Topic Tuesday // Navigating work life and mental health // Tues 17 Sep, 7pm AEST

Hello Everyone,

I've also recently taken a week off work. I went back afterwards (I've been back for a week) and am trying to implement some strategies to help me cope/not let things get away from me. I found a guide published in 2010 - "Workers with Mental Illness: a Practical Guide for Managers" - had some good tactics for managing specific symptoms.

@Former-Member

I used to wirk in admin and now in pharmacy. I took my communication skills to new job. Also customer service.

Hi and welcome @cutiepiekitty

Thanks for coming along after a rotten day- hopefully connecting here helps make it a bit better ✨ Its wonderful that you engage in the kind of work suits you in that way - working with kids can be so rewarding and really help us, like you said, be a kid within ourselves.

Just noticed your comment too @CheerBear - hopefully the notifications are working okay! Sorry if they aren't everyone, keep hitting the refresh button on your browser if they aren't 🤓

Welcome and hello @Lise07 - great to have you with us and thanks so much for sharing that helpful resource! We are going to chat a bit later about managing wellbeing at work and would love some more of those strategies if you want to share them! Just to catch you up we are just talking about transferable skills - what they could be for each one of us and how they can help in the work world 😊

Hi @Former-Member @CheerBear @Shaz51 and anyone else here. I have a long history of freelancing with massage therapy (28 years) when I was able to fit it in with being a disability carer at home and a student as well for a few years here and there. Often had a casual job in pubs or cafes at the same time. But I've been on sole parent and then disability pension most of the time since 1988, so I had that to fall back on when not working. However since eventual diagnosis with bipolar 1 in 2009 (on top of long-standing complex PTSD, major depression and anxiety disorders) I have not felt right about other people putting their health in my hands when my own health had to be my number one priority. So I've only re-entered the workforce once since then and it was a disaster. I lasted 2 1/2 weeks. I also tried going back to study but that didn't work out either. I was manic when I started and later fell into another major depression and gave up. Being a community guide here on the forums I consider as a voluntary position learning to be a peer support person - a major first step, thanks for the opportunity SANE - and I'm hoping that in the future I can be a peer mentor with the local disability alliance (they have said they'll put me forward in the future). I can't see myself ever going back to what I used to do tho' I still massage friends and family when asked to.

I struggle with the whole Hi How are you? What do you do? which is what you get in most social situations with new people. So I say I've retired and am looking for the next thing. or else I joke that I do lunch!

One of my major challenges in relation to future work is that my resume hasn't been touched for over 10 years and has many long gaps prior to that as well. The references I have are from many years ago. So that's a major first step I would have to take even to get most voluntary positions. Even the Red Cross op-shop wanted to see my resume.

Looking forward to tonight's discussion but not sure how much I'll be able to contribute given my history.

Sorry @Former-Member and all, the question re transferable skills came while I was typing this.

@Former-Member

We have cut back on work to relieve pressure off Mr shaz and my physical problems

Thats a great example @BlueBay - thanks for sharing.

Communication is a great transferable skill- like you have mentioned customer service can be where you learn some communication skills or interpersonal skills. It could also be a skill that is picked up from things at home like managing a family and having to communicate to a lot of people to get things done for instance.

Does anyone else have some examples?

I hear you @BlueBay and feel the same at times with wanting to hide. Lots of juggling and lots of needing to give to others can be really difficult.

As an answer to transferable skills, I think being able to juggle different tasks and jump from one thing to another quickly is something I have had to develop skills in @Former-Member (not exactly sure what 'skill' that is though!). It isn't easy and I don't always manage but I wonder if there is some of that for you too @BlueBay.

Another that comes to mind are negotiation/mediation skills. My kids fight and argue (like all kids do) and I've had to learn how to listen to them all, how to find some middle ground when there's arguing happening and how/when to take charge. Maybe there's something useful in that!

When going places, I find that I point out to businesses things they can do to make premises more disability friendly. That comes from having mobility problems from major arthritis as well as a host of other probs. Generally they are happy to hear what would be better as it helps them give better service to other customers. I suppose that is "work" and a skill in a way. It is like training businesses. Probably if I was able to turn it into a paid job it would do well. But I am not in a position to do that.

I have been asked to maybe help out a local child care during the holidays through my crafts too. So hobbies can be used as work. Also being with kids is teaching them, as it is showing them that people with health problems, disabilities, etc are just like them and not to be scared of or laughed at. It is harder to get accepted for invisible problems eg mental illnesses

Hi @eth - thanks for coming along and for sharing! Your contribution is definately still valued and valid and your history is part of what work life is and the fact that its not always straight forward and linear right. I like a little humor in the way you handle peoples questions to you.

It sounds like you are taking some really great steps that are comfortable for you to ease back into work area via volunteering too 👏