Christian Chat

@heartathome I have 2 households worth of furnishings as I was living elsewhere and when I moved back into my own home I couldn't afford to put stuff into storage so my carport is full of furniture and boxes, along with my spare room and formal lounge room.

Like a lot of MH sufferers I have no motivation to do anything major. The only time I really have motivation is when I pray in earnest for it.

I would love to be more of a minimalist. My grandfather was a bit of a "collector" as is my mum and my brother and I got that trait too. It's not hoarding - the house is clean, just very full.

I have had friends and family offer to help me sort but it's difficult because they don't know what stuff I want to keep, what I want to give away and what I want to sell.

It's a lovely day today and tomorrow is only going to be 23. Unfortunately on Thursday we're having a hot change and it's going to be between 37 - 39 until next Sunday.

I hope you are managing to stay cool xoxo

@Appleblossom I love your photo of you playing ping pong footie with your cat!! I agree, I don't see the obsession with the sport when there are so many other cultural activities available. My bestie and I used to go the the museum every year at least once during school holidays. We would spend the day in the city and if we had money we'd go to Pancakes at Carillon in the city, they had the best fluffy buttermilk pancakes and we'd cover them with syrup. Though we didn't play sport outside of school we were always active and walked for miles. I am always heartened when I see parents encouraging their kids to play outside.

Regarding being triggered, this is a new thing. Even when I was first diagnosed with depression/anxiety/BP2 blah blah blah I didn't get "triggered" the way people do nowadays. I don't really agree that there is more stress and pressure on people now than 20 years ago. I feel that because there is a "ban" on more confronting topics people are not trained in how to deal with the topics and so they get triggered. My counselling sessions recently compared to 20 years ago has differed from "what can we do to help you work through this?" to "how did that make you feel? Let's talk about your feelings for the next 3 months and not consider how to help you overcome." and I know from other friends in counselling that the same is true of their sessions.

I do like that for most of the time Sane allows us to voice our opinions. I wish that there was an ability to have a forum accessible only to those of us who don't want to have to watch every word (and I don't mean being nasty or rude, that is NEVER okay). Maybe have members sign a waiver and a passcode to the particular thread. I don't know the specifics of whether that can be done of course but in my world that would be triff (terrific).

Thanks Apple for your insightful post, I appreciate you xo 🫂

@tyme not a reading but I was given Genesis 16:13 - the God who sees.

Hello @ENKELI 💛

Are you enjoying your studies overall? What subject have you resonated with the most?

And I get you - role plays and case studies can be tough, because the real world isn't as easy to navigate. What would you implement or do differently if you were able to control personal wellbeing in the workplace?

That's okay! Sometimes our negative biases takes over! Mine do that when I simply need a break and some rest (or some food hehe).

How are you feeling today?

Ah, all of your recent reflections have made me smile so much. @DownMoreThanUp

I really am so happy for you.

Witnessing your journey has been such a blessing; know that we are all learning from your experiences.

Here for you and with you all - big hugs. 🥰 @ENKELI @heartathome @Realness @Appleblossom

I like that - 'no news is good news'. Sometimes when life is simple and stable, it can offer us the space to really tend to our needs, process our experiences, and explore our passions. @Realness 🫶

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I'm good at the moment, thanks for asking @AuntGlow My week has had its ups and downs (like everyone) but nothing I couldn't handle. Always trying to balance out social outings with down time. It's lovely seeing you drop in on us! 💚

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I am glad you are doing well @heartathome 🫶

Ups and downs are real, aren't they?!

What have you been doing socially and for your 'me' time?

Always!! 💖

@ENKELI Thank you

Hearing you about the pressures on these days about what we can and cannot say. I dont think its Sane's fault, its the broader society, and just the difficulty of so many people involved. I guess have threads like these are a help, as we have some foundational beliefs, and value the community and dont need everyone to totally agree with everything.

Yes, resilience seemed greater in the past, but we also seem to be living in difficult times. Things are just more complex and people have so many backgrounds and affiliations that it is hard to know what to say ... beyond ... motherhood statements, which can then feel... too generic ... and not making real contact.

we played this today. I do like me an Angus Dei

https://www.google.com/search?q=mille+regretz+angus+dei&oq=mille+regretz+angus+dei&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIHCAQQIRiPAjIHCAUQIRiPAtIBCjE3Mzg2ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBXYqClL9fDYF&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1e472dab,vid:OMsMBcLjn9A,st:0

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Apparently it was taken originally from a secular love song and put into the mass form.

Yet I also found the focus on the risen Christ, a valuable learning, when I encountered other churches than the Roman Catholic church I was raised in.

Knowing Catholicism well, there are things that are beautiful, but there are many excesses.

TW: Some triggering descriptions, including blood/violence.

Anyway I respect @tyme trying to do what is right. It takes effort and nothing is cut and dry. I understand my mother in terms of her cptsd, but ... So many ethical questions, we need to grapple with and absolute clarity is rare for me. I just never could talk about anything with anybody responsible in reasonable time whilst crises arose. Maybe as my family structures (my family of origin and family of creation) were more complicated than most ...idk. Too many extras and blended situations. Anyway I am left more with prayer and music, than being purely biblically based. Though it is amazing having so many editions and translations available these days. I also resonate a lot when tyme talked about not having words ... I often do the mouth open ... but nothing coming out. I talk better through my fingers and writing. lol though getting better at talking these days.

I appreciate your posts @Realness ... good to guide my thoughts...

@DownMoreThanUp your journeys are passionate and there is much wisdom

dear @heartathome dont stress. I feel close to you. sister

@DownMoreThanUp I am in agreement with you as you know. I also think that there should be the opportunity for members to be able to chat off the forums, via email for example. Sane could vet everything first.

Example, you and I decide we want to chat between us about our faith. We individually contact Sane and they make sure we are aware of the possible concerns they may have, ie privacy. Once that is established, we each sign a statement claiming that should anything untoward happen we can not hold Sane accountable. Once that is done we are then given the other persons' email and from there it is no longer a concern of Sane but our own.

I know @tyme is very understanding and having had this conversation with her before, she truly did bend over backwards to help me. I have never forgotten that and because of that I have a special place in my heart for her. This means I can get a little over protective of her!

I know she is doing the right thing by following the guidelines and I know that we are all frustrated at how the forums work sometimes.

My own personal opinion is that the forums, like a lot of MH spaces, are over protective for fear of upsetting members. I have read different threads with some people getting butt-hurt because they didn't like someone posting on what they believed was their own special thread. And they got away with it because the poster was asked not to post on their "special" thread again. And if they DID, they would risk being banned from the forums. So that person now thinks they can get away with bad behaviour and being over-reactive while the person who has been threatened with banning is genuinely hurt and upset at the suggestion they may be a bully.

(I pray this is not edited out, I do not see where it breaches guidelines)

I have also found that it can depend on who is doing the moderating as well. I have seen a post made that was edited by moderators, only to see a post almost the same in a different thread allowed as there is a different moderator on at the time.

I hope you are feeling better this evening and that your Aus Day goes well. I hope you are able to rest in Jesus' presence, knowing He loves you and cares about you always. As do I my dear brother.

Much agape love and hugs

@AuntGlow I think I will enjoy my studies when I actually get to study the subject. I've been in the workforce for over 30 years so most of it is all stuff I know. Still, it gives me something to do for a few hours a day so I must stop complaining.

I haven't really thought about personal wellbeing in the workplace. Telstra was the best company to work for. I saw major changes over the 17 years I was there, from the early '90s to the mid 2000's. OH&S was always a high priority and the EAP was excellent.

Since then I've worked for 4 different transport and logistics companies and there was no personal wellbeing at any of them. One company was a small satellite office and because the staff was small it was a more intimate setting and I had no complaints. My boss said after I left that it was not the same without me. I loved working there and would have stayed until retirement if I'd been able to. The other 3 companies were toxic. Bullying was rife and the treatment I received from the one where I worked the longest is what has damaged me mentally the most. The managing director screamed and swore at me, threatened to fire me and belittled me in front of other staff members. HR treated me just as badly, to the extent that I had to have a support person with me if I was to attend a meeting with the HR person. The last day I was there I had a meeting with HR that was sprung on me and I didn't think about my support person because my team leader mislead me, saying we were going to be discussing my co-worker who I had been training and who was failing at the role. Instead I was called racist and a liar, then threatened to be written up. I said I felt like I was being bullied into resigning and they didn't argue with me. In the end I was a blubbering mess and I resigned. My team leader marched me back to my office, made sure I took only my personal belongings and then marched me to my car. I was sobbing by now and could hardly see the road as I drove home. They had no concern for my wellbeing at all.
I should have reported it but I was rather traumatised by the whole incident and did nothing about it.

I believe companies have a responsibility for the well-being of their staff and in a perfect world you would be able to maintain a healthy work life balance.

Like in the fantasy world of the educational institution I am studying with, they have a scenario where one of their workers has a personal problem that is affecting their work. They speak to their team leader who agrees to let the worker go part time until their personal issue is resolved.

This is just not viable in the real world and it's setting people up for failure if they believe what the institution is teaching them.

I am also of the "don't bring your problems to work" generation though, so I find it difficult when younger workers don't come into work because they have some personal problem. Again, just my opinion xo