Happy holidays from TeenHelp!

[PSY]

Hello everyone,

Our holiday messages over the past three years have focused on self-care, looking inward, and developing strong roots. We hope that with each passing year, you feel more confident and resilient as you face life's challenges.

This year, we want to take a different approach and focus on the importance of community. We also want to make this holiday message more interactive than usual by asking a few questions, which we hope you'll respond to in the comments below!

If you do feel connected to a community:

• What is appealing about your community?
• How have you contributed to your community?

If you don't feel connected to a community:

• What are you looking for in a community?
• How would connection to a community help you personally?

Not sure how to respond? Here's some food for thought!

Spoiler:

Do feel connected:

• Describe your community (family, friends, co-workers, classmates, TeenHelp users, etc.) and why it's so amazing!
• Talk about the ways in which your community's members treat each other with kindness, do fun things together, care about similar causes, etc.
• Share how you give back to your community with your time, energy, and/or other resources.

Don't feel connected:

• Describe how you've looked for a community in the past (based on common interests, how convenient/close to home a community was, or something else).
• Talk about how being part of a community would improve your mental health, physical health, etc.
• Share how your unique personality, friendship, time, energy, etc. would benefit a community!

We're asking TeenHelp's members these questions now because 2020 is going to be an exciting year for our community - and we want ALL of you to join us as we celebrate!

Here are some examples of what our wonderful community has already done this holiday season:

• Chat Support Discussions
• Holiday Resource
• Holiday Newsletter
• Holiday Articles

And there's more to come. Before 2019 ends, we'll have our Volunteer Awards, our Annual Survey, and an exciting announcement about a New Feature - so stay tuned!

They say "hindsight is 20/20," or that things become more obvious to us as time goes on. We know that community is incredibly important to our well-being, so as you focus on your personal growth in 2020, don't lose sight of how TeenHelp is here for you throughout the year, and how you can be here for your fellow members as well!

Wishing you a very happy holiday season,
TeenHelp's Staff

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I feel connected to the LGBTQ+ community. I find it appealing that there are so many different kinds of people within the community who all come together. I'm part of a club at my university and we just have a lot of laughs. I've also done some research and other actions to improve the lives of those in my community!

I feel connected to the writing community, but not to the specific genre that interests me. I am hoping that as I push myself further and with the appropriate support, I can get to where I want to be. Unfortunately, this takes place all over the Internet and not at all in real life. I would love to be able to broaden my skills so it involves those in the physical world.

[Rob]

I think this is really interesting because we all have different communities at different times in our lives and we all feel connected to people for different reasons. Sometimes we feel connected to a place, sometimes to people who have shared our experiences and sometimes to people with similar identities to ourselves.

Personally I feel really connected to the place I live, I really enjoy living somewhere that has so many different people side by side, so many things to do and so many sights to see. I have recently joined a community group local to me so I can help to organise activities that make my community a better place. I am also connected to the TeenHelp community and to the people who I have met here who have a similar outlook to me and who want some of the same things as myself.

I think what a community gives you is a sense of belonging and a sense of connection to something really special. I think being part of a close community is really important to maintaining positive wellbeing and when you are part of a community you feel stronger and more capable.

Reading the above comments has been really interesting and it would be great to hear from some other members about their experiences within their own communities too.

[Rivière]

To be honest, I think TeenHelp is the only community I feel connected to. It's like a second home to me. I come where to get away from life's troubles. I can complain, or say whatever I need to say, and any responses I get are judgement-free... which is all I've ever really wanted. There's no negativity or toxic attitudes, only positivity and care. I've been on other forums, but there's nothing quite like TH. This is often why I stay here.

In terms of my local community, I don't feel connected to it at all. It's often filled with negativity, judgement... and a lot of crime. It's not a place I can feel safe, or feel that I can be myself. There's often a lot of anti-social behaviour that just makes me go, 'eeeee!'. It's not safe at night, nor during the day. I think this is also part of the reason why I became interested in fitness so much. When I started seeing results in my own body, I started to feel stronger, more confident, and powerful. As a personal trainer, I want to pass this on to clients, and encourage them to be equally the same... and hopefully, provide a breath of fresh positive air in such a negative community.

[Celyn]

I think the main community that I feel connected to is TeenHelp. It's familiar and friendly. Understanding and supportive. Non-judgemental. Everything I look for in a community really. I've really grown a lot over the years I have dedicated to TeenHelp. I used to be so anxious about talking/posting online, and I'd worry about others would think and say....I never felt connected to others in school, and had never joined in with other online communities at that point in time. Now, I love giving back what I can to TeenHelp in the way that I was made to feel when I went looking for support <3

Communities in general, I look for understanding and acceptance. On social media I join groups or follow people, often relating to mental health and more recently, autism/aspergers. Some times there is drama, and though I'm definitely not invested in any of the groups (I don't comment on things) I do still feel connected when others have shared similar experiences and feelings.

And like Sarah, I don't feel connected to my local community either for the same reasons