybe? (That was suggested to me by my psychologist but I wasn't able to back then) or ask your support workers if they have any local knowledge of your area?
Cheers
Lj

[Acacia]

Welcome to the Forums @Softsoft61. It can be easy to become isolated if you don’t have anything that forces you to get out of the house. It’s great that you’ve taken the initiative to try meetups. It can be pretty intimidating to go and meet a bunch of strangers, so well done!

@Former-Member's suggestion of volunteering sounds like a good idea. You can find lots of volunteer opportunities here at govolunteer. Another option might be to join a social or recreational group through a local mental health organisation, such as Neami or the Mental Illness Fellowship, or perhaps to take a course through a local community college if there’s something you’re interested in learning. Even joining a gym or a sports team can be a good way to get some exercise and meet new people at the same time. Just a few thoughts anyway!

[CherryBomb]

Hey there @Softsoft61,

It's only natural to want to feel connected to others, to people who really get us.

I know you mentioned that you're looking friends, not professionals, but may I suggest getting in contact with qlife. They are a national service that aims to keep LGBTIQ communities connected.

There's a member on here, @Jasper who has written about thier experience of being transgender, and the importance of finding support from like minded people here. I wonder if they could suggest some ways to meet people?

Also @kenny66 is gay, living in a remote area and has spoken about the difficulties of meeting people. Perhaps he can offer some insights into how he manages this?

You mentioned that you tried meetup, but didn't enjoy the activities. May I ask what activities you like? For me, hobbies and personal interests have always been a great way of meeting people like minded people. 

Hope this helps a bit,

CherryBomb

[Jaye-Kay]

I would encourage you to try a couple of local "peer support groups" - google this for your area and// or look around for leaflets and phone other mental health organisations for signposting and info about hat might be available.peer support groups tend to be relaxed, supportive, non-judgemental,, since members are also people who've struggled: but they are still safe spaces,because the facilitators are trained to follow boundary and good practice guidelines, and keep group on track. good luck!

[Softsoft61]

Hi guys

where will i be able to find the community college?

would i have to ask my case manager where to find them or you can search for them online?

I was thinking bout studying but everytime I get into a course I leave.

So I'm still not certain what im good at or passionate bout.

Well I do know what i like which is drawing or being artistic.

Sometimes i want to set up a youtube channel and express my hobbies on it.

I also suffer self esteem issues and worried what others say bout me on it...

[Former-Member]

ooh the youttube channel would be exciting! i may be wrong.. but i think you can turn off the option for people to leave any comments at all on your own videos... 🙂 I think you could try googling for the community college but your case manager might know as well.
LJ

[CannonSalt]

When the government recently redistributed the money it was giving to TAFE among all training providers, a lot of dodgy training providers started up, promising things like a free laptop, etc.  Additionally, the qualifications they provided weren't recognised by the professional associations, and not worth the paper they were printed on.  As a general rule of thumb, if you find out about the college by someone talking to you outside Centrelink with flyers, run away!  Ask for recommendations, particularly if you've got an art gallery in your area. 

All providers must be Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), and they should display their RTO number on their website, etc. and you can look them up on the training.gov.au website to see if they're current or not, and what courses they can legitimately offer.

You may also need to register for a Unique Student Identifier.  I had to get one recently to take a first aid course. 

Alternatively, if you're a reading kind of a person, you might see if your library has a book club?

[Softsoft61]

hi cannonsalt
im not a reading person, i lose my attention span on it. although i should read haha

[Softsoft61]

I'm into sports,music, arts and crafts. exploring and travelling.