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@Cat34

Congratulations on your job interview. Please let us know how you go

If I receive an email that says "The Employer is very keen on bringing you onboard", does that mean that I got the job offer? Or does it mean something else? I'm not too sure what this Australian jargon is supposed to mean... please help me out!

@FearofUnknown

I would say that sounds positive

@tyme

I just heard back. They said that I was a strong candidate but they went with someone with experience. They said they could see me working in the organisation so to keep applying

@SaltwaterSoul I'm sorry that you got overwhelmed and disappointed. Preparing for an interview takes up a lot of time and energy, it is awful that you were treated in such an unprofessional manner.

Thank you, it was a terrible time, I already had a lot I was dealing with in my personal life and really didn't need the extra stress. I'm really glad I no longer work there.

Workwise now, I lost my job (a different job) in December. I've found looking for a new job has had a lot of stress and so I'm taking a break to protect my mental health. I'm self-employed so I'm just focusing on running my own business. I've got a decent amount of work lined up for February, not sure yet what I'll be doing after that.

@tyme thank you. According to mainstream psychiatry, psychosis is only caused by biological factors and not social or psychological factors. However, if you look at the bio-psycho-social model, it does suggest that psychological and social stressors can also contribute to psychosis. I think psychiatry needs to move more into this direction.

I can see a clear pattern with my own mental health of conflict causing psychosis. I also have a parent who has a psychotic disorder who also seems to be triggered by conflict. Neither of us has found a psychiatrist who has been able to give a biological based explanation of why we fluctuate with our mental illnesses the way that we do.

An issue with conflict is that trying too hard to avoid conflict actually ends up leading to more conflict. I used to be very people pleasing in order to prevent conflict (and hence keep my mental health stable). However, being too people pleasing attracts toxic people and I've learnt there are people who will inevitably become exploitative and abusive if I treat them with unconditional niceness. There are some situations in which conflict is essential in order to prevent worse conflict in the future.

Do you think that could be related to why Sane promote moving towards conflict?

I can see that for other people there are lots of opportunities to learn and grow through conflict. However, for me, I don't learn from social mistakes the way other people seem to. I don't seem to be able to distinguish the difference between a conflict and a serious threat. For my own safety, it is essential for me to isolate myself from others when I'm showing warning signs of building up to psychosis. It is a very lonely and frustrating thing, but no amount of medication and therapy offers me the protection that a temporary period of social isolation does.

@Junie I'm sorry that you are having such a tough time. I understand that rejection is hurtful, but remember it says nothing personal about your worth or your ability to work. It is almost universal to face some level of rejection in the job-hunting process.

Is there something you can do to help with your self-confidence (that is within your control)?

@Ruby26 thank you for saying that. I never know what to think and when I'm down I can't go to that part that is nice.

I'm trying to think of some ideas 🤔

I had a tough couple of days I've never had high blood pressure before mixed with low iron I am attempting to listen to my body and rest.

@Junie I understand, I often feel the same way.

I find researching grounding activities can be a good start to finding things to help with self-confidence.

I also have low iron. I found that I had to do a lot of research on how to take iron tablets properly (they interact with most foods and hot drinks). If you take the tablet form, it really helps to either google or ask your pharmacist how to take it properly. I hope you get a good rest and feel better soon.

@Ruby26

That's sounds interesting, that's good that you can set your own schedule in that way. I'm proud of you for walking away from that stress, and focus on yourself for a while.

I actually got an email today from another job I applied for, and I'm shortlisted for that job. A person from their recruitment team also called me today, and we talked for quite a while, she asked me lots of questions and I felt a lot more confident and calm. I'm also going to meet the team next week, which is great, gives me more time to prepare this time. 🙂

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@Ruby26 wrote:

@tyme thank you. According to mainstream psychiatry, psychosis is only caused by biological

An issue with conflict is that trying too hard to avoid conflict actually ends up leading to more conflict. I used to be very people pleasing in order to prevent conflict (and hence keep my mental health stable). However, being too people pleasing attracts toxic people and I've learnt there are people who will inevitably become exploitative and abusive if I treat them with unconditional niceness. There are some situations in which conflict is essential in order to prevent worse conflict in the future.

Do you think that could be related to why Sane promote moving towards conflict?

I can see that for other people there are lots of opportunities to learn and grow through conflict. However, for me, I don't learn from social mistakes the way other people seem to. I don't seem to be able to distinguish the difference between a conflict and a serious threat. For my own safety, it is essential for me to isolate myself from others when I'm showing warning signs of building up to psychosis. It is a very lonely and frustrating thing, but no amount of medication and therapy offers me the protection that a temporary period of social isolation does.

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Thank you for sharing. I apologise if my post came out as SANE was promoting moving towards conflict. Rather, it was a live chat discussion we had, and I learnt a lot from it.

Of course each situation is different. THere are some situations we move away from, but there are also some that we can move towards. I absolutely hear that you have found that conflict can be a trigger for psychosis - I would not doubt it one bit.

I absolutely hear your perspective aroud moving away when you feel there are warning signs of psychosis. It's so important that you recognise this.

Thank you so much for sharing @Ruby26