Lived Experience Forum

[NikNik]

Hi Everyone!

It's well known that there is a strong link between employment and improved mental health.  

This Friday from 10am AEDT @Debstar from Ostara Australia will look at the benefits work can have on our mental health and how we can cultivate a healthy work environment.

[Debstar]

Hi All,

Welcome to todays forum on "the link between employment and improved mental health". 

For me, after close to two years not working (due to Chronic Fatigue), gradually returning to the workforce really helped my self-esteem, how I related to others, my day to day living, and how I saw and related to my future.  I will share more about this throughout today's forum. 

I look forward to chatting with you about this today, and hearing your thoughts and experiences.

Feel free to ask any questions, or share any comments.

Debstar 🙂

[SweetPea1]

Hi Debstar,
So how did you go about it?

[NikNik]

Morning @Debstar

For me, employment helps with structure and routine, which is helpful for me.

Of course there's some other great things, like work friends 🙂

Great question @SweetPea1!

Also a big 'good morning' to @pippaduke3 too, who was also interested in this discussion.

[Debstar]

Yeah great question @SweetPea1.

 I knew for the process back into work to go well, I needed to make gradual changes. I didn’t have the energy to work full time and I was mindful of doing too much, which could have me go backwards.

Firstly I started believing that I was ready to work. I worked on shifting my thinking, and mentally preparing myself for work. I changed my thinking from “I am a sick person who feels well sometimes to I am a healthy person who feels tired sometimes”. Just changing my framing of my situation (even though my situation was the same) made me feel a whole lot better. I couldn’t have made that mental shift early in the illness, but as I was slowly on the mend, I was able to work on and change my self talk.

I then thought I was ready to start interacting with the world, but certainly not at the full on pace (full time in the corporate world) I had been used to. I decided one day a week doing work I had done years earlier (so it didn't take too much thinking- for me this was retail, women’s fashion) was a great introduction. I applied for a few jobs, and fortunately one came through. The job had me interacting with customers, which was a step up as I had gotten so used to being at home and in my own company. It was slightly challenging at times, but incredibly rewarding and really helped me learn to interact with people (other than my closest friends and family) again. It also had me getting up, getting dressed and showing up at a specific time, which again was new. As @NikNik said, it definitely provided a structure and routine. I started living a few days ahead, rather than for the day if that makes sense (if you have been in or are currently in a similar situation, that may make sense to you).

After a few months of one day a week, I decided I was ready for three days a week and I was ready to move back into training/ facilitation, an area I enjoyed. My plan was to have more energy than the job required of me, as I knew this would assist my continual recovery. I ideally wanted to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday and couch it on Tuesday and Thursday if needed. I applied for a few online jobs, but they were mainly full time and I knew I wasn’t ready for that. I remember this time being particularly challenging, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to deliver, and wasn’t sure what I could do as a next step.  I really had to work on my self talk at that time, because I noticed I was getting frustrated and a bit demoralised by the lack of suitable opportunities available for me. 

I heard about my current organisation Ostara Australia as one of my cousins was a client here. I spoke to the HR manager, shared my situation and skills, and was open with her about my health and how it was on the improve, and how ready I was to contribute to an organisation and utilise my training skills.   I ended up being offered three days, Monday Wednesday and Friday, which was the perfect balance based on where I was at. I met the most lovely people on day one, one of which is still a very close friend 4.5 years later.   So agree,  @NikNik, making friends is another benefit of working, and can really help make the time there more enjoyable.

Feel free to share your experiences or ask any other questions.

ps @pippaduke3, good morning to you too 🙂

[2or3thingsIknow]

Thank you for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful response @Debstar. How someone goes about a return to employment is a really common question amongst people managing physical and mental health challenges. Hearing from someone first-hand about how they planned and executed this transition, while still focussing on self-care is so inspiring.

[SweetPea1]

Thanks so much @Debstar for your candid response. It's exactly where I want to be at in the near future & was very helpful for me.

[SweetPea1]

@Debstar what would you say would be your main tips for starting out, hopping back on the bandwagon so to speak & coping mentally with it all?

[Debstar]

Thanks for your lovely words @SweetPea1. I am glad sharing my experience has been relevant and useful for you.  And thanks @2or3thingsIknow for your kind words too.  So nice to know going through my tough times can now be used to potentially assist others :).

A few things can help to start out. As mentioned earlier, taking small steps is so important. The other part that really helped me was being kind to myself and praising myself any time I reached a new milestone (small or big). Any milestone is an achievement, regardless of how big you or small anyone else thinks it is.  I remember building myself up bike riding. The first time I overtook someone felt amazing. Granted they looked about 70 (I remember so clearly), but it didnt matter, it was a milestone and I couldnt have been happier.

In addition to building up my physical strength, which was really important, coming out of Chronic Fatigue, I was also working on my outlook. I had heard the value in focusing on the positive, so every day I started to write down at least three things that were going well, as well as things I appreciated. At first it was very difficult to find anything, but I still remember looking outside one day wondering what I could possibly appreciate, and seeing the most beautiful flowers blooming, and deciding that this was something I was grateful for.  And once I started noticing external things, finding the good in my personal life got easier (I was programming my mind to think more positively).

I think talking to a counsellor or psychologist (or any therapist that works for you) can be a great thing as well to help you move past some of the issues that are in the way of your recovery, and move into work. And help build up your resilience to deal with the challenges that come up along the way.

Another way is to look into participating in a program to develop your inner strength, and resilience.

Through Ostara, over the last 3.5 years we have been running a holistic Women’s Empowerment program called Work for Wellness which helps women build their confidence and reduce their anxiety so they are in a place where they are more work ready. I have enclosed a short 5 minute clip about the program, which includes my overview (I am lucky enough to facilitate this wonderful program) as well as the experience of three lovely ladies who attended on of the programs.

We also run men’s programs too, and very soon youth programs. These programs or something like this may be of interest to raise confidence, self esteem and help you to feel more work ready.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lapokH1URKY

I would love to hear your thoughts on the clip, or anything else you wish to share.

[Debstar]

Hi again,

Our clients at Ostara join us with a range of mental health issues, and we help them to find work.  One client  with anxiety and social phobias recently said “Just having a job has made me feel better about myself. And working has improved my ability to be around people and interact with them. Not just at work, but outside work too.”

Hope you have found todays' discussion to be useful, and can see some links between employment and improved mental health.

Next week we will be covering "writing a good cover letter and resume".  Look forward to chatting then. 

In the meanwhile, have a lovely weekend (or long weekend if you get one of these).

All the best,

Debstar 🙂