Lived Experience Forum

[Former-Member]

Hi all,

what were your thoughts when you originally picked your profile name and picture?

I chose Flower, because I love meerkats and there was a show about meerkats "Meerkat Manor". Flower was the dominant female. Below is my original profile picture.

Only this morning did I realise that this is what I was, the dominant female, the one always on high alert, the one always on the run, the one looking after all and everything...

After my last admission I changed my picture to a dying flower, not a meerkat:

I'll change it back to a meerkat now, but a baby meerkat that is growing and is being protected, because that is how I feel now. I need support and safety to heal.

How did you chose? Did your meaning change over time?

[Former-Member]

Hello @Former-Member.

I suppose what I was thinking when I first chose a profile picture was ummm . . . I don't know which one. I think I picked the little dog picture that comes with the site. I changed it to an inch-worm, mainly because of conversations I was having on here and how I feel like an inch worm creeping along inch by inch. I wanted to change it to 2  monkeys hugging, but there was a glitch and I wasn't able (I wanted that one to sort of comfort people when they saw ot). So for a little while it was a distorted light photo of mine, because I could get that one in, it was bright and I think bright is happy. Then I changed it to the beautiful 'N' that it is now, because one of the Forum users drew it for me and I was felt so good about that.

I think I saw that show about Flower and the meerkats. I like them too. I choose my name by just totally making it up as I had someone 'following' me on many other chat sites. And my own real name is very common and boring and I like pretty different ones. So my name doesn't mean anything to me, except being nicer, but my picture has evolved. I think it has a lot to do with being individual too.

You've come to the right place for suppoet and safety.

I wish you positive healing 🙂