So- I have had a very long absense from WordPress. I started a full time job as a support worker at a homelessness charity back in August and consequently my extra curicular activities have been somewhat side-lined. I’m gradually getting used to the new pace of life though, and so hope to get back into the WordPress loop again soon.
For the first month in the job i was just about mustering up the energy to cook myself dinner in the evenings. When i got home all I wanted to do was flop on the sofa and vegetate, and for the first 6 weeks or so i allowed myself this relaxation time because i didn’t want to burn myself out too quickly.
I have never worked full-time, Monday to Friday 9 to 5 before, a diagnosis of paranoid schiziphrenia took that out of the game-plan thirteen years ago and it’s taken me that long to get back to a head- place where it might be possible. So this is all new ground covered in drastically uncharted territory- it is wildly, and terrifyingly exciting.
Luckily, the job is awesome, and this has made the transition a helluva lot easier. I was slightly worried beforehand that after a few weeks of 6am starts and 6pm home-times my brain might just fry and overload at the demands of the situation. I was worried that a part of me might resist the regemented routine and repitition of employment, and that i might crave days off or sick days. But this hasn’t happened. I had a couple of wobbly weeks as the stress’s of the job role caught up with me, and i cried on a colleagues shoulder as the magnitude of failure in this job role hit me like a ton of bricks.
He was great and told me that i’m not a true support worker until i’ve had a minor emotional breakdown at work and developed a bit of an involuntary tic. I figured i’ve got one down already, so am clearly well set up to be absolutely fabulous at this job..
So it’s all going really well, and as my energy and stamina levels have risen i’m now able to use my evenings in a semi productive fashion as well. I decided to lay off WordPress for a while so as to devote all my writing time to the book- I weighed it up and realised that that was the prudent decision if i ever want to get the dam thing finished.
I’m currently working on my 4th edit, and come January i’ll have been working on my book for two years. It’s an account of my recovery from severe mental illness, but is designed to be something of a self help book, summing up all the practises and mindsets which have helped me out over the last 13 years. As it stands at the moment, I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s developed far beyond the original version i wrote back at the start of last year, and now includes anecdotes and new chapters.
I still have a lot of work to do, but hope that if i keep focused i could work it into a version i’d be happy to send off to agents in about another six months. However, this means less time on WordPress!
I want to get back into a routine of publishing at least once a week, but this might slide depending on what else is going on in my days and weeks. I’m currently writing this from work as our computer system has been down all day and so i’ve kinda run out of work that can be done with the internet.. Generally now i don’t have time at work to get a cheeky hour of personal writing woven into my day, I’m just too busy!
I have been trying to write for at least an hour in the evenings, and i’m gradually getting used to this and fitting it in as part of my routine. The book is subsequently coming along nicely.
So this was just a brief check in to remind everyone what I’m about and what I’m doing, and also to reassure any readers that i’m doing well! I hope to be less of a stranger on here, and get back in touch with the WordPress community over the next little while.
Hope everyone’s having a great Wednesday!
Mad new world 