“I Thought I Would Be Institutionalized for Life” — Suzanne’s Story

Yeah, it's a pleasure.

And you're talking about something that matters to me a lot, which is work is, I believe, really important when we are bipolar.

And I'm not someone who believes that not working is a good thing.

But I also believe that not every type of work and not every type of hours is good for us.

I think it's really about finding a balance for yourself.

And maybe you can share a little bit why you are doing this decision.

and help people out on, okay, what type of work should I do and what limit should I put myself on?

Absolutely.

So I started working with West Morton since January early this year.

But I've been working in mental health for six years as a live experience worker.

And if I was to compare my other jobs to the mental health jobs I've had in the past years, I have never seen a job like mine where the management and HR encourage us to take care of ourselves and allow us to take mental health day-offs.

And when I look back on all the jobs I worked at, this is probably the best job for me in terms of support.

And I found, like I shared before, that I worked full-time for a year, right? But there was a limit that I had to put in place for my own mental health.

I realized that I can give back to people, but it doesn't have to be full-time.

And I had to put boundaries in place for myself to perform my own health and well-being.

And I remember when I was younger, I thought, I believe that once you get a job, you're going to be able to maintain it easily.

But I've learned that the hard way that getting a job is one thing for me, but actually maintaining it is another thing.

It's about... taking care of yourself and not being sick, being able to set boundaries with other staff members and colleagues, able to say no when you're not feeling well and feeling supported and able to communicate well in a team that supports you and that supports me.

And I did work in a particular job, and I remember telling them that I need a mental health day off.

And the next thing I found out, it was a job in disability, right? So I was supporting people with disability, especially spinal cord injuries, with personal care.

And I remember one time back, I called up the management and said, hey, I need a mental health day off.

I could not get out of bed.

And the next thing I found out, I was removed from the client because it's been shared that I had some mental health going on.

And then I faced a lot of stigma, not from the organization itself.

I actually ended up having stigma in my own self, like self-stigma and blaming myself that it was my fault for me failing this job.