Hi there Posse Peeps. We are almost completely off topic today, just a little perfume at the end. Life Can Be Overwhelming. Just existing can sometimes feel like too much.
In the last few weeks though I’ve seen how life can be overwhelming up close and personal. A friend who is quite low functioning on the spectrum. Her Mum has been hospitalised and will be going to a care home. Unfortunately my mate was kept out of the system by her Mum. Now that she is in desperate need we are having to start right at square one. I had no idea how hard the system is to navigate. Also, how little information they offer willingly. It’s like they’re gatekeeping the important stuff. SO FRUSTRATING. You have to know people or have been involved since birth. Add to that my friends extremely heightened anxiety levels. It had become impossible for her even speak rationally on the phone or in interviews.
So I’ve been doing a bit to help and hooking her up with some people I know in the fields. Watching my friend devolve into a terrified wreck has totally reoriented how silly my problems seem (not toxically negating my real problems, just reappraising levels). Fortunately, after two very intense weeks there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Not perfect outcomes but some leeway. Time to get the best outcomes (hopefully) while having a roof and safety.
Life Can Be Overwhelming
We have found some real gems along the way.
A free Medicare Mental Health Drop In Centre in the heart of Parramatta (Sydney’s second CBD, where I live). Offering a tactile room, a dark room, a kitchen and a couple of quiet areas made for anyone experiencing mental overwhelm. There are also a selection of trained Mental Health Carers who are also free. They have so much information and a really good network. This was a game changer.
One of my mates runs an NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) school for youth and older who need to learn life skills. He’s having extraordinary results with all points on the spectrum. From basic house cleaning and self care to computer skills and job placements. We went in to do some stuff for my mate and the students were so focused and many were excited to talk about the work they were now doing. This is 100% Government funded.
A girlfriend does clean ups and moving for people living in squalor or with hoarding problems. Another Government funded project that is helping to change lives for the better and a godsend for my buddy. It will mean that she can take things needed for her onward journey, will organise what Mum will need for hers and get the place emptied.
Words To Live By
Here’s a paragraph. Can’t remember where I saw or heard it but it’s been bumping around a lot this fortnight.
I’m being reminded daily how lucky we are to live in Australia. It’s not a perfect system and it’s an enormous behemoth to try and navigate but in many ways it’s there for when Life Can Be Overwhelming.
So what fragrances have I been wearing to keep me grounded during this adventure? Aesthete by Le Galion, Diamonds and Emeralds by Elizabeth Taylor, Poivre Noir by Serge Lutens (thanks Tom!), Jaipur by Boucheron and Montego Bay Rhythm hand cream.
Smelling fabulous can really help when Life Can Be Overwhelming. What do you like to spritz when it all seems too much?
Portia xx
In the US, it’s a nightmare for us disabled too and waiting lists are years long for anyone. One of my friends ended up in a group home. His mom died and his mom and dad never discussed on what would happen when they where gone. When the mom died, he was left to do whatever and his dad got too old to take care of him and put him in a group home. That is why arrangements need to happen much earlier. You know, so we can build support groups before something happens.
I normally wear no 5 when life gets to be too much.
Hey Eldarwen22,
I’m sorry to read about your friend BUT sometimes a group home is a godsend. Imagine if there was nothing for them? I think my friend would acclimate very quickly to group living, if that became an option.
No 5! What a sensational pick.
Portia x