I have managed to maintain my
mental health as it’s been about two and a half years since the onset of my
last episode. While much has remained the same, there are some notable
improvements as well. A few months ago, after tipping the scales at 225+
pounds, I rejoined the gym in keeping with the
go-hard-for-five-or-so-months-every-four-years-or-so rhythm. To date I am down
22 pounds and have seen my body fat decrease from 26% to roughly 17.5%
(according to Wikipedia the body fat percentage for those considered fit begins
at 17.0%, so I’m creeping upon that goal). Getting regular exercise is good for
folks in general, but especially those looking to maintain their mental
stability. In that sense it was almost something of a panacea for me, as it
meant I cut out the binge eating/drinking and daily toking, in favor of caloric
restriction, clean eating, and a veritable elimination of the substance (ab)use
(apparently I was right on the borderline according to most generally accepted
definitions of abuse). While the weight has plateaued over the last few weeks
there have been NSV’s (non-scale victories), most noticeably not having to
squeeze into my favorite pair of jeans.
I finally escaped the Target nightmare, where I had
been working for a year and some change, mainly as a cashier and occasionally as
a cart attendant (think ducking parking lot traffic while maneuvering 25
shopping carts for 8 hours at a time- yes about as much fun as it sounds). After
working with a state employment counselor, I was finally able to take his
suggestion and enroll in a human services training program. For those of you
not in the know, the field of human services assists people from vulnerable populations
(e.g., folks with developmental disabilities, the elderly, the abused, the
addicted, the homeless, etc) regain their footing, confidence and independence.
After being on the receiving end of said services off and on during the course
of my cycling, I thought it was would be a good way to give back and find some semblance
of occupational satisfaction and fulfillment. To this end, I hopped in an eight
week human services training program, that immediately led to a spike of call
backs and interviews to positions for which I had had little success in
applying prior. Streamlining and updating the resume helped immensely, as did
leading with something other than Tar-Jay. After a series of varied interviews,
call backs, and cost/benefit analyses, I chose to work as a community support counselor
in a residential setting, helping middle-aged people who are dealing with
schizophrenia and/or schizo-affective disorder. The agency actually turned out
to be the same one through which I have received therapy and med prescription
while home, so there was a bit of anxiety about running into someone and being “discovered/outed”,
so to speak, as I was hesitant to ever disclose my diagnosis unless “lived
experience” was part of the job description (as is standard for certain
recovery jobs). After reading the files of some of the consumers, it became
clear that there was substantial overlap in both background and our providers.
As I flipped through their phonebook-thick cases prior to meeting them, I
thought, yep, “I’ve been on that med, seen that doctor in the psych ward, and
have that same prescriber.” Despite hitting close to home, they seem more like
reminders of my progress than triggers for my potential relapse. The robust off-site
orientation and training period lasted four days, and I recently completed my
second day of on-site work. Both my co-workers and the consumers seem like a
solid bunch.
