The Original Gay Porn Community - Free Gay Movies and Photos, Gay Porn Site Reviews and Adult Gay Forums

  • Welcome To Just Us Boys - The World's Largest Gay Message Board Community

    In order to comply with recent US Supreme Court rulings regarding adult content, we will be making changes in the future to require that you log into your account to view adult content on the site.
    If you do not have an account, please register.
    REGISTER HERE - 100% FREE / We Will Never Sell Your Info

    To register, turn off your VPN; you can re-enable the VPN after registration. You must maintain an active email address on your account: disposable email addresses cannot be used to register.

  • The Support & Advice forum is a no-flame zone.
    The members offering support and advice do so with the best intention. If you ask for advice, we don't require you to take the advice, but we do ask that you listen and give it consideration.

My life from child until now.

Oli ...

First, I have to agree with Craiger as far as that initial Push, to get things going, is probably the most difficult step to get things in gear. But, once you've managed that, things do flow, and are not nearly as difficult as they may have seemed before getting started. #-o :lol:

Second, your "shrink" is a professional, one to be trusted, and your sexuality is a big portion of your Life. It is a major consideration in how you view yourself, and is an important part, that he should be aware of, in order to help you with all you're struggling with. That's his job. For him to be able to do that effectively, he has a need to know. ..|

It is not your job to accommodate his possible "sensitivities". It is his job to help you deal with yours. That is why you are seeing him. :cool:

I am wishing You ALL the Very Best! See my sig. (group)

And, Yeah! ... I'm quite Serious about ... No Matter What ...

Keep Smilin'!! :kiss: (*8*)
Chaz :luv:
 
Today was nerve wrecking as hell.

It was my first day at school again (only for meeting teachers, class locations and other information). a couple days before i actually begin and the following days i'm preparing myself for it (i'm a little excited :) )

After that i had an appointment with my shrink. Its a long way from home for me to get there but i only wanted to see him because he knew me already (a 70 minute drive from my home to his practice).
I was thinking about the post from Craiger and Chaz about what they said and i was preparing myself to say it to him.
He invited me in and we sat down, we did a little small talk before the session started to make me comfortable.
I began to tell my story from the day i last saw him 7 years ago but stopped talking after 5 minutes to tell him something first. At that moment i did it and told him i have problems with my sexuality (i also said it would explain a lot why i was here and the stories that i'm going to tell him). It felt so good to tell him this and he smiled at me and said he is going to help me deal with it. First he wants to help me accept who i am (at this point i don't know). After that he would help me tell it to the people around me.
I felt good the next hour i talked to him and told him my story and the problems i had with my previous jobs and my ex-girlfriend. My shrink wanted details, even about how i felt when having sex with her. I was open to him and told him everything he needed to know.

After one hour the session was over but didn't even tell half of my story so i made another appointment to see him next wednesday.

The conversation i had with him felt very good, i finally told someone but the conversation made me confused also :confused:
A lot of questions came in my mind after that: did i have a relationship with my ex to cover my gay feelings? I'f i'm gay how could i had sex with her and love her THAT much? Before my ex-girlfriend i only masturbated with gay porn and nothing else, i wasn't interested in women at all.

very confusing at this point.

Oli
 
Oli, that is Awesome, and I'm thrilled to hear it! ..|

As for your confusion, about your sexuality, let me tell you about me, hopefully without my writing a novel, and I'll even try to lay off "The Smilies".

I was raised in a small spotlight as a Preacher's Kid. I had to be constantly "on guard" about my reputation, and what was expected of me, from Everyone. It was like being raised by hundreds of parents that I didn't know were watching me. I never knew when, or where, they might be.

I was also intrigued by whatever might be considered "naughty". I often heard that Preacher's Kids are usually the worst in the neighborhood, and I've found that to be fairly true. We learn "sly" and "sneaky" for sheer self preservation.

I had two sisters, no brothers, and knew I was fascinated with other guys from a very early age. Then again, I was living up to "expectations", chasing girls, and being a social butterfly.

I was intrigued by Sex, of all kinds, because it was "forbidden" and "dirty", which, in my mind, equaled FUN.

Through my teens, I was dating cheerleaders, the hottest girls, fell "In Love" with a few, but never had sex with them. I waited on that 'til I went away from home to college.

In the mean time, I was getting naked with a few of my guy buds, and doing stuff like jerking off in the woods, but never touching each other.

That also didn't last after I went away to school. I started having sex with just about anyone that would let me get that close to them, girls and guys. I was that curious, and willing to experiment in any ways I could.

Through my twenties it was mainly girls, and I ALMOST married 6, or 7, of them, out of a few dozen, or so. Thank goodness it was only "Almost"! There were also several guys sprinkled into the mix.

When I hit 30, I decided to come to terms with my gayness. I met my guy partner 2yr. later. That was 33yr. ago.

Can you be gay and still Love women? Oh, Hell, Yes!

What kept me from walking to the alter was my inherent knowledge that I physically preferred guys.

LIFE would be SO much easier if everything was "Black and White". Unfortunately, or Fortunately, LIFE is mostly Grays. Nothing is written in Stone. It's up to each of us to follow our own paths, whatever those might be.

Listen to your Heart,and do NOT let Society's constraints/expectations "shoe horn" you into something else.

SERIOUSLY ... No Matter What ...

Keep Smilin'!! :kiss: (*8*)
Chaz :luv:
 
Oli, like Chaz, I'm happy you were able to open up to your psychologist. I'm sure it must have felt wonderful yet scary to be so frank with someone face to face. That's a wonderful step forward. With his help and your determination, you will find who you are and be able to live in comfort. Love has no bounds, just different levels depending on the individuals involved. Keep us updated on your progress. Best to you.

Craiger
 
Oli, that is Awesome, and I'm thrilled to hear it! ..|

Can you be gay and still Love women? Oh, Hell, Yes!

I know society wants to put labels on everything but this sentence confuses me.

Trough my relationship with my ex i was constantly thinking that i was lying to myself and her also. Maybe it was my fault that our relation ended because i was hiding myself from her and from myself? Maybe she found out about me and did those things so i would see it for myself?

AARRGHH stupid brain i want answers!!:mad:


I never talked to anyone on how i ended the relationship. (still gets me mad to this day and still feel guilty in a way)

I was the one who ended it eventually. I wanted to do it for a couple months but didn't want to be alone so i postponed it everytime i saw her. It was her stepsisters 18th birthday party. when she was with family she was a totally different person to me. She smooched me everytime she could but i wasn't comfortable with it (because i know ho she was), but after a couple glasses of wine you could see the real her. Before she was drunk she agreed with a few other people that they would go dancing after the birthday party. She knows i don't like doing that so i said i wasn't coming with her on that (i did enough already for her so my no was legit imo). She was fine with it but when she got drunk she became the bitch i knew. with all her family there she threw every curse word you could imagine to me and tried to humiliate me in front of her family. She would throw drinks at my face and her flip the finger, or tell secrets we had to other people. She even threw a chair at my face and it hit my eye. I was just sitting there and i couldn't hold it anymore and i got tears in my eyes (i don't cry in public but this time i couldn't hold it). A few people took her away from me and went outside while other people came to me to talk about it (her family was better than she was).
At that point i couldn't keep myself under control and i said i needed to go home. Her uncle offered to drop me of, i agreed.
When i left she of course sended me very disturbing messages and very violent ones but i ignored everyone of them.
I came home and went straight to bed but she kept sending me messages but still i ignored them, she even apologized for what she did but i couldn't handle it at that moment.
After a couple of hours sleep i woke up and saw that she texted me over 30 times and called me 43 times (my cellphone was muted)! I thought something happened to her so i called. She answered and i asked whats wrong, again she screamed and told me her parents didn't want to take her home (she still lived at home) that night and it was all my fault that she slept on a bench in the park (the guilt part).

We didn't saw each other the next couple of days but she still texted, i didn't.
After THAT moment my mind was clear. I called and said i wanted to talk. 2 hours later i stood by her door with all the things she had bought for me in those 11 months (was only one thing and i even paid half of it, we also made a deal if we ever break up that we would give all the things back we bought for each other).
She didn't want to keep her promise because i also bought her an ipad for valentine and all the messages she send to other guys where on that thing, instead i asked the money in return and she agreed. At that moment she still said she loved me (i still loved her then) but i had enough. Over the course of 2 months she gave all my money back and i burned every photo i had with her and blocked her on everything social.

At this moment she's still with the person she cheated me on. (couple sources told me this)

She has a happy life now and she destroyed mine in the progress (until this day).


Oli
(I needed to write this now)
 
Hello,


I just read all of that, every post from start to finish. And yes, i do want some kind of ribbon. :-)


(I like all the smilies you use, they make me happy! Anyways, i just want to say i think everyone is right and you seem like a nice caring thoughtful person who will be alright in the long run! My post might not come off as supportive as others and that isn't my intent....i am just more of an interrogitve socratic type person)..........


Not surprisingly, since this is a gay forum, you seem hung up on the idea of your sexuality espcecially as it relates to the idea of your
own authenticity. This is of course normal and also terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I totally understand your desire to "figure it out" and use it as some sort of template to help define your past actions and possible future ones.....


I am sorry to tell you, you can't ever know! You can't ever really know why you felt the way you felt and why you did the things you did and why people reacted to those things the way they did...........you aren't that person anymore. You have changed. The world has changed and everyone in it has changed.

You can take your best guesses and view some hypothesis as more correct than others but in the end, you can't really know how you felt then, in the now. You can really only sort of assume......and i think this where a huge part of the dilemma is coming for you.


You seem to lack the self-confidence to trust your feelings one way or another. You are trying to validate or invalidate your past feelings and actions based on your current feelings but in order to do that in any way that has you feeling better, or confident, you need more validation.

Nobody is ever going to be able to tell you how you "really" felt about your ex. And no one is ever going to be able to tell you how you "really" feel about anyone else. And maybe you aren't the type of person right now that can be fully sure yourself......that's alright. A huge part of this may be learning to be ok with that.


People are complicated. Brains are complicated. Society is complicated. Nobody really knows why they do the things they do, it's a mixture of everything that is around us.......people just delude themselves into thiniking they have some grand answer, till some new piece of info comes along and they're shocked they're doing something they thought they wouldn't. That's what makes dieting so hard! (!)


So i think it's important here that you understand that there is no right answer. You are just looking for someone, anyone who seems like they have the right answer.....that they can convince you, someone with a degree from a university is probably very comforting!!


So i am wondering.........what is it that you are afraid of? What do you feel would be the big relief if you could take some sort of 100 percent fool proof test that would tell you: 100 percent gay or 100 percent straight?? What problem(s) would that solve in your mind?
 
^ The above post is the first I've read from badbug (Welcum to JUB, btw!), and I think it's quite interesting. I find myself agreeing with a lot of what he posted, and find some validity in his perspective. He's certainly "dead on" about NONE of "Us" having the "Right" answers! ..| :cool:

The "Right" answers for One may not be the "Right" answers for anybody else. [-X #-o

Oli ...

Though I always knew, in my Heart, that I was gay, but wasn't willing to Admit it, because I didn't want to be "different", I still Love women, and even fell "In Love" with several. :luv2:

Of course, "Love", and being "In Love" are two different things. As badbug pointed out, it's Complicated! :##:

It's said that hindsight is 20/20, and I often find myself looking back at certain situations, and how I reacted to them, or not. It's really too bad we can't rewind, and get any "do overs". ](*,)

From what you've told us about your ex, all I can say is that you should consider yourself extremely lucky to be able to have escaped that relationship, when you did, while you still had some personal integrity left in tact. :help:

"Why" you found yourself in such an abusive situation no longer matters, other than you hopefully learned from it, and will be wary of repeating anything like it. :eek:

You sound as though you're doing a good job of "picking up your marbles", and attempting to move on to brighter days, and better outcomes. THAT is what matters NOW. (!) (!w!) (group)

And, though you might be tired of my saying this ... the Best that any of us can do is ... No Matter What ...

Keep Smilin'!! :kiss: (*8*)
Chaz :luv:
 
Hello,

I just read all of that, every post from start to finish. And yes, i do want some kind of ribbon. :-)

Thanks for reading everything i posted (*8*)


You seem to lack the self-confidence to trust your feelings one way or another. You are trying to validate or invalidate your past feelings and actions based on your current feelings but in order to do that in any way that has you feeling better, or confident, you need more validation.


Imo i haven't got much self-confidence, before my depression i had a little extra weight. I was always the shy one in class and needed a little time to come out of it. During that time i lost a bit of weight because i didn't ate but when it was over it all came back. I'm constantly looking after my weight because even if i eat something thats not healthy it comes on quickly. ( i already lost much of my weight at this point but its not enough for me).

Its not that i need validation or something from you guys but opinions matter to me, they help me understand myself and contribute to desicions i make at this point (a guidance in some sort of way). At this moment i know that only my validation on the subject matters not from someone else.

I know i have a problem with this self-confidence but i also have other social problems. I find it difficult to make new friends or even talk to strangers (who are right before me). I have anxiety when there to much people around me. I know this al began when my depression started and i know i have this problem.


Nobody is ever going to be able to tell you how you "really" felt about your ex.

Its not that i'm looking for validation about this subject, i know i loved her.

So i think it's important here that you understand that there is no right answer. You are just looking for someone, anyone who seems like they have the right answer.....that they can convince you, someone with a degree from a university is probably very comforting!!

Maybe in a way i'm looking for answers here but at this time all of your comments (everyone here) help me find my own answers. I'm also doing this so i'm prepared to talk about this with my shrink so i can speed up the subject.

So i am wondering.........what is it that you are afraid of? What do you feel would be the big relief if you could take some sort of 100 percent fool proof test that would tell you: 100 percent gay or 100 percent straight?? What problem(s) would that solve in your mind?

I think i'm afraid of being myself at this point around other people. I'm afraid of my social anxiety. I don't need a test to see what i am because maybe in my own mind i already know what i'm am and Chaz made good points to understand it better.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, "Love", and being "In Love" are two different things. As badbug pointed out, it's Complicated! :##:

From what you've told us about your ex, all I can say is that you should consider yourself extremely lucky to be able to have escaped that relationship, when you did, while you still had some personal integrity left in tact. :help:

Now i know that it was an abusive relationship and she abused me physically and mentally and i still feel the remnants of this relation so i need to talk about this with my shrink.

"Why" you found yourself in such an abusive situation no longer matters, other than you hopefully learned from it, and will be wary of repeating anything like it. :eek:

i learned from it but it left scars on myself on how a relationship is and how if feels (it was my only serious relation at this point so i don't have anything to compare this with).

You sound as though you're doing a good job of "picking up your marbles", and attempting to move on to brighter days, and better outcomes. THAT is what matters NOW. (!) (!w!) (group)

I feel there's already a lot of changes going on within myself and everyone here contributed to this. Like i said i'm beginning a new life so i need to close my old one and be a new person.

And, though you might be tired of my saying this ... the Best that any of us can do is ... No Matter What ...
Keep Smilin'!! :kiss: (*8*)
Chaz :luv:


I'll never get tired of you saying that, it always puts a smile on my face.


Like always thanks for reading and posting. (*8*)

Oli
 
@Kyanimal....thx, i think i am great too!



@Olli......There's nothing inherently wrong with looking for validation, we're all doing it constantly. I am doing it right now!! I am just trying to help you see that validation can be fleeting. Some moments you are sure you are right about_____ and others you aren't so sure.


Confidence stuff is hard.....i think a lot of it stems from intellectual self-confidence. If you can be more confident in your thoughts or your ability to endure them, then nothing can really hurt you. It's kind of corny, but it's basically the high minded way of saying: "i'm ok and i'll be ok" over and over again....even though other parts of you are shouting that you might not be.


What is it about your social anxiety? How does it tend to show itself?


For me, my social anxiety usually takes the form of anger or numbness. I start off all happy to meet people or be at a party or what have you, but the moment i feel like no one is paying attention to me i shut off emotionally and find it very difficult to care about anything around me. Suddenly i feel like i am trapped in this joyless prison, the prison of having to fake some normal social interaction when all i want to do is either leave or express myself in unkind ways. At that point, i feel like it's a burden to have to restrain myself and put on some sort of act in order to appear normal enough.....and it's such a burden because i feel like i am trying so hard not to hurt the subject or subjects that are hurting me by their perceived lack of caring.......usally all it takes is a smile to pull me out of it, but i fall back into it just as quickly.


So yeah, i get not wanting to be around people. lol
 
@Olli......I am just trying to help you see that validation can be fleeting.

Your post made things clearer to me.

Some moments you are sure you are right about_____ and others you aren't so sure.

Confidence stuff is hard.....i think a lot of it stems from intellectual self-confidence. If you can be more confident in your thoughts or your ability to endure them, then nothing can really hurt you.

Its not that i don't have any self-confidence or self esteem but at times i have plenty of this and then there are situations that its gone.
At this moment i feel confident that i'm going to be/feel better after all of this is over. I'm confident i'm going to succeed in my new education and that gives me the strength to follow the dreams i have now.


What is it about your social anxiety? How does it tend to show itself?

For me it takes a physical form.
If i know i'm going to a bar or even a family party i get very nervous and my stomach then turns around and then the toilet is my best friend :D. If something changes at the last minute i feel very uncomfortable and you can see it, i sweat more and i even feel dizzy at those moments (nothing to do with what i eat).
So my anxiety shows itself physically: nauseous, feeling i'm gonna faint/ dizziness, headeaches, bowl movement (gross :) ), sweating.

but whats funny (i just thought about it) i didn't had problems with this when i was with my ex ,we would go out and didn't have problems.

So yeah, i get not wanting to be around people. lol

Its not that i'm avoiding to be around people (i like people around me),..........yeah i don't understand it myself:confused:

thanks again for reading (*8*)


Oli
 
On another note, tomorrow i'm invited to lunch tomorrow with my father, stepmother and other relatives.

Its on my mind for a couple of days now but i'm thinking about telling my stepmother about my problems (sexually).
In my story i tell that she ruined my life but the last years she's been very supportive on everything i did (maybe because i don't live with her anymore :-)) and because her daughter also came out to her (bisexual but i don't talk or see her much).

looking forward to it and i'm curious if i can tell her.


Oli
 
Hello everyone,

i thought i would wait a week or so to give an update on the whole situation.

So i'll begin with what happened at lunch with my father and relatives.
i couldn't sleep that night because i was so nervous, do i want to tell my stepmother or keep it for myself longer.
that Sunday when i arrived with my brother i told her that i needed to talk to her in private about something, she said ok. First we had lunch with everyone and after that i went in my fathers garden with their dog (love him so much :) ). My stepmother followed me outside and we went to the back of the garden to talk. My nerves where so bad that i was talking with a stutter in my voice. She came to me and she hold me for a minute so i could feel comfortable.
After that i said it, i finally told someone. She asked why it took so long to tell it to someone and i answered her the truth. while we were talking i couldn't hold myself emotionally and shed a couple of tears. We talked for more than 30 minutes about the subject when my stepsister (bi) came to visit unannounced. She came to the garden because i made a sign at her to talk, i told it to her also.

After the conversation the rest of the family was curious about what we were talking about and we lied about it of course.
All in all i had a good afternoon with them but that evening was the worst i had in years.
I had the worst anxiety attack in my life that evening and couldn't get out of it, but someone helped me out. I met him on this forum just after my first posts and we began to talk about my problems and about his.

The attack happened when i was chatting with him through skype and i was talking about how i felt. I couldn't deal with all my emotions and my body began to shiver. My vision was clouded, i was feeling sick i couldn't stop crying. He tried to calm me down through skype but it didn't work at first. I felt like i was going to faint any minute when he told me that i needed to take a shower to calm myself. I didn't want to do that but after a couple of minutes (and angry messages (it helped) ) i said i would do it. i took my clothes of and sat on the ground of my shower while water was pouring over me. I sat there for 10 maybe 15 min but my tears didn't stop.

After the shower i felt the worse was over and we talked about what happened that day. (took me an hour to get control over myself again).

Monday was a day of re-thinking everything that happened yesterday.

Tuesday finally came and it was my first official school day (god i feel old :D )
Normally i'm pretty nervous when it comes to this kind of things but i wasn't. I had a fantastic day and didn't think about my problems at all (except at night).

Wednesday i had my second appointment with my psychologist. It took me 3 hours to get there but i needed it.
I talked about everything that happened that sunday. He was surprised that i told someone about my sexuality and cheered me for it. He also explained what happened to me that sunday. He said that i had so much emotions build up that my body couldn't handle them all at once (he told me my body saw it as danger and it protected itself).

I was talking very open about the subject of me maybe being gay but at this point i feel bisexual because i don't have any experience with a man until this day.
My psychologist also thinks that something happened to me in my past that blocked away my feelings for being gay (or bi). He wants to find out what the reason is why i couldn't (can't) accept myself.

Thursday i had my second day at school and like tuesday i went through without thinking about it. (only at night again :( )

Friday i had no school so i went to my mother to help her (she had 2 surgeries, her foot and shoulder). I cleaned the whole house so she can rest and heal, had a chat and i went home after dinner.
My sister in law called and asked if i wanted to go shopping with her and my brother in the Netherlands the next day, oke i said.

Saturday i woke up and she called again and told that my mother would join us, this was my opportunity to tell her.
We went in 2 separate cars, me and my mother, my brother, sister in law and kids in the other car.
It was an 1 hour drive and after 10 minutes i had the courage to bring up the subject (she knew everything that happened to me, my depression etc,.. and she was the only one i talked about it). I told her that i had problems about this for a long time (13 years) and her reaction was the one i hoped for. In a way she knew years ago that i could have feelings for men but she didn't want to push me to say it, i needed to do this myself. We talked the entire trip about the subject and i felt relieved, I smiled to whole shopping trip (didn't tell my brother and sister in law, was too much and my brother is a homophoob).

Later that evening (i was alone again :( ) those good feelings were gone and i felt like crap again. I went to a gay-bi chat site (belgium) to talk to other people about it(not for anything sexual). i met 3 people that night and told them a little about myself and how i'm feeling now. All 3 just laughed and made fun of me, i was a loser in their eyes. I felt so hurt that evening that i cried most of the time. Why would random people be so mean to a stranger that wants to release his heart to someone. It pushed me back again.:cry:

Maybe its coincidence but everytime i'm with people now i feel much better but when i'm alone i just sink deeper and deeper,
But like every night HE made me feel better, he made me feel good about myself. (the person i met through jub)

last sunday (yesterday) i pushed myself to tell my little brother about it (he's 15 years old). We went walking with the dogs (2 huskies, :)) and after 30 mins i talked about the subject with him. His reaction was astounding, he couldn't care less if i would take a man to see the family, all he wants is that i'm happy about it and i don't need to feel ashame (my mouth wide open, i was perplexed about his answer and how adult he sounded for a 15 year old kid). I slept much better for the first time in months after that night.

Today was my first class at business management (8h). So much information in one day :) i need to let it sink for now but loved it.

After everything that happened the last week i feel a little better about myself (except the chatroom incident), i still have my ups and downs and its hard to make me comfortable around it. I told people about how i feel but it didn't make any difference for me, i still feel like crap and thats not changing now. I can't function when i'm alone.

I also want to thank HIM for talking to me until this day, he cheers me up everyday and i feel happy when he sends something. without him at this point i wouldn't be here anymore to talk to you or anyone else, he made me take these steps.(*8*) (i hope he'll read this :wave:)


Like always thank you for reading through it(*8*)

Oli
 
You're on a good path, painful, but good nonetheless less. Sometimes journeys are scary and some of us aren't particularly joyful being gay. Self-acceptance is your goal, because without that, it won't matter who else does.

You've created a problem in your mind based upon your theory that you had to keep a secret to remain safe and perhaps you needed to at that time, but that time is long past. You now have the support in your family that you need so no matter what happens with the rest you can rely on the others.

As to expecting universal support for every emotion, it's unwise to be unrealistic. At those times don't be open with strangers unless it's in a therapeutic setting (group therapy, for example). Those sites will be more helpful when you are more carefree. I think it's time to explore LGBT organizations, student groups and/or community centers. I am happy you received real time personal support from a JUB member. Keep reaching out.
 
Congratulations, Oli. You have passed one of the hardest experiences most of us have also gone through. Being able to confide in family can bring such relief. The best thing for you when alone is to remember the positive feelings and responses from those that have supported you. As far as the cruel strangers, they are nothing. Let them be the lesson of realizing that there are many compassionate people out there and there are those that have no compassion. Take them with a grain of salt, turn away and find the positive and understanding people. Keep reassuring yourself with positivity. Write down the exciting and wonderful feelings and things that happen during the day and refer to them when you begin to feel lonely and down. You have made such great progress from when you first posted and it is exciting to see the advancement you now have in your life. I wish you the best in continued progress.

Craiger
 
Hello everyone,

thanks again Seasoned and Craiger to respond, everyone helps me in some kind of way here to find myself.

Today i have no class so i thought i would write a little more now.
I told in my posts that i'm currently back at school but didn't tell what i'm following and what i want to do in the future. Its not regular school but bakery school that i'm following. I want to become a professional baker (they need them in Belgium). So i have classes in business management (B.M.) and bakery classes.

On monday and wednesday i have B.M. (12 h), tuesday and thursday are for baking professional (18 h total). My second week ended and i'm loving everything i'm doing there, its a hidden passion i didn't know i had until a year ago.

But i already decided that my place is not here in Belgium. If i graduate i want to work in a bakery and do more educations. When i graduate i plan on going further in the business, chocolate and ice cream. I truly want to go further in the chocolate industry and Belgium chocolate is one of the best ;).

So after i get enough experience (and money ofcourse) i want to start a business in America (its a long lost dream) and open a chocolate/praline shop there (with belgian specialities).

Even when i think about it i get all excited but i know it will take more than 7 years (maybe longer) before i can realize this dream of mine, its all i can think of now, its the only thing that keeps me going at this point. Even when i'm baking at school i don't feel any pressure on myself about the problems i'm facing and i enjoy it intensly.

The amount of products we are making is INSANE! At the end of the day we need to take it home with us but its too much everytime so i give it to strangers when i'm going home or people who live close to me.

I like what i'm doing now for my future but sometimes (yesterday i felt this all day) i feel i'm grabbing to high. I want to move to America in a couple of years but i still need to do so much that it frightens me and maybe it'll hold me back in some way.

I also decided to tell 1 person every week about me being Bi/gay and now 4 people around me already know.
Still its hard to talk about it with people because everytime is a different experience and you can't know how they will react to it.

So the rest of the day and weekend i'm already alone again and i have no plans, except doing homework for my bakery and try some things at home. Gonna be a hard weekend!

Like always thank you for reading and posting comments that make me feel better(*8*)
 
Oli, I think you have a wonderful dream and with your continued push forward I'm sure you will realize it. Don't think of it as aiming too high. The goals will probably take a while, but after each step up the ladder you take a new one and finally will reach the success you desire. Also, with each step you will gain greater confidence in yourself.

As you tell one person each week, I feel you will succeed in gaining new friends. There may be some who will not take the news as well, but don't let that deter you in continuing on your path. I think it makes all of us on JUB proud to have one of our members realize the goals that they have set for themselves. You have started well on that path with the new you and positive attitude you will go far. Thank you for allowing us to cheer for you and hopefully help in some small way.

Craiger
 
Time for my weekly update and everything that happened.

Last week was one of the worst until now. The week began like every other week with school on monday wich went normal and made a better connection with a women there (classmate, i'll call her N). After class i went with 3 other classmates to the movies and watched The Maze Runner: scorch trials ( didn't even see the first one ��). I also needed a haircut so they went with me to the barber and i got a total new haircut (N decided for me:D). Was the best day of the week.

Tuesday was bakery class and i felt good through the whole day except when i arrived home all alone. Its good that i still have him to talk to when i feel down and bad, even when we are 1000 miles or more apart.

Nothing happened on wednesday except for class. When i came home i used the rest of my time to try and find a hobby that i can use when i feel depressed again. I found something but need to research it more.

Thursday was the day it all went down under. I had bakery class and i felt the urge to keep me on my promise about telling 1 to 2 person every week. It was totally unexpected and i told my bakery class teacher (fantastic guy who i feel good with) and N. We where making chocolate figures with the 3 of us in another room and i cracked. I couldn't hold myself and started crying (sobbing). They already knew something was wrong because i was absent in a way. I told my story but in a short version and the teacher said that if i want to talk about it that i just need to ask him. N even gave me a hug, but why did i felt so down and depressed?

I find it weird that i told them first before other members from my family. Is it because they don't know me that good?

Friday i tried to catch some sleep up but i couldn't ( i'm sleeping very bad the last two weeks, 3h a night). I did nothing that day, didn't have the power also.

On saturdzy and sunday i had a booth at a fleamarket. I'm a big movie/serie collector but i want to get rid of most of it now so i tried to sell it.
It went like i thought but between the night of saturday and sunday i had the heaviest anxiety attack ever.

I couldn't sleep at all that night and suddenly while watching youtube in my bed i began to lose my vison again and my body shivered extremly. The next thing i know i woke up in my kitchen next to the kitchen table with a chair laying on top of me, a lump on my head and a huge sratch on the side of my body.
I totally freaked out and didn't know what to do. I cried for more than 20 minutes and put some clothes on because i felt something was wrong. I went to the local emergency room at my hospital and i needed to stay the night because i had an concussion without me knowing of it. I didn't call anyone to tell this and they don't even know at this point that this happened to me.

Sunday morning i was discharged after they gave me medication for my blood pressure and i went to the fleamarket to sell my stuff ( very bad idea i know now). My mother had her own stand but i didn't tell what happened.

Even now i still have a giant headache and had an anxiety attack 2h ago. Now i feel them coming and try to prepare myself for them. The extreme mood swings don't help either, one moment i'm crying, then i'm depressed or angry. Whats wrong with me???:confused:

What do i need to do?

Oli
 
Hey Oli,

Sorry this last week went poorly for you. However, the bright side is that you confided in your teacher and N. I would suggest you take your teacher up on his suggestion and have a chat with him. Also, I feel it would be good for you to find a therapy support group where you can relate some of your thoughts and feelings. But also listening to others that may have a similar situation. It's surprising how much you can learn about yourself through others. Some support groups have a counselor available 24/7 to talk to when one of these episodes strike. Perhaps your therapist can recommend one for you. Wishing that this new week will be extremely positive for you.

Craiger
 
Thanks for your post Craiger.
Support groups is very difficult to find here in Belgium so i don't know about that. My next appointment with my psychologist is this friday and i NEED IT BAD!

Today i had my first anxiety attack in public, it happened while i was in school and everybody saw it in my class.
My teacher stood up and guided me outside so i could get a hold over myself. He went outdoors with me to calm me down and get a control over my breathing.

I feel so ashamed that people needed to see this and now they are asking questions but i don't want to answer them.

:grrr: i can't take it anymore!
 
Oli, there is no shame in this happening in public. And, yes, your classmates have questions, but with a little explanation, from you or your teacher, it will more than likely put them in your corner. This is a health situation and they may very well have hidden problems of their own. Your class could very well become your group therapists. With support from them your anxieties may lessen. But, by all means, don't allow this to embarrass you as it is, at this point, beyond your control. Give them a chance to help you when these attacks occur, just as your teacher did.

Friday will help you sort much of this out as you check in with your therapist. Go to your next class with you head held high. The stress you are placing on yourself will not help. Keep the positive energy alive. My best to you.

Craiger
 
Back
Top