funk

I've been in a bit of a funk lately - so i thought i'd write about it in the hopes that it would be a cathartic exercise.

I love my new place so I've been spending quite a bit of time at home, which I've really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I forgot that I can't study at home; I get REALLY easily distracted. My studies have suffered a little bit. Well, they haven't actually suffered, but I've been procrastinating, and when I procrastinate it puts me in a foul mood. My teacher is a bit of a loser as well, so he hasn't exactly been a source of inspiration (I forgot how much of a difference a shit teacher makes)

I've had a bit of a case of the flu as well which means I've been housebound and not really in the mood for reading anything

It's not until sitting down at the computer now that I've really thought through why i've been feeling so shit, and now that i've broken it all down I feel a hell of a lot better. I felt much better yesterday as soon as i started downloading some articles for school.

blah blah blah

I feel better now. HOORAY!

Thank fuck... I don't handle being depressed very well.

so.

Life has been changing rapidly and I LOVE it :)

I just glanced over my last post and it's nice to know that I've come a long way since then.

I finished my first term of school a few weeks back and I received 2 x High Distinctions, one for each of my essays. I'm really proud of myself. BTW. I LOVE school :)

I found the course particularly confronting at times and really useful in how I communicate with others. My listening skills have improved dramatically, I'm more assertive (who would have thought that was possible), I am managing my emotions better and I am more aware of my prejudices (which will help me to become less judgmental).

I learned that expressing my emotions when I communicate gives my message a lot more meaning, so it is important for me to understand how I feel, and to actually put effort into knowing exactly what I feel.

In other news, I was "expiration dating" this guy who was moving to Melbourne. I sort of fell for him a bit, probably because he was moving away. I'm heading down to Melbourne for a mate's b'day party next weekend so I will catch up with him then. I can't wait to party with my Melbourne friends.

I moved house last weekend. By complete fluke I discovered my neighbour was moving out, so I checked out his pad and discovered it shits all over my old place. 2 weeks later I was all moved in and living the high-life. More space, a huge lounge area and a balcony.

Nothing else to report really. Work is kinda giving me the shits, but as of next term I am going to double my study workload so that by this time next year I should have a Diploma in counselling, so hopefully i can leave this job and do something in the counselling industry. I might even be able to study full-time and finish my degree more quickly :)

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I'm really going to miss Joe

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huh?

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Totes interessant

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What pub is complete without an extra-large book on the human anatomy?

long time no blog

I started school 5 weeks ago.

I've begun a degree in Counselling (a bachelor of applied social science)

It's been a baptism of fire but I think I finally have my shit together. I am the least freaked-out individual of all the people in my class, but I must admit I have been through lots of highs and lows, and on several occasions I contemplated dropping out due to stress.

From speaking to other people in my class I discovered that I'm not the only one who has been shitting themselves, or been completely stressed out.

I have a 2000 word essay due in a week and a half which I have sort of started, i'm still collecting information, but I think writing the essay will be the easiest part of the process.(fingers crossed)

A couple of weeks ago we were encouraged to start a journal to document our experiences. The module I am studying is called Interpersonal Communication and a lot of it focuses on the self and developing one's communication skills.

I considered myself to be a pretty good listener, but after a little bit of study I realise I need a lot of practice. It's really difficult to listen to someone and completely detach from your own process and focus on them and their process; to put yourself in their shoes and listen to what they are really saying. My goal is to be able to be able to listen empathetically without having to remind myself to, it's very difficult.

Other things I should note that I've learned about myself:

I read about "disclosure of information". When is the ideal time to disclose information about yourself, but the thing that interested me was WHY we disclose information. I tend to disclose inappropriate information to people I barely know. I did it again last night and today I questioned myself as to why I did it.

I think when I don't know someone very well but I like them, I have no reservations in telling them anything, perhaps it's in the hopes that this will make them like me (or perhaps i think it creates a kind of intimacy). I think it potentially has the opposite effect. They might think I am trying to big-note myself, when in actual fact that isn't the case. Still, it's something for me to work on. At least now I know why i do it i can hopefully recognise when I am going to do it and stop myself.