Lived Experience Forum

[NikNik]

So... with all of your points in mind...

What are some of the steps or actions we can take to combat this?

[kenny66]

Hi NikNik

Thanks for the question

A bit late tonight-I will knock out a response tomorrow in detail

Just a bit of clarification, by "we"do you mean people with MI, the advocacy and consumer groups or both.

kenny

[NikNik]

sounds good Kenny!

I guess by 'we' I mean anyone reading this who is passionate to take action 🙂

[kenny66]

Happy to do it

Kenny

[kristin]

Hi Kenny,
I love to read what you have to say, but these long "stream of consciousness" posts make it hard to digest. I understand you are feeling passionate about it, which is great! Can you help us out here and add some paragraph breaks so we can join you with the outrage? 🙂
Best regards,
Krisitn

[kristin]

Welcome phrend!

I love your name, well chosen. I guess we're all working on becoming phrends here, geographically scattered as we are, so you're in the right place. 

You are so right, we all have somehting unique to offer the world. We are gifts, we just need to discover that. (Which can be a very long hard journey, especially if we've been told repeatedly we are anything but!)

Look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Best regards,

Kristin

[kenny66]

Hi Kristin

Sorry about that. I do try but I sometimes forget to do it as I think in a continuous thread, no breaks,part of my Mi Im afraid. I just have to get it all out as quick as possible or its gone. .Yes, but in the future I will paragraph it before i post. Apologies if its caused a problem

[kristin]

Hi Jake,

Hopefully you are learning a bit more than a new (more amusing) use of B&B! Although we all need a bit of humour, I'm certainly enjoying your contribution there.

I know what you mean about the sympathy votes, however I would prerfer empathy and that is generally not much on offer. Most people would have no idea how I survive either, unless they ask me. I'm up front about being on a pension, or even DSP if they ask. Most people ask me what I do I tell them I'm a full-time parent.

You're so right about stigma, and I suspect StigmaWatch would have been on overload of late. The federal govt and the mainstream media seem to be aiming for the Guinness Book of Records on stigmatising anyone and anything lately, with MI about equal top of the list along with asylum seekers. Maybe they'll be trying to ship us off to Manus Island or Sri Lanka soon (joke, but not funny).

I know what you mean, as I am in a rural area too. I do a lot of informal stuff in my community, when it gets formalised I feel pressured to perform rather than doing as much or as little as I am able on any given day. I guess some people would call a lot of what I do in my community "pastoral care" but to me it's just being a friend.

Tomorrow I'm off to my first Council Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group meeting (what a mouthful!) as a community representative. I am hopeful that I can add something of value, if not I won't hang about and bang my head against a brick wall. I am very much an outside the square ideas person, sometimes that's appreciated and sometimes it's not. This group only meets every three months so I think that level of regular commitment I can cope with.

Best regards,

Kristin

[Jake]

Hi Kristin,

You 'took the words right out of my mouth' - Kenny is a great poster, lots of passion!, now Kenny - please hit the 'enter' a few more time thanks mate! 

Regards, Jake

[kenny66]

Noted Jake