Peer Group Chat // Learning To Live With Anxiety // Thursday 23rd March 2023, 7-8:30PM AEDT

[amber22]

Hey everyone!

On Thursday 23rd of March 2023, we will be holding a Peer Group Chat on the topic of Learning To Live With Anxiety.

Anxiety can be really challenging to deal with and overwhelming at times, especially when you need to be focused on life’s priorities. Let's come together to discuss our lived experiences and strategies for dealing with anxiety. This discussion could be a great time to learn some coping techniques or contribute to someone else's recovery.

The event start times across Australia are below:

This is currently held in daylight savings hours:

WA: 4pm 
NT: 5:30pm

SA: 6:30pm 

QLD: 6pm

NSW, ACT, VIC & TAS: 7pm 

For anyone unfamiliar with Peer Group Chats, each focuses on a specific topic and is guided by Peer Workers with lived experience of mental health issues and recovery, &/or caring for someone with complex mental health. A counsellor is also present as a moderator to help ensure a safe environment for individuals and the group. It is a space for us as peers to share our stories and experiences, and connect with those who are going through something similar. 

Anyone is welcome to join! Tagging some members who may be interested below:

@mr-robot-75 @Hope0011 @Shaz51 @Hams @Appleblossom @Captain24 @Snowie @chibam @Jacques @wellwellwellnez @outlander @NatureLover @Sophia1 @BlueBay @Appleblossom @Eve7 @Bow @Snowie @Shaz51 @JungleGiants @BPDSurvivor @wellwellwellnez @NatureLover @Millieme @Laura4 @creative_writer @Bobbie @tonys @StanD @Owlunar 

Peer Group Chats are hosted outside of the forums, using a platform called Chatwee. 

To join an Online Peer Group and participate, you will need to register for an account with Chatwee.
To access the group to observe only and not participate, you can access Chatwee as a Guest.
On the night, follow this link to access Chatwee before the group starts.
You can join our Peer Group Chats every Thursday from 7:00-8:30pm (AEDT). Check out the FAQs page for more information.  

We hope to see you there 😊 If you can't make it but are interested, you can always catch up reading the transcript afterwards here. We also invite you to continue the conversation below on this thread if you can't make the night but also wish to contribute some of your responses. We will post some dot point prompts on the day that can get the conversation started if you're unable to make the live event!

[Captain24]

Im devastated that I can’t make this one either. My anxiety is out of control at the moment. It may have helped

[amber22]

Hey there @Captain24 I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to make this group chat. 

We are currently working on the transcripts being made again so hopefully they won't be too far off. But in the mean time, we can possibly post the questions here afterwards in this thread if you wanted to contribute and possibly have a conversation in a time that suits you with the same questions (I am sure that there are many others in the same boat that won't be able to make it). 

Let me know what you think ❤️

Amber22

[Captain24]

That’s sounds great @amber22. I might be able to join late. 

[amber22]

See how you go 🙂 @Captain24 If you're not able to then we will post the questions underneath this thread anyway to keep a discussion going for those that can't make it live!

[TideisTurning]

Hi Everyone, 

Just a reminder that the next Online Peer Group Chat on Learning To Live With Anxiety will take place tonight from 7-8:30pm AEDT.  As always, for ease of reference, times across Australia are in the graphic and listed below: 

Western Australia: 4pm 

Northern Territory: 5:30pm 

South Australia: 6:30pm 

Queensland: 6pm 

New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory & Tasmania: 7pm 

Tonight, you can expect discussion about: 

• Our experiences of anxiety, and how we might share these with others 
• Supports for coping, including our own tools/ strategies and people as well as supportive factors that may help ease anxiety experiences and ways we could support others 
• Recovering from experiences of anxiety 

Tagging members who have supported or otherwise interacted with the thread so far as well as those who may be interested to receive a reminder @Snowie @Shaz51 @Captain24 @Birdofparadise8 @creative_writer @Adge @Jacques @tonys @CatMom @Bobbie @Former-Member 

If you're not able to attend live tonight or you don't make it in the end, we'd still love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share anything you'd like (within guidelines of course!) here in this thread using the dot points above as guiding prompts if you'd like/ would find that helpful 😊

[amber22]

Hey everyone! 

Just a reminder that this Peer Group Chat on the topic of Learning To Live With Anxiety will be starting very soon, in around 20 minutes at 7PM AEDT! 

Tagging those who have interacted with the thread or that might be interested in coming along tonight @CatMom  @Snowie @Shaz51 @Captain24 @Laura4 @creative_writer @Adge @Jacques @tonys @CatMom @Bobbie @sammy3 @justanotherguy @Owlunar @tonys @Shaz51 @creative_writer @Laura4 @mamabear88 @Jacques @Sophia1 @NatureLover @Appleblossom @Dimity  @LeChuck @StuF @Smiling_Gecko @sammy3 @BlueBay @wellwellwellnez + everyone else is welcome to come along!!

Hope you can make it. To join us, head here, or, for those interested but unable to join live, a transcript will be made available after the event here. Feel free to continue the conversation below on this thread too 🙂 

[amber22]

Hello everyone! 

For those of you that couldn't make the live Peer Group Chat last night, I will post the questions down below in case anyone wanted to create a discussion through this thread, or if you wanted to use the questions as prompts to journal 🙂 

Q1: What is your experience of anxiety? 

Q2: What are some strategies and/or tools you use to cope with experiences of anxiety? 

Q3: What might you need to help you feel more comfortable being open about experiences of anxiety, whether this be to seek support or to talk about it? 

Q4: What kinds of support would be helpful in learning to live with anxiety? Do you have any of these supports in place and/or how could you engage these supports? 

Q5: What kind of factors might help lessen experiences of anxiety for you? 

Q6: How could you support someone if they were experiencing anxiety? 

Q7: Experiences of anxiety can often take a toll on us emotionally and physically. What might you find helpful in recovering from an experience of anxiety? 

Thank you! Sending hugs ❤️

Amber22

[TideisTurning]

Hi All, 

Just wanted to share a little something extra here in case it's helpful for anyone else in a similar way to how it's been helpful for me at times. The guided relaxation from this episode of Osher Gunsberg's podcast is a tool I like to use to help myself push through particular anxiety inducing situations when I need to (the dentist as a random example), but I find a lot of this podcast helpful generaly,  particularly Osher’s check-ins and there's also an episode with Dr. Russ Harris that goes into Acceptance & Commitment therapy, which might be interesting for some too 😊 

@tonys @Sophia1 @Owlunar @StuF @Captain24 @Birdofparadise8 would also love to hear anything y'alll (and anyone else reading along) have to contribute on this topic too if you'd like to share. 😊

[Captain24]

My anxiety has been extremely bad. I’ve had pains in my legs and feet. Tingling in my hands and face, headaches, lightheaded, rapid breathing and dry mouth. I’ve had a fear of leaving the house. When I had to leave my body would start to shake. I had no control over my symptoms. It is all starting to ease finally.

I just listened to the podcast @TideisTurning. I feel relaxed. I haven’t been able to feel like this in quite a while. Thank you so much for sharing. It will be my new go to!