I've had some time out from work recently (forced by hospital treatment) and for the first time in EVER found myself completely unable to think about the work related inbox or bother or worry about the things I should be doing. I hadn't lost interest in my work as such, I just didn't have the energy for a while and reluctantly decided it's ok to give myself a break and just commit to doing as much or as little as was viable on any given day. 'Viable' turned out to be nothing work related or anything which required a good attention span lol.
That is until one night I had an epiphany and realised that there are other things I want to do, but I've not been in a position to do them (on a work level).
In my former life I worked for the NHS as a Senior Practitioner in Mental Health. Part of that role was to deliver various therapies to clients on a 1:1 basis or in groups. These were always my favourite slots in the diary, and much of the work I did on that level was the reason I actually chose the profession in the first place. Times change though, and the NHS has increasingly been confronted with funding and resource issues. The knock on effect was that I watched my client groups and referral rates grow massively, with no resources to meet their needs. People who were suffering depression, anxiety etc were sat on increasing waiting lists while they experienced something of a black hole, half way through the tunnel so to speak where they could not see light at either end, as they had sought help but were now sat in limbo waiting for it.
There is a wealth of information online for many of the issues related depression, anxiety, anger management etc, but reading information and actually having the benefit of having guidance and tools to work through a process are not the same. In fact much of the mental health work I have undertaken since leaving the NHS has been writing copy aimed at encouraging individuals to seek the help they deserve, quite often pointing them towards NHS postcode lottery services whereby readily available support varies greatly across the country.I first left the NHS in order to be more available to my daughter around school times. Shifts just weren't working for her, she is a creature of habit and thrives in routine. It was a massive step and I cant deny I found it daunting. I couldn't imagine not working pro-actively in a clinical role anymore. I had spent many years on a continuum of learning and development myself in order to effectively facilitate group work which really enabled clients to move forward and see progress. My compromise was to take up various writing contracts in the health and pharma arenas, which led me towards a natural progression of developing extensive web / techy skills, until my arena digressed into web developed and online media strategies as a content writer.
I still find myself pulled towards the plight of the many who in a society / culture /economical climate which places us under more pressure than ever before are increasingly presenting for help with mental health issues set against increasing limitations of service availability. Ive lost count of the number of clients who have asked me why I don't practice privately, but I honestly believe that the mental health support teams are best equipped to deal with the many aspects of getting life back on track, from assessment, medication, referral for input, to help with social issues such as finances and day to day help and support.
However, for the first time in my working life I've had real down-time, a space in which to think and reflect on the things I'm committed to, the things which inspire me and motivate me, and the things I know how to do well. And there it was! Suddenly things came together;
With years of experience of designing and facilitating mental health service groups such as anxiety and anger management, and a history of seeing real results from those programmes, I'm now in a fairly advantageous position. Along the way I have developed my content writing skills, I have developed content provision strategies (online and in print ) and voila, by marrying the 3 I am able to facilitate online anxiety management programmes and other mental health support systems professionally and effectively whilst being one lucky individual who gets to work in the areas and ways she loves!
And this is where I have been for the past few months. Leaving the freelance worklife behind for a little while and piloting my online services to clients who have been prepared to take a leap of faith and try a new path towards their journey of recovery. It's been a ride, it's been an amazing learning curve, but most importantly it's been a success. Next step, bring the course out of the private domain and get it online!
I'll still be writing (and have in fact managed to work on the second draft of work I've had on hold while I earn real money for a long time during my 'down time'), I'll still be building websites for my clients, but importantly I will also be using those writing and web skills to also follow the areas I am dedicated to, that is helping others in the mental health arena. We can't always foresee where our paths might be headed, but life has a way of helping us find our direction. Can't wait.
:-)
