Tag Archives: Work

Afternoon Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I have some good news regarding the job interview I had yesterday. I was emailed this morning asking to give references and I, of course, emailed my references and now it is the waiting game to see if I got the job. I really would like this job especially since I think it will be a good fit for me, my recovery and will help with building resiliency in myself.

Speaking of resiliency, I am doing a recovery related workbook on resiliency. Part of recovery with a mental health challenge is building resiliency and able to continue to be resilient no matter what life throws at you. Trust me when I say life has thrown me a lot of shit the last few months especially with the fact that both parents died within two months of each other. Resiliency is something everyone has and can build on.

I am just grateful that my resiliency and my recovery with a mental health challenge is why I am getting back into the workforce. A workforce that is part of my career choice as being a peer support specialist. A peer specialist is someone who is recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD) and/or a mental health challenge. A peer specialist offers hope to people they are helping along their recovery journey.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Update on Job Interview

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! I just wanted to update you on my job interview. It went okay. Yes, just okay. I also could have done a lot better job in the interview. In fact, my cat, Billie even attempted to answer a couple of questions for me and one of the interviewers said, “kitty we don’t speak cat, so we need Gertie to answer the question.” I and the other interviewers laughed. This did break the ice a little. I just wish I had more faith in myself especially since I really want this job.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Stormy Weather + Anxiety About Job Interview = Doing Diamond Painting

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is still quite stormy here in Seattle. May people have lost power. Thankfully, I have not lost power, and I hope I have not just jinxed myself. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself because I have a virtual job interview on Zoom. Having a virtual job interview on Zoom, one must have electricity and working internet. So, I am hoping that I don’t lose power because I really want to do this job interview as I really want this job, and this windy weather is causing me anxiety about not being able to do it.

To help combat the anxiety I am having regarding the job interview, I am planning to do some artwork. The type of artwork I am doing is diamond art/painting. The diamond art/painting that I am doing is the one with the tuxedo cat in a tree. I am glad I chose this particular diamond art/painting because it reminds me of my own tuxedo cat, Billie. I am also very happy that a neighbor introduced me to diamond art/painting. I really enjoy doing diamond art/painting.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

My 6th Post of the Day

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! The weather is still yucky here in Seattle. In fact, the weather is yuckier and worse than it was when I posted my last blog post. So much worse that my lights are flickering. So, let’s hope that my electricity does not go out.

Since I still have electricity, I am going try to write this post as quick as possible especially since my anxiety is high. My anxiety is high due to the fact that I have a job interview tomorrow. It is a peer position and a local level one trauma hospital that has a behavioral health agency. It is part time which is something that I need right now especially regarding my recovery and being able to go to therapy. I need to stay healthy mentally to be able to work in mental health.

Speaking of health, I am still feeling like shit with this stupid cold. It is getting slightly better, but it takes so freaking long to get one hundred percent better. The good news is at least I do not have Covid, and I am so happy about that. Having Covid sucks even more that a cold and I should know as I have had Covid. At least I am feeling somewhat better and that is all I can ask for.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated on my end of things that you the reader read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Anxiety Over Job Interview Tomorrow

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! In twenty-four hours from I will be in a job interview. I am having some anxiety over the job interview I am not sure why I am so anxious over it. I do not think I should be so anxious over this job interview as the program manager of the program I am interviewing with knows me. He was a supervisor at a previous employer which is an employer I succeeded at and no he was not my direct supervisor. I also do not think I should be nervous about the interview is because it is a part time job that will suits me great, and the team is only six-member team. Plus, it is at an employer I really would love to work at. Maybe the reason why I am so anxious about the job interview is because I really want the job.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Thinking About Self Improvement & Recovery

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is a few minutes after four o’clock in the morning here in Seattle. I am not sure why I am up so early, but I am and sadly I am not feeling very well. It appears to me that I have a cold as I did a home Covid test last night as well as this morning and both tests came negative. I will be taking another take home Covid test this evening as I want to make sure that I don’t have Covid and if I do then I will self-isolate to make sure I don’t give it to anyone else. I am wearing a mask in public because I don’t even want to give this cold to anyone.

Even though I am not feeling well, I am still planning on doing what I want to accomplish today or at least start what I want to accomplish. There are a couple of continuing education course I want to take through the State of Washington that is for already certified peer support specialist. I am wanting to do this just to learn more as well as needing to take them for future trainings as peer. Plus, I love learning especially when it comes to my career of choice as a peer specialist.

Speaking of my chosen career choice, I have been applying for jobs as a peer support specialist. In fact, I have two job interviews next week for two different teams at the same agency. One is parttime and is not temporary job while the other if fulltime but temporary that last 18 months. In all honesty, I really hope I get the parttime job for various reasons. One of which I think I could succeed in the particular job.

Since I brought up wanting to succeed in a future workplace, I have been setting some goals for my recovery. One of those goals is to continue to work my way through some recovery related workbooks. I enjoy doing workbooks as a form of self-improvement as well as to help me with my recovery especially in between sessions with my therapist. Plus, completing recovery related workbooks allows me to help clients with improving themselves and I can inform them on how the workbook helped me with my own recovery.

Another way that I am focusing on self-improvement, and recovery is by watching TED Talks videos. There are so many TED Talks that I can learn from and not just with self-improvement, but other topics as well including how to deal with grief as I recently lost both of my parents. Hell, there is even a series for cat people like me.

Speaking of cats, I got approved to take the next level of cat behavior training for PAWS Cat City. It is online and I am looking forward to it. I can do it at my own pace, which is a good thing, but my plan is to do it in one sitting later today. I really enjoy working with cats or in this case volunteering with cats and not just with PAWS Cat City but Alley Cat Project (ACP) as well. Even though my volunteer position with Alley Cat Project (ACP) doesn’t have me directly working with cats, I am still helping cats. On that note I am really excited about taking the next level of cat behavior training for PAWS Cat City especially since I do have direct contact with cats at PAWS Cat City.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Daily Prompt; How Do You Use Social Media?

Posted on by Gertie
Daily writing prompt
How do you use social media?
View all responses

I primarily use social media via Facebook under my given name. I also use Linkedin under my given name for employment purposes. As far as my pseudo name (and childhood nickname), Gertie, I use Facebook and WordPress as well as LinkedIn. Yes, I consider WordPress as a form of social media.Of course I use WordPress to blog. I use Facebook and LinkedIn for my blog to help spread the awareness I hope regarding mental health. Also, it helps with having more readers and followers. I hope that doesn’t sound selfish.

As far as Facebook and LinkedIn under my given name I seem to use it more often especially Facebook. I use Facebook under my given name to help stay connected with people I might not otherwise be connected with. Also, it is a way for me to maintain friendships with people especially those who do not live in the same area as I do. Like I stated in my last paragraph I use LinkedIn under my given name for employment purposes.

As far as other social media sites, I don’t use it as I don’t have the desire to nor the time to do so. Plus, I don’t need to be that connected to other people. Also, I don’t want to have to remember more passwords which majorly sucks.

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with my partner or friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with my partner or friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with a friend)
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or friend)
  • Volunteer at Cat City
  • Work on DVR paperwork
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or friend)
  • Attend appointment with Employment Specialist regarding DVR and jobs
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with a friend)
  • Work on a recovery related workbook
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Read
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk (most likely with partner or a friend)
  • Work on recovery related workbook
  • Read
  • Diamond art/painting
  • Cuddle with my cat, Billie

The Bright Side of Focusing on Recovery

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is the start of another work week and sadly I am unemployed due to disability reasons. A disability with major stigma attached to it which is mental health challenges. As much as I am not a fan of my disability and the stigma that goes along with it; I am glad that I need it for my chosen career path as a peer specialist.

As much as I wish I was working as a peer specialist or working at all, I am happy to be focusing on my recovery. My recovery is key to not only my chosen career field but to my everyday life. Life that includes a life worth living. A life worth living with a cat, friends, loving partner and a wonderful physical health team as well as an awesome mental health team. I guess what I am saying is that the bright side of focusing on my recovery at the moment is that I can completely reevaluate what a life worth living looks like for me at the moment.

I do not have much more to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Daily Prompt; What’s Your Dream Job

Posted on by Gertie
Bloganuary writing prompt
What’s your dream job?
View all responses

My dream job is being a peer specialist that works in the emergency room of a hospital. I would love to be able to help those at the most challenging time of their life whether it is mental health related or physical health related. Having someone there to help a patient in the emergency room could ultimately help them get the best care possible. I just think emergency rooms could benefit from having a peer specialist in them.