My Wellbeing Course Journey.

[Banjoman]

Hello Everyone,

Some of you may know I have been struggling, with no luck,
to find a bulk billing psychologist in my area. The other week some helpful
members from this very forum suggest I try getting in contact with the MindSopt
Clinic -- a free service for Australian adults who are experiencing difficulties
with anxiety, stress, depression and low mood.

After completing an online test on the MindSpot website I
received a phone call from a psychologist who talked about my results, asked me
further questions, and offered me a place in an online course for people with
depression, low mood, and anxiety.

This week I enrolled and started The Wellbeing Course online.
The course aims to provide information and teach skills for managing symptoms
and keeping our emotional well-being within the healthy range. I would like to
share my journey through this week by week course, mainly regarding what I am
learning. I hope that some of the information I share may be helpful, interesting,
to some of you or even inspire a conversation. Sharing will also, I believe,
help me install the lessons I am learning.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will try my best to answer.

[Banjoman]

Week 1
The first lesson was manly an overview of what is to come and
some facts and stats about depression and anxiety in Australia. e.g. Many
people with anxiety also struggle with depression and vice versa. In fact,
research suggests that at least 40% of people who experience clinical levels of
one anxiety disorder or depression will also experience clinical levels of another
anxiety disorder.

The lesson goes on to talk about managing symptoms of
anxiety and depression. Suggesting, regardless of the cause of your symptoms, a
large body of research clearly shows that people can successfully learn to
manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. That is, what we know and what we do
can make a big difference. Learning to manage symptoms is hard work and takes
time. But, the good news is that anxiety and depression are some of the most
treatable conditions.

The lesson further explains there are three main types of
symptoms of poor emotional wellbeing that we need to acknowledge in order to
help ourselves: (I personal found this challenging and confronting. I have given
me own examples for each of the symptoms)

• Unhelpful Thoughts – what we think (e.g. I am always going
to be a loser)

• Physical Symptoms – what we feel in our bodies (e.g. stress,
night sweats, and fatigue)

• Unhelpful Behaviours – things that we do or don’t do (e.g.
lying in bed, avoiding house work)

These symptoms work in cycles and can make each
other worse – creating Cycles of Symptoms that can go in any direction, e.g. I
lying in bed, avoiding house work, causes me to think unhelpful thoughts about
being a useless person, that in turn then makes me stressed and exhausted which
makes me stay in bed longer, which in turn... See that I mean

This lesson gives more examples of past students symptoms of
poor emotional wellbeing with back stories that help you understanding cycles
and how that can change.

After reading through the lesson you are given a Lesson DIY
Guide that contains worksheets on recording your own symptoms and putting
together cycles. Like I said before, it wasn’t easy; I found I struggled to be
honesty with my symptoms. Then I said to myself, ‘lying hasn’t worked for you
so far’, this followed a good crying session before I wrote down my honesty
symptoms.

I am looking forward to my next week lesson.

I apologies for any poor gramma or spelling you may find. I
am in the process of learning to read and write after years of illiteracy.

Thank you.

[Croix]

Dear Banjoman~

I'd like to thank you for putting all this down. It shows a great deal of honesty, self-knowledge and courage.

You talked about the way you reacted to the things in the course, I really liked that, it made me relate. If you had just said what was in the lesson it would not have been the same.

You need not worry in the slightest about your writing, it is great

Croix

[topsy_]

Hi Banjoman

Thank you for sharing the course you are doing. I can relate to that cycle.

For me - I sit in my "safe" lounge chair & ignore the washing until there's no clean clothes left. I catch up but I never put it all away.

So I tell myself how useless, unmotivated & bad I am. That makes me feel more of the same as well as hopeless. I actually tell myself I won't be safe if I leave my chair (patently untrue)!

And so the cycle repeats ad nauseam.

So well done Banjoman. And I think it's fantastic you are improving your literacy too. You write very well.

Regards Lyn.

[Guest_554]

Hi there,

Good luck with the well-being course.

I started one this week thru mind spot also. Week one is reading alot of information, and they suggest we read it a few times during the week. The course goes for 8 weeks and is free. I work,, so it is also convenient to do the course when I am home of an evening online.

Hope all works well for you with what we learn.

🙂

[Banjoman]

Hi Croix,

Thank you for the kind comments. I am trying to be more open about my experience these days and your response has motivated me to share more.

Hi Lyn,

Thank you for also sharing. Acknowledging our cycles can be overwhelming and sometimes can initially make us feel even worse, like pouring fuel on the fire, but I learned that acknowledging these cycles is the first step to a brave and positive change.

Hi Busybee,

Good on you for reaching out. The well-being course, from recollection, also runs for 8 weeks. I think the online course is great interactive alternative, especially for people who work full time or have little to no access to a psychologist. I read on the Mind Spot sight that people from rural areas are benefiting greatly for these course. Good luck with your journey.

Banjoman,

[Guest_554]

Thanks for your reply banjoman

Yes, should be a good course. I will read more this evening.

Have fun with the course.

Great that is and has helped so many other people out there.

[Guest_128]

Hi again,

I am following you,and look forward to the next lesson.

And thanks for your info about online,didn't even know.

Later

[Guest_554]

No dramas,

Happy to be of help.

I haven't done anything this week, but tomorrow.night I will focus on the work I have to complete.

I did speak with my therapist yesterday, such a helpful service. I have chosen the private message service that they offer via email. It is just nice that they are also there to talk to over phone if needed.

Have fun. 🙂

[highlysensitivepersonhsp]

Hello Banjoman and others reading this.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and good will. What a splendid person you are. I share your enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and writing about experience in a reflective fashion. Your writing is good and very helpful.

Your outline of the course supports my own view that mental health is about mind management. There will always be negative events in life. A lot of people are cruel without even realising it. We suffer because of the world and the way it is. Then there is our reaction to those events or behaviours and when we think of them we can have negative responses that need challenging and reframing.

All of this is a test of our character and world view. Who we are and who we will become as a result of the processes of the mind. My illness has changed me. I am not as weak as I once was. I am clearer about my view of the world and my place in it. Recovery is a process of self discovery and finding out what you are capable of. It also means learning about certain concepts like love, honesty, truth, independence, responsibility, etc. It means learning what behaviours go with these concepts and what you say.

It really is a worthwhile experience if you continue to make progress and become stronger as I am sure you will. I look forward to your future posts. Best wishes to you. Sandra.