u/plasmid2

Hello, I (16 female) am 6 foot tall, my figure is relatively slim and I am a little underweight for my height, age and gender.

I want to build a lean physique with lean muscle (especially biceps and triceps) and I’d also like to develop abs. A long slide this a goal of mine is to be able to do a few pull ups without any resistance bands.

I used to go to the gym pretty frequently and I do boxing but I admit I’ve been slacking a lot recently. I want to build my dream physique and have a healthy body as I go into adult hood.

However I simply don’t know where to start, I don’t know what to do at the gym which discourages me from going so I really need good workouts to help me build a lean physique.

Additionally I am a vegetarian, whilst I do get my protein I would like to know if anyone had any ideas for nutrient rich, protein filled meals for me to add to my diet to help me build and reveal muscle.

Thank you for any advice,
OP

Hello, I (16y/o female) am trying to get work experience in the field of biology. I am British and love animals, plants and overall biology and aspire to be a scientist when I grow up. I want work experience and whilst I have a few ideas I’m not really sure what a 16 year old can do science wise.

I applied to the RSPB yet there aren’t any job vacancies near me so I was rejected. I’ve looked at a few other places yet I’m not really sure of any opportunities on offer other than the essay competitions that I have been doing.

If anyone knows of any ideas or opportunities could you let me know.

Thank you,
OP

Hello, I (16y/o female) don’t know how to even begin to get an autism diagnosis. Now of course I have no certainty that I am autistic, whilst I do portray many symptoms I have never been tested or asked to be.

I was not sure if I was looking too deeply into things and so I asked my girlfriend (16y/o female) what she thought and she said whilst when we weren’t close she didn’t think anything, as we got closer and began dating she had come to the conclusion herself and told me that a few months previous to me asking her what she thought she had the idea that I could be autistic.

Not only this but when I was a young child one of my teachers told my parents that she thought I was neurodivergent and to get me checked however they brushed this off and later told me it as if it was a ridiculous assumption of hers.

I will be starting college in early September and am concerned if I do have autism how it may affect me going forward so would like a diagnosis. Now I understand that the waitlist for these things is usually painfully long so I am considering talking to the doctors myself without my parents knowledge to try and get on some sort of waitlist. My main concern with this however is by the time I actually am tested I fear that college would’ve already passed as well as possibly university.

The problem with going to the doctors is that I am way too nervous. I can’t even order in restaurants usually on my own let alone talk to a doctor as to why I think I’m neurodivergent without any support other than that of my girlfriend ( who is very supportive and honestly amazing ) yet who of course cannot help me that much because she too is only a teenager like me and it’s not her responsibility to have to help me when she has her own life and struggles to deal with.

My parents are relatively well off so may be able to pay for a private diagnosis if they have a good financial month or something like that so I’m considering if telling them would be easier. However I really don’t say what I think ever around them because it simply wouldn’t work, they don’t really know me at all or my real personality. I soften everything I say to seem more like how they speak so they don’t get mad at me and when for a short period of time I did this less it only resulted in a lot more arguments and such.

So telling them would be almost harder than telling a doctor as I think they’d just make a joke out of it or think I’m being ridiculous. Additionally I have a hard time telling them anything because it simply isn’t who I am, I am very reserved and keep my information to myself so telling them things is even more unpredictable and therefore uncomfortable.

The final thing I considered was that after starting college I ask a teacher if they could bring it up to my parents without mentioning me asking them to which as of now I think is my best option. I really don’t know and it’s very stressful. I just want to know if I do have it or not so I can understand myself more.

And would a diagnosis be beneficial in the long run. I am already queer, a woman, and a person of colour. I see nothing wrong with being neurodivergent however life may already be hard enough as it is for me in my future is have a diagnosis just going to make it harder? I know you can’t discriminate in the work place but politics has been becoming a lot more right winged recently and it’s scaring me quite honestly. I want a diagnosis but I also want to be treated as an equal.

So for the neurodivergent people with diagnosis, has it helped you, made your life harder, neither or both?

And for both the people with diagnosis and with similar feeling to me, how did/do you plan to get your diagnosis?

Thank you for reading, any help is much appreciated.