Oh, I meant “workforce” like the “peer workforce,” people who are working professional peer specialists and earning a salary. Like minimum wage, and we work our butts off.
I absolutely think that peer work is a way to exit the mental health system, in that it gives people with lived history a chance at employment. For me personally, I want to remain in the field because I am driven by advocacy. But if I wasn’t passionate for advocacy, it would behoove me to leave my peer roots behind as I move ahead. For me, I feel like I’ve suffered too much to go on as if it never happened, the years of suffering. Also I got an autism diagnosis recently, and I realize that my mental illness likely was triggered by being neurodivergent, trying to fit in with a neurotypical world. Unlike mental illness, autism is fundamentally who I am, it affects how I experience the world around me. I want people to know what it’s like, so that’s why I stay in the field. Btw the Trusty System is very corrupt, and it’s really wrong when peers are viewed like this. We are really an abused workforce.
So scared now hearing this. I snore at night, cough in my sleep sometimes. I am seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow. I can mention it to her now. Thanks for bringing this to light.
I do have hope that I can get off medications, but my attempts thus far have failed. If I could find someone who would really take me under their wing, offering rock-solid support, who accepts Medicaid health insurance, then maybe I could attempt it. Thanks for your wishes of wellness. 🙂 Much appreciated.
Good point with tapering off. I’ve tried a couple of times to taper to a lower dose, and it just doesn’t work. I tried cold turkey once, and that was bad too. I have true hope in my heart that one day I will be able to do so, but all trials thus far have not only not worked, but left me worse than I was before.
I love so much of what you have written. The idea of being “intimately aware of bodily sensations” is spot on. Exercise and healthy eating has done this for me! Also, “mental health starts in the gut.” The gut is an intuitive center that MUST be followed! Our gut knows what is good for us, and what is not. In our modern society, people lose touch with their “guts” and look to TV or makeup or drugs (Rx and illegal) to have a sense of homeostasis. But if people were simply in touch with their intuitive selves, they would be happier. I have developed this skill myself, and my life has never been more fulfilling.
I like the idea of redistributing pharmaceutical expenses towards childhood research endeavors. However, I draw the line at “meditation training.” I personally have tried different religious practices, eastern and western, in an attempt to find balance and homeostasis. Each was worse than the last. When I try to meditate, the voices get louder, and they get more and more fuel and ideas, all contributing to the fantasy world they create to haunt me. I do know what you mean though. I think that, instead of calling it meditation, I would say “CBT and DBT techniques.” Calling it meditation really strikes a dangerous chord in me.
Oh, I meant “workforce” like the “peer workforce,” people who are working professional peer specialists and earning a salary. Like minimum wage, and we work our butts off.
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I absolutely think that peer work is a way to exit the mental health system, in that it gives people with lived history a chance at employment. For me personally, I want to remain in the field because I am driven by advocacy. But if I wasn’t passionate for advocacy, it would behoove me to leave my peer roots behind as I move ahead. For me, I feel like I’ve suffered too much to go on as if it never happened, the years of suffering. Also I got an autism diagnosis recently, and I realize that my mental illness likely was triggered by being neurodivergent, trying to fit in with a neurotypical world. Unlike mental illness, autism is fundamentally who I am, it affects how I experience the world around me. I want people to know what it’s like, so that’s why I stay in the field. Btw the Trusty System is very corrupt, and it’s really wrong when peers are viewed like this. We are really an abused workforce.
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So scared now hearing this. I snore at night, cough in my sleep sometimes. I am seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow. I can mention it to her now. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Report comment
I do have hope that I can get off medications, but my attempts thus far have failed. If I could find someone who would really take me under their wing, offering rock-solid support, who accepts Medicaid health insurance, then maybe I could attempt it. Thanks for your wishes of wellness. 🙂 Much appreciated.
Report comment
Good point with tapering off. I’ve tried a couple of times to taper to a lower dose, and it just doesn’t work. I tried cold turkey once, and that was bad too. I have true hope in my heart that one day I will be able to do so, but all trials thus far have not only not worked, but left me worse than I was before.
Report comment
I love so much of what you have written. The idea of being “intimately aware of bodily sensations” is spot on. Exercise and healthy eating has done this for me! Also, “mental health starts in the gut.” The gut is an intuitive center that MUST be followed! Our gut knows what is good for us, and what is not. In our modern society, people lose touch with their “guts” and look to TV or makeup or drugs (Rx and illegal) to have a sense of homeostasis. But if people were simply in touch with their intuitive selves, they would be happier. I have developed this skill myself, and my life has never been more fulfilling.
I like the idea of redistributing pharmaceutical expenses towards childhood research endeavors. However, I draw the line at “meditation training.” I personally have tried different religious practices, eastern and western, in an attempt to find balance and homeostasis. Each was worse than the last. When I try to meditate, the voices get louder, and they get more and more fuel and ideas, all contributing to the fantasy world they create to haunt me. I do know what you mean though. I think that, instead of calling it meditation, I would say “CBT and DBT techniques.” Calling it meditation really strikes a dangerous chord in me.
Report comment