Ransfordrowe

Hi sorry for late reply; I didn't get a notification of your comment.
I love Dali's work. The painting 'the scream' also haunted me ever since
And love Gunter Brus's work. So creepy. Do you do art?

I haven't actually started yet. I'm waiting to hear back from the College. It depends on what the people are like whether I will speak to them. The part about my voluntary work that I hate most is the tea-break, when, as you say, other people go off with their friends.

I'll be studying part-time at Bromley College.

I didn't start really becoming interested until about a month before high school graduation, so I guess you could say it's a fairly recent interest.

I'm already applying to various jobs and internships so I'll have some job security once I graduate.

Hi, I simply emailed them and they offered me the place, no questions asked. I used to own a pet rabbit and he died very young due to diarrhoea (I stupidly told them that when they asked if I had ever owned one) although I have enrolled on an animal care course yesterday as well. I really enjoyed my first day apart from a couple of moments of embarassment/stupidity.

I'm studying photography and will be getting my Bachelors degree in May.

Hi, I start this Monday and will be coming in every Monday until late June. This Monday I will be looking after rabbits. My doctor has prescribed me some beta blockers for my nerves. I suppose my next step is to find paid employment but first things first I am going to allow myself to settle into this role and allow myself to relax. I was shown a huge boar/pig cross that is looked after by the centre. The person showing me round told me with a very straight face that once I'm a bit more experienced my job will be to look after him (which includes cleaning his toilet out). The next thing she told me was that he has just been castrated because he was too aggressive and had been smashing fences down.

I usually prefer walking either during the summer or fall when it's not freezing out. I don't really walk to "enjoy nature," because there isn't a whole lot of nature near where I live, anyway. I just do it both as an excuse to get out and to get some exercise.

I will be working in an animal rescue centre (although I have no idea what it involves yet), I will find out later today. I am very anxious about actually getting into the workplace and mixing with others and have been trying to take things easy and allowing myself to relax. My favourite rock artists are Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, The Faces, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free, Bad Company, The Who, Rainbow, Bachman-Turner Ovedrive, The Jam. Personally, I find the old stuff to be the best.

I developed a crush on my original therapist, she was the same age as me (22), beautiful and had a wonderful Greek accent, sometimes I still miss her and she left over eight months ago. She buit my confidence and got me doing things that I wouldn't normally do. My new therapist has given me belief and helped me to get my first ever job (albeit voluntary work). I do find music relaxing. I listen to rock, pop, disco, reggae, 40s, 50s, classical, all sorts, even whale music lol (now that is relaxing). I agree with you that laughing is therapeutic. I watch things like 8 out of 10 cats, QI, Whose Line is It Anyway, Only Fools and Horses and more. I just generally like laughing so I watch anything.

I'm seeing a therapist and have just started reading 'How to Make Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie. You?

I think I'm paranoid in the sense that I imagine that the majority of people out there are out there to hurt me.

I do suffer from a lack of confidence and it is almost always rock bottom although not self-esteem. I think that I have just as much right to be on this planet as anyone else although someone did once call me an "unconfident loser and that I'm exactly what the world doesn't need" I brushed it off and thought that I'd rather have my personality than his. Recently I have been seeing a mentor every week. She works for Bromley Mind (a local mental health service) and she has signed me up for a drama club, a sermon from a buddhist monk, a self-help group and some kind of group activity at a church during the evenings. I desperately don't want to do any of these things but I said yes to her simply because I felt bad saying no as she was only trying to help me. If you don't mind me asking what did/do you do to build your confidence levels?

I think people just used to make any old rubbish up about me simply because I wouldn't stick up for myself. I read a quote by Alfred Adler that those who aim to gain some kind of superiorty over others is because they in fact feel inferior to them in some way. I still do find it very difficult to stand up for myself to be honest. I've become a yes man, I just say yes to everything even to things that I desperately don't want to do.

I was the same as you really shy which developed into social phobia. Although I was also bullied a lot. I would teach myself to stand up for myself and not allow myself to be pushed around by other people. In terms of history I would probably go back to the
1920s/30s/40s/50s; times when people had a genuine respect for one another and kids weren't afraid to be playing out on the streets in fear of being stabbed or kidnapped or whatever. That era would have been ideal for me. Oh, and my name's Tom btw.

I would travel back to my childhood and try and do everything differently so that I didn't end up developing social anxiety. You?

Hopefully a world where others are treated more equally, closer to world peace, medical innovations and time travel (they're all incredibly unlikely aren't they).

I can remember back to about 2 or 3 years old when I used to go to nursery. I also remember asking my nan, when she must have been about 75 years old why she doesn't have any more kids, haha. I was close to them and still am (they are 86 and 94 years old respectively) and still go dancing twice a week up in Lambeth Town Hall.

You're only about 45 minutes from me then, I live in Orpington. I use trains a lot, I'm fine with them but for some reason I hate using buses. Maybe it's because it is a more confined space. I used to visit Croydon a lot when I was a little boy. My nan and grandad used to take me there because they lived in Dulwich so they weren't very far away from it. I used to enjoy going there to be honest. My grandad would always buy me a toy of my choice. I have nothing but pleasant memories of Croydon despite its reputation.