Planning a return to work

[Lin-lin]

Good luck with your new venture Lynne.

You are an intelligent, understanding woman & I am sure this will be a fantastic learning curve for you AND for all the employees and clients at the Shaw Trust. You will undoubtedly do all SAH survivors justice and raise the profile of unseen ill health as you continue to improve!

Be very proud of all you have achieved.

Best wishes,

Michelle x

Thank you for your kind words Michelle. I feel very passionately about the predicaments that I see my clients in at the CAB and I am sure that it will be the same at the Shaw Trust. I hate the unfairness people suffer through ill health, and feel very fortunate to be given an opportunity to work within the charity sector.

[Lin-lin]

Hi Lin-lin

I'm glad you're enjoying your work. CAB sounds very interesting and I know the Shaw Trust from my old job as I used to have dealings with them and they seemed to be a great organisation with a very sensible ethos.

Warm wishes

Anne x

Thank you, Anne. It’s very encouraging to hear your opinion of the Shaw Trust and you are right about their ethos. They seemed to know more about how to deal with my brain injury than me!

[Lin-lin]

Well done Lynne for having such a positive attitude. Hope all goes well for you.

Thank you for your kind words.

[Lin-lin]

Well done Lynne, the Shaw trust sounds like a good place to work and you are being careful about your return to longer hours.

Great to hear that you are slowly improving

Vivien x

Thanks Vivien. The Shaw Trust couldn’t be more ideal. Their offices are even within walking distance of my house, which makes matters a lot easier.

[Lin-lin]

Hi Lynne

Good luck with the extra hours. I am sure you will be a great asset to the Shaw Trust.

Take care

Kel x

Kel, thank you so much. I frequently think of your return to work and it exhausts me to think about it! You are so supportive to those of us who have had a slower return to work and your words are always comforting.

[Lin-lin]

Well done Lynne, you are always so positive and an example to us all! I wish you all the success in the world with the Shaw Trust!

I have also tried going back to work; well, doing a bit of work for the hospital where I was working when the SAH happened (temping, on the bank as we call it). Well, I managed 5 hours over two days, two weeks running, but that's as much as I could do. I was really whacked out by it. I also do the messages and filing for my lady Consultant that I used to work for, and she says the girls I was typing for told her they were worried I was doing too much because they could see it tired me out. That's so strange, because they can see it and I can't!!

I suppose we are all different. Part of me doesn't want to sit around at home all day because I fear that I'll just get more and more deconditioned; but part of me can see that as soon as I try and push myself I set myself back even further. So frustrating!

Keep it up Lynne

Thank you so much Jen.

I think five hours over two successive days is a lot. If you are like me, you may struggle with not having a day in between to rest. If I don’t have this, I feel mentally crowded. It is as if there is too much going on in my head.

There may be another way to tackle this. I understand your fears about staying at home and how you may lose the social and emotional benefits of being in a routine. I know that it is tempting to go back to the type of work that is familiar to us, but if this is making us unwell, then it may be possible to approach things differently.

If I was unable to do the voluntary work that I presently do; I believe that there would be alternatives for me. My own personal options would be to volunteer at the local library or perhaps help out at Headway.

Even if you offered your services for one hour a week; it would be an invaluable hour for a charity or public service, and may be invaluable for your emotional health.

If the work you have previously tried doesn’t quite work for you, there may be other options. Remember, there is more than one way to skin a cat!

[Tina]

A Huge well done to you Lynne you must feel very proud ! You will definitely be a huge asset to The Shaw Trust. Please let us know how it is all going. Big hugs to you...love Tina xx

[JayKay]

Thank you so much Jen.

I think five hours over two successive days is a lot. If you are like me, you may struggle with not having a day in between to rest. If I don’t have this, I feel mentally crowded. It is as if there is too much going on in my head.

There may be another way to tackle this. I understand your fears about staying at home and how you may lose the social and emotional benefits of being in a routine. I know that it is tempting to go back to the type of work that is familiar to us, but if this is making us unwell, then it may be possible to approach things differently.

If I was unable to do the voluntary work that I presently do; I believe that there would be alternatives for me. My own personal options would be to volunteer at the local library or perhaps help out at Headway.

Even if you offered your services for one hour a week; it would be an invaluable hour for a charity or public service, and may be invaluable for your emotional health.

If the work you have previously tried doesn’t quite work for you, there may be other options. Remember, there is more than one way to skin a cat!

That is true! I definitely won't be going back to being a PA or secretary, but I did think I could cope with a bit of plain audiotyping... I am a Trustee at the local community centre and they are very supportive. I pop over there regularly to see if I can help with anything and it's been a lifeline this past year.

I have also started to develop my photography skills, especially with newborn photographs. You can see my photo blog here, I hope you like 'em! The friends whose babies I've photographed are delighted and are spreading the word so that I can do this for a living, bit by bit. One friend is hooking me up with the maternity ward to see if I can advertise there because although they have one company who advertises, I've heard on the grapevine that they are a) expensive and inflexible and c) apparently, not very good! Fingers crossed then.

[Lin-lin]

Jen!

Those photos are absolutely amazing! You have a real talent and it would be such a waste if you didn't try to explore your options within photography.

I've never seen such unique baby photographs before. I have only seen 'posed' ones. Your photographs are so natural and exciting to look at.

Oh Jen, what a fab idea! Let me know how it goes!

Lynne xx

[JayKay]

Jen!

Those photos are absolutely amazing! You have a real talent and it would be such a waste if you didn't try to explore your options within photography.

I've never seen such unique baby photographs before. I have only seen 'posed' ones. Your photographs are so natural and exciting to look at.

Oh Jen, what a fab idea! Let me know how it goes!

Lynne xx

Oh Lynne, you are sweet!! Well, my grandfather was a professional photographer and I grew up around his studio and we were the subject of many many photos as children I have been taking photos with a single lens reflex camera since I was a teenager and I practised on my daughter a lot lol. I haven't really stopped, but I never thought I could make a go of it - until now. Your words, and the encouragements of my friends, are really boosting my confidence!