Mental Wellness Support Group

[wayoung]

Had my first therapy appointment since last December. Had to turn my AC off as it was over zoom and my room hit 28°.

The anxiety over my house and my disappointment at everything plateuing for the last year are what made me book the appointment. Gonna do some evaluations independently for him and then we'll decide where to go next. My heart rate went so high during the session my Fitbit tracked 5 min of exercise.

 

[Mister Spock]

First, *HUGS*.

Second, don't compare yourself to the rest of your family. We're all on our own timelines and paths.

Third, you're only 35. You have time.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, it's appreciated. Just felt the need to scream.

So I've found out that I'm eligible for job seekers allowance (which is different to to unemployment benefit and means I can get about £300 a month whilst I look for work), which takes the pressure slightly off living out of my savings.

I had an interview today for a job I'm not hopeful I'll get (although I did make it through to the second and final round), but would mean a bit more money and spending four weeks a year in Romania. It meant travelling into London in a heat wave and bullshitting my way through an interview, but still.

 

[Bynar0110]

I been mentally and emotionally wrecked from physical health problems thst unexpectedly creeped up this past week. I thought I had a heart attack.

 

[fireproof78]

I been mentally and emotionally wrecked from physical health problems thst unexpectedly creeped up this past week. I thought I had a heart attack.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you are on the way to recovery now.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I finally have a classroom second in command… well, two of them, but I’m not alone this year! I can breathe…

 

[JD]

My birthday is on Tuesday, and I'm kind of freaking out. I don't it would be considered a existential crisis or mid-life crisis a few years early, but I just keep finding myself thinking about where I am in my life right now, and wondering what would have happened if I hadn't made certain decisions or had done something I thought about doing but didn't. At the same time I'm thinking about what I want to do from here on, if I want to try for this job or that job, and when I go back to school, which is definitely part of the plan, what I want to study. I've thought about this stuff before, but it just seems ever since it struck I'm turning 36, it's going though my head a lot more than it ever has before.

 

[Mister Spock]

Didn't get the job I was hopeful for. Am all the way back to square one.

Every single job I look at either pays too little, is not commutable or I have no experience or qualification for.

Retraining is not an option, as I sunk my savings into that before and was only ever met with the 'yeah, you're qualified, but we only want experience... and you don't have any' Catch-22.

 

[fireproof78]

My birthday is on Tuesday, and I'm kind of freaking out. I don't it would be considered a existential crisis or mid-life crisis a few years early, but I just keep finding myself thinking about where I am in my life right now, and wondering what would have happened if I hadn't made certain decisions or had done something I thought about doing but didn't. At the same time I'm thinking about what I want to do from here on, if I want to try for this job or that job, and when I go back to school, which is definitely part of the plan, what I want to study. I've thought about this stuff before, but it just seems ever since it struck I'm turning 36, it's going though my head a lot more than it ever has before.

Just part of the 30s. I struggled with that for a while and have to refocus my energy on what I have rather than the constant plague of "What ifs?" Which definitely happen to me every once in a while even now as I continue on with this strange new (4 years new, but still) chapter of my life.

Ultimately, as sucky as it is (and it does suck, majorly) there is only one place we can actually influence change.

 

[JD]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

 

[Non Sync]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

It's actually pretty universal and at all ages.

Spoiler

Some people are just better at hiding it.

 

[fireproof78]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

It is extremely common.

 

[DEWLine]

Didn't get the job I was hopeful for. Am all the way back to square one. Every single job I look at either pays too little, is not commutable or I have no experience or qualification for. Retraining is not an option, as I sunk my savings into that before and was only ever met with the 'yeah, you're qualified, but we only want experience... and you don't have any' Catch-22.

That reads as all too familiar to my own experience.

 

[JD]

I still haven't been able to get a job yet, and I more or less got the ultimatum from my mom today that I need to get a job or go on disability or I need to move out. I understand she can't support the two of us, so I'm really not mad at her, and I'm hoping this might finally give me the push I need to get through all of the anxiety and do something.

 

[Mister Spock]

That reads as all too familiar to my own experience.

Yeah, it sucks, although am trying and trying. A former colleague has reached out and says she can pass on a reccomendation at her job. It'll be fashion customer service - which I prefer - but not kean on phone work. It'll be a little less than my job that ended in May, but if I can get it, it'll be a start.

I still haven't been able to get a job yet, and I more or less got the ultimatum from my mom today that I need to get a job or go on disability or I need to move out. I understand she can't support the two of us, so I'm really not mad at her, and I'm hoping this might finally give me the push I need to get through all of the anxiety and do something.

I'm unfamiliar with the American benefits system, but hope it can at least provide you some breathing space. I'm due to go and sign up for Jobseekers Allowance on Tuesday.

 

[JD]

So I took another step in my job hunt and tried calling some other stables nearby that I found on Google Maps. All I got was a voice mail though, so I left a message. I tend to mumble and talk fast, so I'm just hoping that the woman who runs the stables will be able to understand me. If this one doesn't work out, I'm finding myself much more tempted to make serious effort to go on disability. I just don't know if I could going back to a retail job or anything else like that.

 

[fireproof78]

So I took another step in my job hunt and tried calling some other stables nearby that I found on Google Maps. All I got was a voice mail though, so I left a message. I tend to mumble and talk fast, so I'm just hoping that the woman who runs the stables will be able to understand me. If this one doesn't work out, I'm finding myself much more tempted to make serious effort to go on disability. I just don't know if I could going back to a retail job or anything else like that.

Depending on the state disability does take time. However, even if you are on disability you are able to work a little bit and bring in some income.

Again, depending on the state, there is supplemental disability income that can support for current struggles. Usually a diagnosis of a mental health condition, or physical health condition, supported by a professional.

It's funny. I stopped by and saw a friend of mine, still working in retail, and it was nice to catch up. We discussed our current mental health struggles but being back in a retail store I miss that sometimes. But, I could stay in the store long because I worked it so long and found it familiar. Hopefully the familiarity of the stables will open up a job opportunity.

 

[DEWLine]

And I am apparently writing up a deputation script re: promoting mental health programmes re: next year's budget at Ottawa City Hall.

 

[Bynar0110]

Feeling a mixture of depression ,anxiety and,fatigue.

 

[SJGardner]

Back to our recurring programme of "is it gender dysphoria or clinical depression", albeit the fact that I've spent 20 hours in bed this weekend to offset the fact that I only sleep 3-5 hours during the week, and there's also a pile of clean clothes on my bed that I haven't put away for a month and just keeps growing larger every time I do my laundry strongly suggests the second. Not that it would matter, there's literally not a single medical professional in this entire country who could tell the difference between the two. And I somehow doubt I would get a medical diagnosis for gender dysphoria as long as I'm exhibiting any symptoms that *could be* of depression. Life's great.

 

[Bynar0110]

Is it common to have a panic attack in a waiting room at a doctor office?