Winter blyes

for the last while iv being a bit under the weather and not really feelin like myself. which is natural as we all get that way from time to time dont we. just wonderfin whate veryone else does when there a little but down or feeling off.

Eat a lot!!! And mellow, ie, hot baths, good book, just all the stuff that got no street cred but is nice n warmin lol

It's a great time of year for the blues and what a winter too! The most important help with my blues is sharing them with people I trust. It really helps to acknowledge it when I’m not feeling great. I also listen to music for both sitting with the blues (listening to all the weepy songs) and lifting me up (listening to more upbeat boppy music & feck-off lefty socialist angry songs).

A Traveller Counselling Service available in Phibsboro on Dublin’s North side. It is open to all Irish Travellers and you can phone them on 086 308 1476 anytime. Someone answers the phone during the day Mon - Sat. If you leave a message on the phone outside their hours they'll return your call by the next working day. The Traveller Counselling Service deal with many different issues including cultural and sexual identity. The service is confidential. Both Traveller and settled counsellors are available. You can also contact them by email: travcounselling@hotmail.com

There is some research available on the internet discussing the higher rates of suicide among gay compared with straight young people (I've pasted an extract from one below). “…gay teens kill themselves more often than other young people simply because their life chances are so limited by social and legal discrimination.”

Suicide is one choice that some people take; fortunately, there are many other alternatives. It is worth remembering that we as members of the LGBTT Community are in a high-risk group, and you as Travellers are in another category of higher risk. Risk of what? Risk of not having family or friendship networks providing support, feeling helpless etc. We may need to seek extra support because of the foolish ideas other people have, and feel free to express, about our sexuality & your ethnicity.

Hang in there and remember to reach out if you feel yourself sink!

It is important to recognise when we need to seek help. There is ALWAYS help at hand. Remember that you are not alone in this. Many people writing here mention similar feelings. Sharing with each other is the first step in being able to overcome


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http://www.healthyplace.com/gender/gay-is-ok/stopping-gay-teen-suicide/menu-id-1420/
For a number of years, researchers have known that one-third of all teenagers who commit suicide are gay. In one sense, this statistic is incredibly shocking because, according to the Kinsey Report, gay teens only comprise one-tenth of the teen population. This means that they are 300 percent more likely to kill themselves than heterosexual youth. In another sense, it is predictable that gay teens kill themselves more often than other young people simply because their life chances are so limited by social and legal discrimination. Only when this discrimination is eliminated will these shocking statistics change

Minstrel gives some really good advice!!

Some Irish research worth looking at: http://www.glen.ie/pdfs/Supporting%20LGBT%20Lives%20Key%20Findings%20Report%20Card.pdf

It's called "Supporting LGBT Lives: A Study of the Mental Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People"

http://www.glen.ie/press/pdfs/Supporting%20LGBT%20Lives%20Report.pdf

I think the first of the links is the key findings and the second is the full report (in case you can't sleep). If the links don't work you can have a look around the GLEN site and you should be able to find it.

It's also meant to be on the BeLonGTo! site but I couldn't find it. I sometimes struggle with the technology though so it might just be me. I found a good link to a campaign on their site too. http://www.belongto.org/news.aspx?contentid=9 It's good to see homophobia being challenged. Hopefully future queer generations will get an easier time of it in schools etc.

i totally agree with future gay members will find agreement with it all - ilike the links... be sure to look at them!