Just checking in.

[BryanaCamp]

hi @outlander how are you today, I see you around and think you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders for such a young one. How is your carer role going for you today? I managed a walk to the pharmacy to get meds & some cookery but not much else today. Hope today has been ok for you.

hi @CheerBear you poor old sausage. I had surgery last year and can't face medicare to get my rebates - which may be a lot of much needed moula - just waiting in a queue drives me mental let alone having all the paperwork in order & the wherewithal to "be effective" with staff. Centrelink & those places are not designed to be people-friendly, sometimes I think they are designed to be so difficult you give up & miss out on your rebates to save the govt money. I totally understand being overwhelmed at C'link. bureaucratic nightmare. But hey, it's nothing that can't be built on another day when you're feeling stronger. Which I am sure you will. What is your school work or voluntary work? I volunteer 1 day/week to cook lunch for people who need it at my local community house.

[outlander]

Hi @BryanaCamp  (also 👍 for yoir post, it doesnt work on my phone)

Its been a hard day. Caring and life is tiring and overwhelming  sometimes. 

Well done on getting to the pharmacy. Doesnt matter if that's you youve done, its better than nothing. ❤

[CheerBear]

👋 all and thanks again for the support yesterday. My kids did what they do (turn the house into a circus) and it helped me snap out of it yesterday. It's hard for me to stay stuck in my mess when they're as full on as they are sometimes. I'm lucky to have them even if they drive me nuts sometimes 😉. I was so tired by the time it was bed and slept well enough last night. I feel better for it today.

@Zoe7 thanks for your support ❤ I can and do talk to my well person but their support is a different kind to what a MH worker could offer. While their listening ears are great, their well intended response is often a warning about taking on too much which I don't find so helpful from them. They also have lots of their own tricky to deal with (unwell one) and there's very little they can do to help me so I run the risk of dragging them down if I talk too much.

You're right in that group had an impact on me and that maybe there should be some kind of check-in or way to check-in if we need after it. The topic next week is about different kinds of abuse and their impacts. I've done enough of that and think the potential benefit vs the risk won't be worth it to me so I'm feeling 'nope' about it all at the moment.

I read about your day yesterday and wanted to say a big well done to you for what you've been working on and for getting to the awards ceremony last night. Go you 🎉! Hope your day today is a good one.

@BryanaCamp thank you for listening to my venty spill yesterday and for replying with such understanding. It's really nice to see you around 😊 I very much agree that government departments and systems can make it so hard it is easier sometimes to give up. It's not right and I'm sorry you experience it too.

You asked what my gig things are. I've taken on a parent office-bearer role at the school my younger ones go to. It feels good as it is a great way to be actively involved in the school and the wider community, and a way to give back as the school has been so awesome for our family. I'm well supported by the principal and staff so I feel OK about giving it a go but I'm learning the ropes at the moment which is probably making it feel harder than it actually will be (hopefully).

My other gig is in a mental health support service working in an area I'm passionate about and interested in, in a role I'm really excited about. It's also another very well supported thing which I am finding so refreshing. I have only just started at it and again I am very much at the learning stage so it's another one that probably feels harder right now than it will be soon.

Your volunteer role sounds like a great thing to be involved with. Do you enjoy it?

@MDT thanks so much for sharing that clip yesterday. What a big, beautiful, deep piece of music. I don't stop and listen to music like that very often (I'm into fast, thumping, electronic dance) and really appreciated the pause that it gave me. I hope your day is going OK.

Now I've written a novel 😉 I'm heading back up to the school to help some mini ones with a Mother's Day thing which I'm looking forward to doing. I'm feeling quite swamped with lots of stuff right now but hoping that with time I'll get used to doing more during the week again. That's the plan anyway 🤞 I have to ride out the bumps and wobbles along the way I guess.

Hope it's one with good in it for all ❤

[Faith-and-Hope]

💜💐 @CheerBear .... 👋

[MDT]

Hey @CheerBear I'm glad you liked that song. I am very eclectic with my music tastes. I jump between different genres. I found that this song I linked you yesterday is quite cathartic. It takes you down but also builds you up. Music is funny like that.

Today I am taking it easy. Been to gym now just have to read and organise a bag for the weekend. Should be okay though I think.

I am glad to hear you found some distraction/greater purpose yesterday when your kids were playing about. You are a good mum I think haha 🙂

Hope the rest of your day is good

[BryanaCamp]

hi @CheerBear your work sounds very challenging.

I'm in a bad place today so everything I write is going to be negative so porbly best I don't write much,

hi @outlander 

[BryanaCamp]

hi @CheerBear your work and volunteer work sound really cool, it's nice you have good people to work with, it makes all the difference. It sounds like you're in a really cool place with your life.

I don't want to rain on your parade or burden you with my cra#p but no, unfortunately I do not enjoy my volunteer job as I have to work with a sociopath. He says charming things to me like, "women who leave the house deserve to get killed". It's taking a pretty terrible toll on me & my sister encouraged me to tell my manager. I can't leave the job as I need the referees and I don't want to tarnish my reputation as I've worked hard for 12 months to prove myself. I've had 3 weeks off & arranged for 3 friends to fill in for me but my friend turned up yesterday & this mean guy had dragged in a random so my friend had nothing to do, he'd given up paid work to fill in for me then had nothing to do. I'm furious, he's so unprofessional and underhanded. I will have to cut back to fortnightly & am thinking of telling my manager I'm not prepared to organised fill ins for me as my colleague has been so unprofessional. urgh, I really need a job so I can get out of there.

[Former-Member]

Hi @BryanaCamp 

What a horrible environment you are volunteering in!  It is not OK for anyone to say that "women who leave the house deserved to get killed." Your male co-worker sounds incredibly unprofessional, but also incredibly misogynistic! In this light, I totally get why it would be taking a toll on you and your sister, and why you would want to get a job so that you can leave this working environment. Given this is a very unhealthy environment to work in, have you considered discussing this with a counsellor? If this is something that interests you, you could always call 1800 RESPECT (1880 737 732) or our SANE Help Centre (1800 18 72 63).

Please take care of yourself!

Kindest,

Amour_Et_Psyché

[Zoe7]

@CheerBear Reading about what next week is focussing on I can imagine you would rather avoid that too CB ...especially not having any support afterwards - I think that is a real downfall of such a group. 

I get that you can't talk too much to well one about some of this - it is very personal and not something you want to burden them with alongside everything else they are dealing with ...and the responses you get may not be what you need or want either.

You are doing so well in bouncing back from some of the tricky though Hon - kids certainly have a way of getting us to forget about ourselves for a while hey 

I am super impressed with how much extra things you are doing and you should be super proud of yourself too CB. It takes strength and courage to put yourself in the roles you have undertaken and I have no doubt you would be an asset in all those roles. You are one special little Cheerbear - and a little of that special is now being given to others ...super happy for you with all of that 

[CheerBear]

I'm sorry to hear of the bad place you're in today @BryanaCamp That all sounds very tough 🙁

You're not raining on anyone's parade in posting. Sometimes it helps me heaps to vent and share how things are going and I hope it helps you a little too. I wish there was something I could say but I hear you and hope you can find a way through it soon. What a difficult situation for you.

@MDT glad you were taking it easy today and hopefully having a better day than yesterday.

👋 and ❤ @Faith-and-Hope