Thank you, Lynn Nanos, LICSW, author of Breakdown: A Clinician’s Experience in a Broken System of Emergency Psychiatry, for this guest post. As a mobile emergency psychiatric social worker in Massachusetts, I evaluate many patients who have learned that getting psychiatrically hospitalized is more likely when they don’t take their medication and attend psychotherapy sessions. […]
via Lynn Nanos Guest Post: Revolving Door of the Mental Health System — Kitt O’Malley
We need to teach the boys in our lives that bigger is not better and that their character matters more than their muscles, says rapper and poet Meta Sarmiento.
via Let’s celebrate boys for their strengths, not their size — ideas.ted.com
This 4-question quiz can help you identify the specific things that could make you happier right now, says writer Sam Horn. Just pick up a pen and paper.
via What would you do if you could play hooky for a day? — ideas.ted.com
Brainstorms can result in a lot of sound and fury — shouted ideas, whiteboards covered with scribbles — but not much else. Here’s how The Onion sets up sharing for success, from designer and ex-Onion staffer Brian Janosch.
A weighted blanket is a blanket filled with hypoallergenic, non-toxic polypropylene pellets. The pellets are sewn into self-contained small pockets that are evenly distributed throughout the blanket. These pellets give the blanket its weight, which should generally be around 10 percent of the user’s body weight, give or take a few pounds depending on the […]
Weighted Blanks for Mental Health — The Psych Talk
I started as a Recruiter in 1982 placing employees in light industrial jobs. My clients hired, warehouse workers, packing, anything in the warehouse that didn’t require heavy lifting or above a certain OSHA rating. It was a tough job, we had people not get their time card in on time and want to kick my ass, more than once. We had clients who discriminated, I wasn’t allowed to work those accounts, thank goodness. I worked with light industrial workers until my career developed. I moved to clerical then to information technology.
The reason I mention OSHA is the more dangerous the job the higher the number on the OSHA scale and the higher the Workers Compensation tax is. OSHA is a governing body where all job injuries are reported to with the proper forms and detailed information of incident. If you start a warehouse job unloading trucks and get moved to work on machinery there is a higher risk of getting hurt. The first thing to do is call you Recruiter and let them know of the change. First of all, if the client wants to move you there may be a monetary increase involved. Don’t approach the client, rule number one.
Let the temporary company get the details of the job move, find out if your interested and comes to the terms. There were many clients who would move people into more difficult jobs hoping to not get caught and pay a higher billing rate.
The most important point of working temporary whatever your skill set is you are now on the inside. Buckle down, do your job, ask for a project if you’re not staying busy and you have a much higher chance of being offered a permanent job when one is open. Many of my clients use temporary workers to get a look at their work ethic before hiring full-time. Don’t be arrogant and think temporary jobs are beneath you.
Every assignment is a new contact, new people to work with who know what’s going on. Don’t openly talk about getting hired, ask after you’ve been there for a month if the employer hires temporaries from time to time. Let them do the talking.
I fired more people for walking in the door acting like working temporary was beneath them and when could they expect to get hired. With that attitude you will not get hired.
Many company’s are cyclical, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Spring, Summer vacations, temporary work is going on year round and has several large blips during the year. Maybe you want to pick up a temporary job for a month to pay for Christmas, what a great way to make extra money without making a long term commitment.
One very important part of my job was to know the client, tour their facility, look at the jobs temporaries worked and write good job descriptions. If you feel your job description doesn’t fit, call your Recruiter.
In 2019 employment is the lowest in 50 years, what that means is employers have lots of choices, don’t have to get in a hurry and have the cream of the crop. These numbers may be intimidating but temporary employment goes on thru all economy’s.
Melinda
Imagine a place for the elderly that’s also filled with the sounds of children playing. Marc Freedman goes to Singapore to investigate a new model for intergenerational living.
For many Spring Break is time to job hunt before the next school year starts. I worked in the Recruiting/Consulting/Staffing business for 30 years. I wanted to share some lessons that helped me and got me fired twice.
Drawing the Line
It can be difficult to draw the work/friend line for extroverted people, you may think your new lunch mates are your friends. They are not your friends, they are people you don’t know and can’t trust. Don’t get become a pawn at any level.
If you make a mistake be the first to bring it to light, there are no secrets. If you don’t own up to the error, the story can get blown out of proportion and you can’t crawl out.
Once example early in my career, I was 21, owned a house and lived penny to penny. The VP of the company was coming to town to ensure everyone had read the new Employment Manual. The manual was given to me two hours before she arrived and my boss strongly recommended I say I’ve read the manual. I knew I would get fired if I told the truth and my life would get very difficult.
When the VP asked me if I’d read the manual, I said the manual was given to me this morning and I’m on chapter x. She probably didn’t know I was fired, being the low man on the pole. I’m no do-gooder or high on morals but I cared more about the truth in this case. My boss wasn’t going to push me. Luckily, I was hired by the business next door the same day. Politics suck and when your new is the time people target you.
Professionalism
Always drive to the site before the interview. Have an alternate route if the weather might be an issue. More important than arriving 10 minutes early is doing your homework.
What does the company do, how long have they been in business, look at their website to see the stated corporate mission. Are they moving in the direction you want to go? Know what their key product or services are. You can find this information in the Annual Report if a public company.
Have solid questions, why is the position available, what is growth potential, what is their responsibilities. Ask them to draw you an overview of the departments they manage. Be sure to ask about their career growth and what is most important in the position.
Do not talk dollars, ask How is the package set up? Is there travel involved? When & if use your knowledge of the company to drop a line to let them know you did your homework.
Always dress for the next job you want. Dress conservative, comfortable and not tight or constricting. Women should wear light make-up unless the interview is for a cosmetic company. Wear comfortable heels, no four-inch heels. One great way to see the companies dress code is to go by at close of business.
Dress Code is always relative to the job, if working in the warehouse you don’t wear a dress. Men should wear a jacket at a minimum unless the job doesn’t require one. I always gave a candidate who came to interview in sport coat extra points. It can indicate they are eager to advance their career.
Don’t wear an outfit you have not tried on, that will start your day in a panic.
Gossip is disruptive, looked at as distrust and immature. Remove yourself from the toxic conversation or toxic people.
Do Not Go Over Bosses Head
No matter how bad, unethical your boss is don’t go over their head unless you want to get fired. A mistake I made and was fired for.
Don’t run your personal business from work.
Don’t spend time texting, using company copy paper or taking office supplies home. If you have time to chat on the phone or text your neglecting work. We all have the occasion to make a doctor’s appointment or send a text, if you are habitual expect to be fired.
I am hardcore when it comes to getting a job and keeping a job. I’ve been told many times I expect too much and can’t be pleased. That may be true, I take it as a compliment because I’m driving the process not lagging behind.
Melinda
Thanks friend for the reblog. Hugs.
(inspired by finding an old photograph of a fancy-dress party I attended at University that I hadn’t seen in years)
One of them is me
but which holds the key? Later perhaps we
shall know our fruiting journey through
maze of youth
and slow pull of stocking
for kind of touch best found
in satiny afternoon glow
outside I hear my dim-eyed neighbor
mowing lawns until he aches silver
because his wife has turned away
nobody touches him anymore with
the dreams of yesteryear
so we sprint toward each
invisible finish line
with emptiness in our hearts
filled with busy distraction
nothing lasting, nothing to
endure or sate cold claim
of climbing into bed
unwanted or alone
the feel of darkness, our shroud
from terrible disappointment
and then
then I had it all and didn’t know
standing on the precipice
we laughed at our indomitable
facility to thrive
not yet…
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1876
Following the development of his prototype ‘harmonic telegraph’ device, Scotland-born Alexander Graham Bell receives a US patent on a revolutionary new form of instantaneous communication, the telephone.
1965
Marching for civil rights for African Americans, hundreds of unarmed and peaceful protesters cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and are set upon by state troopers wielding billy clubs and tear gas. Public disgust at the incident will help galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act.
2010
Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first female director to win an Oscar
On this day in 2010, Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director, for her movie “The Hurt Locker,” about an American bomb squad that disables explosives in Iraq in 2004. Prior to Bigelow, only three women had been nominated for a best director Oscar: Lina Wertmueller for 1975’s “Seven Beauties,” Jane Campion for 1993’s “The Piano” and Sofia Coppola for 2003’s “Lost in Translation.”
1988
Writers Guild of America strike begins
After rejecting what the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said was a final offer, representatives of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called a strike for all the union’s members to begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on this day in 1988.
BIRTHDAYS
1896 Philip Showalter Hench, American physician (Nobel Prize 1950 for cortisone), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1965)
1915 Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel, American comedian and actor (Fiddler on the Roof, The Producers), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1977)
1929 Frank O Gehry, architect (Galleria-Oklahoma City)
1940 Mario Andretti, Italian American race-car driver (1969 Indianapolis 500, 1978 Formula One World Champion), born in Montona, Italy
By Tessa Miller Feburary 18, 2019
Finding out you have a chronic illness — one that will, by definition, never go away — changes things, both for you and those you love.
Seven Thanksgivings ago, I got sick and I never got better.
What I thought was food poisoning turned out to be Crohn’s disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that doesn’t have a cure. It fools my immune system into attacking my digestive system, resulting in what I can only describe as the attempted birth of my intestines through my butthole. It’s a cruel and often debilitating disease.
Since that first hospital stay, I’ve had colonoscopies, biopsies, CT scans, X-rays, blood and stool tests, enemas, suppositories, rectal foams, antiemetics, antidiarrheals, antivirals, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, opiates, steroids, immunoglobulin, biologics and three fecal transplants (if you want to hear a story about my 9-year-old poop donor and a blender, find me on Twitter).
My disease is managed now thanks to an expensive drug called infliximab, but the future is unpredictable. IBD works in patterns of flares and remissions, and little is known about what causes either.
When I was diagnosed, I didn’t know how much my life would change. There’s no conversation about that foggy space between the common cold and terminal cancer, where illness won’t go away but won’t kill you, so none of us know what “chronic illness” means until we’re thrown into being sick forever.
When an illness that the doctors can’t cure becomes part of our life, all the rules seem to change,” said Paul K. Chafetz, Ph.D., a psychologist in Dallas. “It’s scary in a dozen ways.” I’ve learned countless lessons since the early days of my illness, but here are five I wish I’d known from the start.
Chronic illness patients not only face painful physical symptoms, but also mental ones that linger even when the disease is well controlled. “There is trauma related to certain aspects of illness or treatment, and fear of outcomes like death or disability,” said Matt Lundquist, LCSW, a psychotherapist in New York. “For many people, there are financial uncertainties of paying for medical care.” Plus, there’s anxiety over loss of autonomy and control, he said.
A therapist should be considered a crucial part of your care team, just as important as a gastroenterologist or cardiologist. “A provider who has experience working with chronic illness is key,” Mr. Lundquist said. “It’s a population whose mental health struggles can be misunderstood.” If you’re homebound, some mental health professionals will do home visits, Skype or phone appointments, or you can connect with one through apps like TalkSpace and BetterHelp.
[Please note, if you’re feeling helpless or suicidal, the Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.]
Saturday, March 2 was the 111th Iditarod held in Anchorage Alaska. Well, the opening ceremony that is; all the racers assemble in downtown Anchorage for the opening ceremony and then one-by-one mush to the airport where the dogs get put away until Sunday where the race officially starts in Willow AK. This year was an […]
Agoraphobia is a very complex phobia usually manifesting itself as a collection of inter-linked conditions. For example many agoraphobics also fear being left alone (monophobia), dislike being in any situation where they feel trapped (exhibiting claustrophobia type tendencies) and fear travelling away from their ‘safe’ place, usually the home. Signs and Symptoms: Typical agoraphobia symptoms […]
Accepting the truth is not always easy. But when you have the courage to see the truth and adopt it, then life becomes very easy.What happened if there is a bad phase at this time? What if the time is not giving up? What if the other are going ahead? Instead of being distracted by […]
Everyone experiences irritability at some point in their lives but for some people, it can become problematic and affect their relationships and personal well-being. In this case, there are many things you can do in order to reduce your levels of irritability and have more productive encounters with others. Avoid triggers and Change Environments: Removing […]
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “critic(al).” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
At the height of my career as a Sales Executive, I was critical of everyone who didn’t do the agreed process. In the Consulting business processes are important, if a Recruiter sent an unqualified consultant to my client, I had to fire the employee and walk them off the job-site. I was forever critical until realizing work wasn’t everything and the sun will come out soon. M
Join us for the fun and sharing good media stories
Finally, a product that actually works for my Fibro and RLS pain
via Finally, something that ACTUALLY works for my Fibro and RLS pain!!! — Fighting With Fibro
Rajesh’s quotes “Beauty is not beauty unless it is framed;life is not life unless it is lived happily!”— Rajesh Walecha Goodreads Quotes
I’m a perfume wearer and I’ll definitely tell you that it smells good but the million dollar question is “Is it Toxic?” Perfumes tend to draw on essential oils in their formulations, but also include a number of chemicals (many known and probable carcinogens) that can outrightly cause a lot of health hazards. Fragrance is […]
So, I’m a big fan of my headphones. I’m a big fan of tuning in and tuning out. I love my music but sometimes I get bored. As I was going through my bored stage, I went looking for something new to whet my appetite and keep me occupied on the bus to work or walking at lunchtime.
As you can probably tell, I have a passion for and interest in mental health which is why I got onto iTunes and went searching for the perfect podcast. And there are hundreds out there. If you were thinking of making the jump from music to moments of wisdom and knowledge, check out the podcasts below. The subjects are interesting and I’ve found some really great snippets of mental health advice lurking in them.
If you haven’t heard of…
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They say, A silence can speak a thousand words but you need to have ears to hear it. There are times when you wish you could spill out all that’s buried deep inside you for years but then again you are struck by the reality that’s its better kept hidden. I don’t get why we […]
What a great time my husband and I had visiting our dear friend David Hunt in North Carolina. He’s posted on Happiness Between Tails here and here. We hadn’t seen him in way too long — all the more reason that my recent discovery of the touching PBS series, “We’ll Meet Again,” gets me blubbering. […]
via Georgia O’Keeffe in North Carolina by da-AL — Happiness Between Tails by da-AL
Welcome back to Wellness Wednesday everyone! This week I thought we could talk a little about the importance of continuing to learn throughout our lives. Sometimes we tend to think of learning only in the context of formal education, but the truth is that more learning takes place outside of the classroom than it does […]
via [Wellness Wednesday] The Importance Of Lifelong Learning — Reclaiming HOPE
Thank you David for sharing, I’m in love with this technique.
When you get sick, there is a sudden change in your abilities. One day you are actively participating in family, work, school, and hobbies. And the next day you struggle to do the things you love. You may find your abilities lessened or even stolen completely by a silent enemy.
You may feel like a shadow of your former self. You may feel like an invalid, a cripple, a burden. You may hate the person you have become.
In these moments, remember that inside you are still the same person. Inside you still have the same soul, the same spirit. You are tired and weary now, and that is okay.
It is okay to rest when you are fighting. It is okay to accept help. It is even okay to ask for help. You are not any less of a person for needing help, you are not any less you…
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Looking for the Light 