SMB Chat Buddies

becs said:
This thread is inspired by several things.

At the Game of II Halves conference, a man spoke about loneliness and his chat buddy. Several traumatic things happened to him and unfortunately, he ended up on his own. His chat buddy rings regularly, and they talk about all sorts of random things which helps his loneliness.

On the depression thread, some people have mentioned that they have hesitated to post as they feel their problem is too small or too trivial and are unsure if that thread is the right place for it. No problem is too small and if it’s bothering you, it’s worth talking about rather than stewing on it. Just talking can feel like a weight lifted and can help you find a solution.

Lastly, I’m a great believer in a five-minute rant! If something or everything is getting you down, it’s amazing how much better you feel after a good rant.

With all of that in mind, I thought I’d start this thread for anyone who wants a chat or a rant. If you’re feeling lonely, have a problem you want to share or just want to rant because you’ve had a really shit day, then here’s a safe place to do it.
Click to expand...
I fking love you for this kind of stuff
 


Pseudonym Number 1 said:
Depends on what day, somedays work somedays family someday neither or both. Just feel like all I do is graft if its not work it looking after me bairns then sleep and repeat.

I'm just having a bad day really tomorrow I'll be ok, I hope.
Click to expand...
I felt like this last year. I was working 13+ hour shifts 10 days off the belt away from home, then coming home and trying to cram everything into a couple days before leaving again and it affected relationships, friendships and me as a person. I changed jobs and although my wage has essentially halved, I’ve not been as happy for a long time. Found it easier to ask for help too, I always felt like I couldn’t ask for help because it was putting on others, but you’ll find people actually want to help!
 
If anyone has any elderly people that they know of that could do with a befriending call every week or so, get them registered with AGE UK, they work in tandem with loads of companies that get someone to call them every week and have a chat, they do it at my place, there are a few people who do it at work, and its the same colleague that speaks to the same person every week for an hour or so, every single person loves doing it and the person at the other end of the phone seems to love it as well. Seems a great way to break the cycle of loneliness for OAPs fot at least an hour per week, you'll be surprised how much of a difference it can make
 
becs said:
This thread is inspired by several things.

At the Game of II Halves conference, a man spoke about loneliness and his chat buddy. Several traumatic things happened to him and unfortunately, he ended up on his own. His chat buddy rings regularly, and they talk about all sorts of random things which helps his loneliness.

On the depression thread, some people have mentioned that they have hesitated to post as they feel their problem is too small or too trivial and are unsure if that thread is the right place for it. No problem is too small and if it’s bothering you, it’s worth talking about rather than stewing on it. Just talking can feel like a weight lifted and can help you find a solution.

Lastly, I’m a great believer in a five-minute rant! If something or everything is getting you down, it’s amazing how much better you feel after a good rant.

With all of that in mind, I thought I’d start this thread for anyone who wants a chat or a rant. If you’re feeling lonely, have a problem you want to share or just want to rant because you’ve had a really shit day, then here’s a safe place to do it.
Click to expand...
👏👏👏

Excellent thread and having somewhere to get something off your chest could really prevent it from turning into something bigger.
 
I heard this song for the first time a few nights ago and thought it relevant to this idea, emphasising how important 'internet friends'/chat buddies can be. The emboldened lyrics shook me a bit, and have since brought a tear or two when listening to it again as I'm rather close to the singer.



Me and my friends have never met face to face,
we know each other very well up on the internet
we're all avoiding something we gather to forget

Discord or Zoom a window in a windowless room
a light of joy in the dark times a portal to you
awkward online socialite wishes for the world to never be right again ooo0000ooo

Me and my friends will meet some day maybe
and only do the things we do online anyway
two of them will kiss,
and only us will see this

Sat with nothing to do
in silence with you
my friends saved my life today from the dark times
and they hardly knew

Well liked chat room introvert
ventures outside to only be hurt again ooo0000oo

My friends will all disappear one day
their names will turn to gray and they won't reappear
It's happened before It's temporary our time here

I wonder where you are today
out there?
There's a new game out that I thought we could play
It's the same as the old one, the graphics refreshed
but I thought it could be fun

My username fades to grey,
and thoughts of my friends miles away
and all the good times that we had wasted away


 
@Cow @mux @alexander and I have tried to set up drinks and have had the threads constantly sabotaged

We have managed to meet a few on drinks with great fun had though

So if anyone fancies a pint and a chat of a weekend just drop me or @Cow a PM or a bike ride.. got to get some fat tyres for my bike up there first though as it was stupid last time we were out 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
CatRyan said:
@Cow @mux @alexander and I have tried to set up drinks and have had the threads constantly sabotaged

We have managed to meet a few on drinks with great fun had though

So if anyone fancies a pint and a chat of a weekend just drop me or @Cow a PM or a bike ride.. got to get some fat tyres for my bike up there first though as it was stupid last time we were out 🤦🏻‍♀️
Click to expand...
This.

Hopefully the bitter mob will come on here this time and find some solace for their own loneliness.

Good idea @becs. A rant can be good for the soul.

Always here for a chat and have had some cracking pm chats over the years and had loads of kind help and support from people, and I like to think I've give plenty back too.
 
George Kaplan said:
I volunteered for Samaritans for a few years. I’m not going to say anything about the calls I dealt with, but I will say that there is a particular skill-set that applies - whether that’s via written communication, telephone or face-to-face.

Perhaps equally important is the training, guidance and (crucially) support (post shift support, confidential debrief, information for signposting etc) that’s afforded to volunteers of such organisations. Sometimes what appears to be simply providing a ‘listening ear’ can, in reality, be quite a difficult experience for the person providing it.

Although I’m pretty confident that a thread on this message board is highly unlikely to turn into anything too challenging, please be careful when offering to be a support to a relative stranger. The fact that it’s a stranger is a very often a powerful way of enabling connection that wouldn’t otherwise be available. And that can prove difficult. So listeners and rant-responders; take care please.
Click to expand...
Hear hear . Care and concern is laudable but deep water is never far away when it comes to mental distress . Supervision is vital .
 

Back
Top