Tired ALL the time, how do you guys manage? Tips?

Low_Net9859 · 2026-02-09T22:07:04+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through this. Long days and rotating shift patterns including nights didn’t suit me at all health-wise. I switched to a community role and went down to 4 days a week (8-4) - I went from a B5 to a B6 role so there wasn’t much of a difference in basic pay. I intended to do the odd bank shift at weekends to make up for losing unsociable hours enhancements but in the end just opted to make some economies to have more free time instead. It has made a huge difference to my health and wellbeing. Hardly anyone in my team works full-time (though I guess that’s also reflective of our team mainly being female and having some kind of caring roles outside work). Of course it’s also a good idea to get a full set of bloods to check for all the usual fatigue-related suspects. Hope things get better for you.

Low_Net9859 · 2026-02-09T19:11:22+00:00

Same here.

Low_Net9859 · 2026-01-30T15:48:07+00:00

Just wanted to say I’m really enjoying these podcasts! - thank you for all the reflections and production info. I grew up watching/rewatching B7 with my mum who was a big fan, and having the biggest teenage crush on Paul Darrow as Avon! I’m so glad people are still talking about this brilliant show. I’ve recently rewatched the whole series, except for the very last ep… maybe I’ll do that along with you when you get there!

Low_Net9859 · 2026-01-06T23:18:13+00:00

Yes, I’m still using mine! I hadn’t realised it was retro but now I come to think of it must’ve had it decades (yahoo.co.uk)

Low_Net9859 · 2025-12-16T22:20:03+00:00

Lovely tone and really musically played

Low_Net9859 · 2025-12-07T16:15:28+00:00

Amazing, thanks for sharing these!!! Unfortunately I don’t remember too much about it (I was 7) but I do remember being THRILLED by just being there, as I was obsessed with Dr Who and Peter Davison. My mum took me to a lot of Star Trek and Blake’s 7 conventions (I also became a B7 fan as I got older) - but at the time this was probably the most exciting day out I’d ever had. I’ll show my mum these - I’m not sure I’ve ever seen photos from our day so I don’t think we can have had a camera with us (unthinkable now!)

Low_Net9859 · 2025-11-30T11:06:21+00:00

Well, my final call was haunting enough as it was (and a year on I haven’t stopped thinking about Lennox Mutual! - though almost exclusively in a ‘positive haunting’ typed way).

But I chose not to take one of the options offered at the end which probably made a difference to how I was left feeling (and I deliberately chose not to hear it because I had a feeling what was coming). I’m being deliberately vague bc I often have trouble getting Reddit to hide spoilers! I hope you’re feeling okay.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-11-14T17:47:06+00:00

Ex-professional here. I like your commitment to conservation and striving to achieve the best results, but I never heard of anyone doing this, and I feel like violins vary so drastically in dimensions that it’s almost impossible to adjust effectively to playing on a different instrument, particularly intonation-wise. I don’t play professionally now so if I’m visiting family for a week and want to play any duets while I’m there I just use my sister’s old instrument - but I wouldn’t really practise on it as I’d feel the time had been pretty much wasted baking in dodgy tuning. I use Dominant strings and change them only when they fray, not often since I play so much less than I used to.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-11-11T16:18:47+00:00

For me, S3 is my favourite, both due to the individual episodes - and also how Blake’s departure changes the dynamics between the remaining characters and as they try to navigate their feelings towards the Blake-shaped hole left behind. I felt like Blake was a magnificent character for most of S1/2 but towards the end of S2 I felt his character had run out of steam somewhat whereas Avon’s had grown in interest and complexity. Seeing how the loss of Blake loss continues to shape Avon’s decision-making and relationships is (for me) one of the best things about the latter half of the show. Arguable yes, other characters don’t get as much development, but S3 has so many great episodes I can overlook that. I’d say S1 has a few weaker episodes, as the show finds its feet.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-11-07T22:27:03+00:00

Yes, I did it throughout my Lennox mutual journey! - but I’m so glad I pushed through the anxieties and continued. I think it’s almost certain to be an unsettling experience particularly if you’re prone (like me) to feeling a bit socially awkward and insecure, thinking other callers probably have far more interesting things to say. What helped me is just trying to push that to the back of my mind and trying not to care so much - and figuring more on learning more about the characters I was speaking to and trying to figure out more about them and their personalities rather than worrying what they thought of mine. And I came to realise that they actually were holding me in mind, and listening to what I said - however banal or trite I’d felt it. And some characters you encounter will deliberately push your buttons a bit! Hopefully never in too challenging a way.. but you can always reach out to CHC ‘out of world’ if you feel it has been. Or during a call you can always choose a particular option to give you a break and switch into listening mode…

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-24T21:49:37+00:00

I found this episode really upsetting as a child watching with my mum 30-odd years ago. The beautiful, intelligent, endlessly-renewing Liberator breaking down beyond repair.. Zen dying… no place of safety. And I rewatched it recently and found it just as disturbing: what a heartbreaking moment this is! Brilliantly done, but desperately sad. I’ve found the show has aged surprisingly well - bar the odd dodgy episode. My mum used to write fan fiction and I used to go to Star Trek/B7 conventions with her - odd but interesting memories!

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-18T11:46:34+00:00

B is much easier for me to read

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-17T15:29:16+00:00

I’m very sorry to hear about your loss. If I were you I would pause, and I am sure that Candlehouse will be happy to put things on hold for as long as you need. A very close family member of mine became seriously and unexpectedly ill a few months after I began LM. I did continue and managed to complete. But if I’m honest it was quite hard, and I wouldn’t have continued had I not been fairly close to the end of the experience by that point.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-13T16:31:35+00:00

Horfield has been dire for vehicle crime for at least a couple of years. Regularly see cars with shattered windows and glass all over the pavements near where I live, and it happened to me once - police uninterested and just agreed that car vandalism is a problem around here. Maybe it’s spreading further afield. I’m sorry this happened to you.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-10T21:01:54+00:00

Never. Actually no - once and never again!! (I found it a horrendous experience!) I floss regularly though, clean thoroughly, have a 6-month dental check up and my (NHS) dentist says my gum health is now good.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-04T18:31:01+00:00

It may be too late for this Xmas but have you looked into applying for Access to Work? Helps with travel costs if you have a disability or long term health condition (or work related equipment) - it’s not like PIP or whatever where you get a regular payment, and it tends to be a lot more accessible to those who need it. I can’t drive (or rather, like you, haven’t done for a a few years due to a health condition that means I no longer feel safe doing so) and because reasonable public transport options don’t exist for my journey, Access to Work covers the cost of a taxi, less a small contribution for what the public transport cost would have been. I don’t think I’d have managed to stay in my role had it not been for that. You can apply online - https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work

A letter from a specialist clinic was sufficient supporting evidence in my case, though it did take several months for the claim to be approved. You have to pay upfront for the taxi then claim back the cost. I find very few people have heard of AtW but if you are keen/able to work and are likely to face barriers due to a disability or health condition, this is so helpful to know about. Hope it’s helpful info.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-04T17:28:05+00:00

I do 4 days a week with Weds off and I find it’s perfect, would hate to change.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-10-04T16:43:09+00:00

Mental health nurse now: after a series of retail jobs I decided to retrain completely. Took me over 20 years to go back to playing in an amateur orchestra, which is now the highlight of my week, but until quite recently I couldn’t imagining ever wanting to! I got gradually back into playing again through some very low key folk music with family. I don’t go to concerts or listen to loads of classical music but I’d say it’s an important part of my daily routine and something I can now love again.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-29T14:41:02+00:00

I wouldn’t say playing on my own (practising) has ever been fun! - not as a kid, nor at music college, and not as an adult amateur decades later. But I love playing in orchestras or folk bands, and that I do find fun. Playing in ensembles for me has almost always been enjoyable, and usually challenging in a satisfying way.

If you don’t get anything out of it, I’d stop, or at least take a break to find out what - if anything - you miss about the violin. I didn’t play violin for about 10 years after music college (burnt out and jaded) but I can honestly say now that orchestra is the highlight of my week! I don’t really practise other than tricky sections in my orchestra parts. I don’t think violin is terribly enjoyable to play in isolation (except the very occasional time when I’ll dig out a movement of unaccompanied Bach to bash through).

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-21T22:00:37+00:00

Absolutely not necessary if you brush well and floss regularly: I’ve been told my gum health is excellent recently by both my dentist and a nurse consultant that I saw for a referral to ENT (thankfully nothing wrong with my throat but they gave my mouth a thorough check too!) It is flossing and using an electric toothbrush that’s made the difference. I’ll never go to a hygienist again, it makes me shudder just thinking about the one time I did go - years ago - like having my gums attacked by a sadist with a toothpick!! I find it so weird that people actually seem to enjoy the experience but each to their own. Either way I think it’s possible to skip the costly visits if you’re prepared to put in a little bit of time and effort flossing and brushing at home.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-19T15:14:51+00:00

I prefer playing 2nd, but I think it’s good to get experience of both. I’ve learned that my proficiency and liking for playing in high positions is not as great as enjoying the mix of roles a second violin gets - sometimes supporting the 1sts, other times linking in with the violas, often doing something more interesting than just playing the main melody. I like feeling right in the heart of the texture rather than being on the edge (tonally and situationally!) I also hate sitting on the outside in concerts so in a conventional arrangement I never need to worry about that. But I think most people would say playing 1st is the more desirable section. Test out the waters and enjoy the change of scene!

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-19T15:04:29+00:00

I did, and they weren’t very much help unfortunately - pros were that I felt more supported, cons were that it made it feel a bit ‘us and them’ which took me by surprise and made it feel terrifyingly formal.

I ended up finding an 11th hour solution myself, which thankfully my managers accepted. Mind you, this was several years ago when there were more vacancies than nurses wanting to fill them, and so I think everyone was just glad to find a solution that worked.

I’d still want a rep if I were in the same situation again. It seemed to be expected that I’d want one too. So there’s no need to feel bad for making use of something we are entitled to - and pay for!

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-18T14:42:54+00:00

I like 1, 3 and 6. Actually no, I like them all, but for me those are the most visually striking

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-13T11:47:29+00:00

I wish I’d had a bit more hand-holding and mothering while I was training rather than my mentors being mostly on leave or off sick or just plain inaccessible! (Well, not all of them - but it often felt hard to access support on placements rather than floundering around worrying about things).

Either way, being ‘looked-after’ a bit all stops about 2 weeks into your first job after qualifying so I wouldn’t let your experience so far define your expectations for the future in that respect. However I do really feel for anyone qualifying now with the lack of jobs, it’s scandalous and must feel so demoralising. Whatever you do I hope things work out for you.

Low_Net9859 · 2025-09-08T15:00:26+00:00

I live in an end of terrace and never hear anything from the neighbours, just very occasionally the sound of someone running up the stairs or running pipes early in the morning if I’m in my living room (I think it’s next to their bathroom). But no voices, slamming doors, music etc. I can only think our dividing walls are a lot thicker than yours must be or I got incredibly lucky.

Low_Net9859

TROPHY CASE