Agree that there are some great perks to working, whether that is paid work or volunteer work. And as we all know, based on our circumstances, there are many times that working is just not possible. It is up to you if you work or go from volunteer to paid work (and no judgement either way), but it is something a lot of the clients who come to Ostara Australia do over time, as they build up their confidence and work skills. Everyone has to find the best solutions for them. It is important to find a balance that is right for you (and your family and kids).
For me, starting to work (which came after nearly two years of hardly leaving the house) helped me live by the week rather than by day, and gave me a new community that I became a part of, and contributing to something bigger than me felt good too.
It is useful to address the uncomfortable question of “what do you do?”. It is a really important one for us to talk about, and find our own way of responding and dealing with how we feel when people ask this question.
I know when I went through my timeout, it was reassuring to know there were others out there in the same or similar situation. One of the many reasons a forum like this is so useful.
Thanks for mentioning the posts prior to this forum launching. As we know there are still issues with stigma, but I like to believe that by talking about it, and sharing information, we are making people aware and gradually reduce the stigma. As we all know, this is certainly not something that will disappear overnight but my wish and desire is that it continues to reduce.
Hopefully over time there will be a lot more recognition of the social contributions made by people with disabilities. I totally agree, the more of this, the better.
Always happy to address and talk about the real issues, and the things that are coming up for everyone. Yeah this is one of the things I really like about the SANE forums too. It is important for people to be able to share how they feel. So thanks so much to everyone for your contributions today.
Next weeks topic is “How to survive the first few weeks in a new job”. Have a lovely weekend, and look forward to chatting next week.
Bye for now,
Debstar 🙂