[WendyAussie]

I have been posting about anxiety about an upcoming several days of the on-campus part of a University course I am starting. I had a long previous career in another field for which I have three tertiary qualifications, but I can't do that work anymore because of my illnesses - I tried to go back to it last year but had to resign. The couse was to be three hours drive away, was to be 9.00am to 5.00pm this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (intensive), has taken months to get organised (since December) with all aspects of the Uni that needed to be in place (they are incredibly disorganised and hard to mobilise), several disability needs of mine to be addressed and SOOOO much work with my mental health team (I have Bipolar, panic and anxiety and am a sober alcoholic) to deal with fears, frustrations, physical and other preparations.

I was to drive there tomorrow. Well, out of the air, today I receive an email to say its all cancelled - an email rather than a phone call - I could easily have not looked at my email and gone there tomorrow. I understand things get cancelled - that's life, but the way it was handled was so ridiculous and unprofessional. I sent them an angry (but not crazy and no swearing) email and followed up, letting them know I don't think their handling of it was great and that they have made a mess in terms of addressing my disability issues. I specifically spoke to the Disability Liaison manager about it too.

I went into complete panic and disorientation. I'm trying to move forward with my life and I am a really proactive person but there truly seem to be so many obstacles in my way. I know I have to be mature, and flexible and accept that things won't always go my way, but hey this Uni thing has been so much hard work and preparation. I rang one of my AA contacts in the town I am in, a woman in her 70's and I said June, can i please vent and can I swear? She said Yes, and I let it rip, I really got it all out. And then this afternoon I have spent an hour or two in bed with the cat, just quietly meditating, over and over and over, and that is helping (Oh and Valium too!! lol)

[BashfullOne]

I'm sorry you had a tough time of it. But you sould like you handled it pretty well and found a way to cope. You did good even though you felt bad.

I have the same issues that you do, minus the drinking issue. I'm BipolarII, have panic/anxiety issues, I have agoraphobia, and am social-phobic. I don't trust people unless they are people that I already know and like from before I had my break down. So I kind of know what you're going through. You did really well, and knew you needed to vent, and then did the relaxing thing. You should be proud of yourself for holding it together like you did.

I think you handled it _very_ well, WendyAussie! To have the composure to write a firm email, *then* vent in a safe place, *then* decompress... good for you!!! Can't think of a better way to have handled it.

[WendyAussie]

Well, I guess when it rains it pours. I rent a house in the town I am in and during the 18 months I have been here there has been an endless list of maintenance issues and I have to get to the point of saying I will go to court with the Estate Agent and the Owner before anything gets done. That whole process, every time, is exhausting and really detrimental to my mental and physical health. I ended up having to pay a huge water bill that was the fault of the agent because my mental illnesses (because of which I can't work) meant I didn't keep a hard copy record of every single one of the dozens of call-outs the plumber made to the problem that didn't get fixed until recenly. Hundred of dollars.

I have had raw sewage coming into the house and the plumber comes out but they won't fix the fundamental problems, so it happens repeatedly. The owner is just running down this house as it is on a prominent block and they don't care about the house (or the tenant), just the increasing land values.

Well, despite having a horror week relating to the University stuff, I must be getting more strength because two maintenance issues have come up and I communicated directly to the agent that if they don't get them fixed (and one of them has now passed the legal time limit in which it must be fixed) I will take then to court and I will take them to court every single time this happens - again and again anf again. The property manager for my property got on the phone with me and started to try to say again and again and again, but if you sent an email to us I haven't received it and I sent the mantenance guy out and if he hasn't got there during the requisite time, I can't help that. But I would have none of it. I said, over and over again to her that if an email goes into their business through their website, it is not my responsibility to ensure it makes its way to her - especially as every email I send them, I follow-up with a phone call the same day. And as to them sending tradespeople who don't turn up when they are supposed to, well it's not up to me to track where they are THEY ARE YOUR TRADESPEOPLE. She just kept trying to buck pass within her own organisation, but I just wouldn't have it.

She emailed me after that to say a tradesman would be here this evening. I'll believe it when I see it.

And I have let her know that I have had a file created within the Tenants Union in relation to them (and they are the first port of call to get a represenative of the the court out to the property and get an issue resolved if possible, and then get the issue into court if necessary).

I have tried to play nice the whole way through, but no-more. I will be leaving here soon I hope, and I guess I'm frustrated that I've just got to this point of fully advocating, and then leaving. But these skills are portable, so I can advocate for myself in other scenarios in the future.

[acw56]

That sounds so frustrating. All the work of getting yourself ready, dealing with related anxiety, all for no reason. I'm glad you have a cat to help you through times like these.