Lived Experience Forum

[Lauz]

With spring in the air, a few updates in the forums and the introduction of our new Community Manager @s-jay, I thought what a great time to refresh ourselves by sharing what we love about the forums.
 
You know the forums is in its fourth year?! Some of you have been around since its beginning and others are just getting to know this space. As with anything that grows, such as a flower or tree, there is a process of change and development in its look and feel sometimes but the roots still remain and only grow stronger. We have had a few changes through the forums as it has blossomed over these years with the fabulous nourishment provided by all of you! 

So, let’s take this springtime inspiration to share:

• What you love about the forums?
• How it has made a difference in your world?
• How would you describe the forum in one word to a friend who may benefit from the community? 

This will also be a great way to let @s-jay know more about our wonderful forums! 🌻🌱

[Zoe7]

What I love about the forums - the real connections and support from people that know what I am going through and who provide that support regardless of what is going on for themselves at times. It is a real community that looks after each other and whose members show immense courage to share their journeys with others and show real care and compassion for their fellow forumites. It is a place to come to give and receive support and know that will be reciprocated when needed. 

How it has made a difference in my world - To put it simply, I would not still be here without the forum! It has been a life line to me at my worst times and allowed me to connect with people that have helped me through those times. Sometimes a simple 'I hear you' is all that is needed. It has also allowed me to support others and share some of my story along the journey so those other people know I get where they are also. The forum has also provided a great deal of distraction at times which has aided in me being able to negotiate some dark thoughts and that is immeasurable in it's effectiveness. It has also given me the strength to connect with people and that is something I had shut myself off from in real life - the flow on effect is that I can now also make similar connections in the real world. Trust is a huge issue for me and the forum has allowed me to trust again - and that is invaluable to me.

One word to describe the forum - Supportive

[greenpea]

The forums are a great way to meet people in a safe and caring atmosphere. People who are all alike in many ways and yet different too. I look forward to coming online every morning and reading and learning from people who I would call my online friends. Cheers to Sane for this initiative. greenpea

[Lauz]

What beautiful and thoughtful responses @Zoe7 and @greenpea - all of the warm and fuzzies ⭐️ How great to see the impact of such a supportive community!

[BlueBay]

Hi @Lauz

I love the forum because there is no judgement. I love the forum because I don’t feel alone. 

The forum has made a difference in my world by letting me be me. Being able to just be open and honest and trust. The forum has helped me so much when I’ve been in crisis. I love the connections I’ve made with others on here. It feels I’ve known them for years without physically seeing them. I think the understanding and respect of each is great and real. at times I feel I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Sane forum.  And an amazing job the moderators do online and offline. 

One word to describe forum - Amazing

[Shaz51]

• What you love about the forums? --
  able to talk about without being judged , to discuss, and support others and to find other carers that are in the same situation as i am
• How it has made a difference in your world? --
  I have been on the forum for 3 years now @Lauz, @s-jay
  and it has made a big differnece in my life
• the forum has helped me to help my husband who has MI
• How would you describe the forum in one word to a friend who may benefit from the community? , awesome , supportive

[Former-Member]

What do I love about the forums here? - the few genuine people I have come across on here. But it's not all inclusive and not all receive equal support I have experienced over the years.

How has it made a difference in my world? - the people I have tried to help over the years through my own life experiences has been a rewarding experience.

How would you describe the forum in one word to a friend who may benefit from the community? - in all honesty I could not recommend it in its current format.

[Mazarita]

@Lauz, @s-jay and everyone,

What you love about the forums?

The thing I most love about the forum is the friends I have made here. A number of them have become almost daily companions over the years, sharing our journeys, encouraging each other, feeling genuine love, care and closeness, despite never meeting each other in person. The conversation has been at times highly intellectual and stimulating, at others simple accounts of daily events, and everything in between. Of course we share our pain and difficulties here freely in a way that is rare or non-existent in our lives offline. We also share our joys and achievements, and celebrate each other when these happen too. The forum also can be fun and diverting, not something that would necessarily be expected in such a venue. I love too that, unlike some other forums I have been part of, the community managers and moderators here are active participants who we also can develop friendly relations with. The forum is an awesome place!

How it has made a difference in your world?

When I first came to the forum three years ago, I was unable to leave the flat, even to make urgent medical appointments. The forum helped me find the courage to take steps outwards, become a more active participant in life, and has continued to be an ongoing source of support in my daily struggles with bipolar 1. The forum has seen me through ups and downs and in betweens. I've learned so much about caring for myself and others with mental illness. I have met so many different kinds of people here, all bravely reaching out to others in their own ongoing struggles. It's a great source of human connection for people like myself with social anxieties, feelings of isolation and loneliness. I simply can't get through the long list of ways the forum has helped me and continues to help. The forum has enrichened and enabled my life immeasurably.

How would you describe the forum in one word to a friend who may benefit from the community? 

Empowering.

[CheerBear]

Great idea 🙂

What you love about the forums?

I love 'meeting' and getting to know lots of different people on the forum. There are so many people with so many experiences and stories to listen to, enjoy and learn from. I feel inspired in lots of ways.

How it has made a difference in your world?

I joined the forum shortly after a serious life changing event happened for me during a time when I felt more alone than ever before. Scared and shy, I posted my first post feeling incredibly lost and disconnected from the world. My post was met with warmth and welcoming and since then I've 'met' and enjoyed the company of many amazing people. The forum has helped me feel like and remember that I am part of something bigger than the sometimes very tiny bubble I live in. I can see that I am not completely alone with things I experience which makes them less scary in a way. 

Being on the forum has also helped me take better care of myself than maybe I was doing before I joined. I have learned about a bazillion more ways to do that through people sharing including different things I can do when I'm full of feelings, recognising the need to take time out, ideas for communicating better with people in my life, how to navigate the systems and find what works, and strategies for managing on daily basis and during times when things are not great. 

How would you describe the forum in one word to a friend who may benefit from the community? 

togetherish (is that even a word?! 😆)

[s-jay]

Thanks @BlueBay for sharing your thought about feeling less alone and the connections you have made.

And to @Shaz51 for expressing  you don;t feel judged and what you get from supporting others.

Thanks @Former-Member too, thanks for sharing how much you get from supporting others.

 @Mazarita you spoke of connections and feeling empowered! Thank you!

And finally (so far!) @CheerBear - loved reading about how you feel inspired by story-telling!

Keep them coming everyone