How Do You Use This Site?

[The Albatross]

Bump cuz this is integral in my opinion. How do you use this site?

 

[Changing4Best]

On the weekends, when I have more time, I wander around the site and look here or there at things that interest me in some way. Usually I look at my alerts first before that though. Sometimes if I am really bursting with emotion, I will head for my private diary here first and write in it about what is going on in my life. Sometimes I do read randomly. I like the SOCIAL area a lot, then GENERAL and then other more specific areas more rarely.

On Saturdays I get the "Most Popular Threads of the Week" email from here and that gives me food for thought as to what I would like to read about too. There is rarely anything boring here to read!

 

[ILoveLife]

Start from the top of my notifications - miss a few then find them later on new posts.
Diaries first, as I can manage not by preference and then new posts according to relevance of either what it says or what I can contribute.

Occasionally check where the current drama is at :P

 

[blackemerald1]

Occasionally check where the current drama is at

Drama...what drama...?? lol :p :sorry:

 

[cherileisman]

I just let my fingers do the driving - Very much enjoy the articles & forums. The forum helps create, promote and support some interesting friendships and cliques and I like that the opportunity is there to grow virtual friendships. I'd like to see some different threads created to promote more conversations. I use this forum as part of my daily (or almost) trauma therapy.

 

[bellbird]

I'd like to see some different threads created to promote more conversations.

Why not create the threads that you would like to see? :)

 

[Abstract]

I come on, check alerts to follow up on how people are doing in threads I have watched or answered, or specifically check in on particular threads. I then check in on "what is new". Scan through and see what is happening. Then sometimes go to specific forums if particular stuff is on my mind. Sometimes then look things up. How people are doing or look for info for myself. Then sometimes post to myself on my private diary about inane stuff. It seems the talking to myself instead of others is a hard habit to break. Improving though I guess, If overwhelmed go to social and stay there and my private diary. Often want to do threads or posts but social and my private diary is as far as I get.

 

[Lionheart]

My online journal /diary is an integral part of my healing and makes a huge, huge difference in my everyday life, so I write in it often. It is an indispensable tool in my healing journey. (I just had to add that in).

 

[Wendell_R]

This is an interesting question for me, because I had a computer addiction for >20 years as a way of numbing my PTSD brain and avoiding conflicts with real people and with my parts.

My posts are short and I do not read Trauma Diaries too much, so that I don't get sucked in to the computer too much. My therapist and I watch and see that my postings here expand my life off the computer (they really do!!!) rather than lead to obsessive withdrawal. I am sure to not look at anything two days a week, just so I know I am not dependent on the computer.

I look at What's New, including the Profile Posts. I enjoy finding things to Like and to post encouragement. I very much treasure having a place where I can be open about the fractures in my personality. I watch the Social, DIssociation, and Therapy forums.

 

[Lionheart]

I wanted to add that I use the site frequently, especially of late. I am most active in the social forum and write almost daily in my journal / diary.

 

[12birds]

I reply to threads and like things at random. I mostly just use the diary feature

 

[grit]

Interesting topic and just noticed it is also older.
There are some positive, negative and neutral reactions for me.

Positives:

1. Learning a lot about trauma, treatment, symptoms, relationships, how others deal with these and so much more.
2. Giving advice to where I feel I may be able to contribute - usually around treatment ideas, therapy process.
3. Sharing knowledge and taking knowledge that I would not be able to get anywhere else
4. It makes my recovery firmer since I can see my reactions and other's stories in relation to me now and to me then.
5. Learned new coping mechanism from here
6. Learned therapy processes and how it works from here
7. learning recovery process in a practical ways
8. I used it to ruminate and see my own rumination in written form and others' feedback is extremely valuable most of the time

Neutral:

1. I do not read trauma diaries unless the last comment in the new feed is interesting because just way too many pages and I do not feel I have enough knowledge of the issue on hand ...but I comment few and then realized it was a trauma diary and feel bad that my comment may not have been informative

Negative:

1. It is sort of my avoidance or soothing for me. I used to avoid boredom or distract myself from other things or as a form of procrastination. This is something I am trying to address now
2. Conflict resolution and generally relationship topics appear maladaptive to me most of the time so hard to learn from that