• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

How do you face things that make you feel everything?

Status
Not open for further replies.
It seems I'll be looking for work and have to do it in fast manner. And my head is a mess between fears, ideas, depression, panic and guilt. I made 4-5 pages long list of longer and shorter term solutions for work, income, mental coping and all of it. And still not sure I'm more ready.

How do you face something that includes like 100 different aspects that are task/something to face on it's own? (like job applications, both online and locally, while selling/pawning things, while looking what you can do to cover each bill, while looking for side work, while having to figure out how to explain gaps in your CV and make it applicable, while dealing with guilt over not having savings for this situation even knowing for 2020 was going worldwise, while having trouble to wake up in the morning, but the free mental health center being closed due to current situation and not being able to pay private...while trying to redo resume and find freelance clients to work for right away in case you can't find anything locally or if you do hoping to now work both to cover future crisis moment. cause the world seems to be in crisis right now.)

p.s. to anyone out there, I hope you and your families are healthy and safe and by no means do I want to imply that I have it the worst at all, I know things can be way worse, I am just stumbling a bit, still trying to find my way though.
 
I do a LOT of list writing and also try to be real about how things are going to happen.

If it's looking for work, I tend to just block out a certain amount of time to look for work knowing that this application process may be longer or shorter than the next meaning the schedule says 10:00-1:00 Look for work -- rather than 10:00 Find places to apply and then 11:00 put in applications and so on -- because when I do that, it doesn't work out -- some detail of some application process is wonky and I get hung up, disappointed in my progress and frustrated with the situation.

Nevertheless, there have been times where my stress level has been high enough where an absolute step by step plan was necessary. Like this: 1. Do a job search on Indeed. 2. Save all applicable jobs. 3. Apply to all applicable jobs, etc.

I know that I have a tendency to change my resume for jobs. I have been advised against this because it is time consuming. I am becoming a lot more willing to just apply for jobs that my basic resume is a good fit for because I realize now that there are relevant jobs out there and it is easier to apply to those jobs than it is to keep track of 10,000 resumes.

You may also be able to get help looking for work. I am not sure where you are located but I got help with my resume from Goodwill Job Services and it was decent help. The woman was able to break down my experience into naming transferable skills I did not realize I had - transferable skills that employers are looking for.

When I am having high stress or high pain times, I have to make SURE I am doing 3 things: 1.) Writing everything down 2.) Finding ways to get my anxiety and/or pain down and 3.) Prioritizing my time based on what I have written down and not on what my emotions say are the most important things.

For me, #3 is huge because I tend to catastrophize, like I am about to be evicted when I'm not even late on my rent but think I will be. When there are a lot of things that are hard to manage, there are still going to be things that are more or less important that day or that week.

It sounds like you have a ton on your plate. I hope you are able to get some down time, too.

Best of luck!
 
just block out a certain amount of time to look for work knowing that this application process may be longer or shorter
Thank you! Good advice because sometimes I break down tasks like they advice you to do, then get too overwhelmed if things don't go as planned. There was a guy on YT that called that 'the fudge ratio', as in, you always need to add 20% to the amount of time you think a task with take to account for things not going according to plan. However when I panic my brain forgets logic and goes to 'but I HAVE to do all this and I HAVE to do it in half the time I think it needs...'
I know that I have a tendency to change my resume for jobs. I have been advised against this because it is time consuming.
Thank you!! I am somewhat new to looking for job, haven't had to in a while. And I thought you were supposed to revamp your resume for all the different jobs. Good to know it's not always the case.
You may also be able to get help looking for work.
Haven't heard of anything such here, but I'll look into it. Good idea.
#3 is huge because I tend to catastrophize, like I am about to be evicted
That is SO ME. Like you're writing it about me. Literally it's 2 days after I wrote all I wrote in panic thinking it will take me weeks to get any work- and I got a project! Paid bi-weekly, so will cover rent and bills, and plenty of reliable work(worked with them before). And here I was getting down the rabbit whole of 'I will actually get evicted this time.'
I mean I was overreacting, but it was also scary that I could have been without work and without savings. So now I will be doing this project (at least 2 months sure, could be long term thing but no guarantees) and will try to balance that with looking for work and starting business on the side. So that I can work as much as I can and pay my bills and also start to save. So I don't stay in this kind of state again.
It sounds like you have a ton on your plate. I hope you are able to get some down time, too.
You have no idea. But, at least I know my rent and living expenses are saved the next couple of months. The rest I'll have to figure out as I go along. Thank you for all the advice, will try to apply it to the best of my ability.
 
How do you face something that includes like 100 different aspects

Kind of the same way that I approach cleaning a huge mess. I focus on JUST putting away socks. Then ONLY putting away jeans. If I break it down into little compartments (With my favorite music blasting) it works.

Setting aside a huge chunk of time where I am not expected to be anywhere else helps me focus on the life stuff. Promising myself something like dinner ONLY after accomplishing xyz.

If I make a song singing out loud say something like "Now I'm getting a cup, just a cup, I"m getting a cup" Over and over and over... Helps my brain remember what I am doing next. ( I often forget what I go downstairs for!) So I wonder if that kind of exercise could help mentally block out the swarm of other things you have still to do?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top