MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH: Let's Talk About It (October 2024)

That's so cool to hear @Ainjoule ! I've never heard this before. Wow! Thanks for sharing!

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@Oaktree wrote:

I am getting involved in the peer work space too. I am in the interview process for a lived experience advisory committee, I also have another exciting opportunity that I can’t talk about and I am applying for a scholarship place for cert IV mental health peer work for 2025. Wish me luck…

Sounds like you are in a really good place and that you are already heavily involved in peer work despite not having done the certification quite yet. Good for you!!!

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Is the scholarship the application you were told there were 60-80 people applying for 30 spots? Good luck and I hope you get in. I'm just waiting to hear back once they've processed my enrollment application. It seems a lot easier here in SA, although we have to pay, but the govt subsidies seem to be quite generous. So hopefully we both start next year and can become study partners. I remember you mentioning this opportunity you can't talk about yet. I'm assuming it has something to do with SANE. Either way i'm excited for you, i'm sure you'll take this opportunity and run with it.

I do feel like i'm in a good place at the moment, but still wary that these things can change without warning. Last weekend was an example of that so I know there's still a lot of work to do but isn't there always.

@TAB I like where you said “People understand”.

I live alone and have no supports outside the forums from people who understand why life is like, especially on the bad days. The days not wanting to get out of bed. Days not wanting to leave safety of my home. Nights going to bed and hoping for everlasting sleep.

wonderful people on the forums give a feeling of home where there is complete safety, can be myself and say how I’m feeling, whether be having good day or having dark thoughts and everything in between

People with differences in life experiences and mental health issues have come together through SANE where we support each other. May not have walked the same pathways along life’s journey but life’s experiences have brought lot of understanding for others.

well said @Former-Member 😎

@Former-Member said “I live alone and have no supports outside the forums from people who understand why life is like, especially on the bad days. The days not wanting to get out of bed. Days not wanting to leave safety of my home. Nights going to bed and hoping for everlasting sleep.”

@Former-Member that is me right there 👆🏼

I thought I was alone. I didn’t know someone else experienced this.

Thank you so much for posting.

How do you cope?

G

@Glisten On the bad days it isn’t easy

my main way of coping and pushing through is my cats. Would never do anything that resulted in them being without me.

tears …. Force myself to get out of home and do anything to fill in the day. Anything to distract my thoughts. Talk with oncall counsellor, usually through Blue Knot

@Ru-bee , @tyme , @RachSANECEO , @espressologic , @Ainjoule

I would like to include that in 2015 when my husband was in the MH hospital, and I stayed in the Red Cross accommodation in the city

this is where I found the SANE booklet which I kept and read and had to wait to get back home to join SANE forum

I believe this is so important to have these available to everyone in the community

@MJG017

yes it is the cert 1v in mental health peer work that I am applying for a scholarship for. Hopefully we both get in and yes definitely would love to study with you. We can do it on the So you want to be a Peer Support Worker? thread.
Yes unfortunately for me 80 or more applicants and only 30 places. A very nice person is looking over my application to help me shine. Wish me luck… If I get through the application process, I then have to go to a group interview. I am a good talker but really need to focus on really listening. I am nervous…

This is fascinating @Shaz51 our Lived Experience Advisory Committee which is a subcommittee of the SANE board and has members who are on the forums and use our guided program have raised as a priority that they want us to be promoting SANE more in hospitals and health clinics through brochures etc so this exact thing can happen / keep happening.

we do already do some service promotion this way but often the hardest part is having enough people power to go physically to hospitals and health centres to say “hey have you heard about SANE, would you mind taking some brochures…”

do you think it’s the kind of thing people might volunteer for?