Dear Skeezyks,
Many thanks for this response. You are such a ressourceful person. I have read your message about four times, it is so comforting. I looked into volunteer work and even though a lot of it sounds a depressing, I kept looking. I think I finally found something that would lift my mood just a bit. I have to call tomorrow. I know that the main goal in this is to see people and to introduce some kind of schedule in my lifestyle. I did start a fitness program at a gym in February, so that was a start.
As for working part-time, I went on the site of the Québec Pension Plan. It is clearly mentionned that I may work and earn up to $1,000 a month, but there is a catch. As soon as they know that I can work part-time, they will cut my benefits and I will have to start the whole process again. It will be refused: For fibromyalgia, the "Collège des Médecins du Québec" now considers that the patient should only be off for two weeks and returned to work. This means that I will have to start part-time and rely on that revenue only, and with fibromyalgia, there will be no second chance of getting back on that Québec Pension Plan.
The concept you mentionned is what we commonly call "Job hunters groups". These are for people with no mental health issues and who have no trouble finding their field of interest.
We do have all sorts of services to get back into the work market, but with someone with a history of fibromyalgia and mental health issues, that is something else. If I only had one of the two, I would be thrilled. I don't look like I have issues to benefit from the services offered by groups that specialize with people with mental illness, who facilitate the process with comprehensive employers. But, after second thought, I think I will insist! In a work situation, I always come in cheerful, with a positive attitude, willing to give my best. Somehow, for some reason, someone always finds out sooner or later that I am bipolar, or if not, the result is the same... there starts the harassment, the bullying or I inherit all that eveybody else does not want to doL: Most difficult customers to collect, major accounts that need reconciliation (4 years of mix up), no help at the unloading dock (1,400 lbs pallets with a manual lift), while the other truck driver gets two lift drivers, etc. The only place where I was treated with respect was at Lundbeck (The manufacturer of "Celexa" and other meds). Also, I noticed that in most work expériences, the employees who did the least, were the ones that the management appreciated the most and who were praised all the time at meetings. Have you ever noticed that or is it just me?
So I will continue looking up the job listing for ideas... I'll continue to take a few career choice tests even though they mess me up a little. Maybe I am just not stable enough... Getting involved with the volonteer work to get started. and when I,m ready, I will insist to be part of a program for people with a mental illness. Regular programs will just put me in a precarious situation.
Many thanks.