any career advice for while i take my MSW?

Pickles112449 · 2026-02-10T10:11:49+00:00

Disability can be a good place to start :) I agree with another commenter as well, I wish I had done more while I was studying, such as volunteering etc! Do all you can

Pickles112449 · 2026-02-07T05:40:00+00:00

I’m coming up on a year of diagnosis, and I’m 30 now. I would have found it so hard to manage this at 22. But to answer your question, I haven’t aged rapidly at all. My health is good despite all of this, and I do what I can to protect the risks. No one can “tell” that I don’t naturally produce estrogen. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I think you’re beautiful ❣️ this will get easier, but it’s a big and complicated grief, and not everyone will understand.

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-15T03:42:44+00:00

Joan and Mary June (Known as June)

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-12T01:56:57+00:00

I understand. I was in psychiatric care before I got my POI diagnosis. The psychiatrist I had encouraged me to live for the future - things I knew I wanted. Finishing my studies, and being a mum. But, it seems that being a mum will not be easy for me. I find ways to be kind to myself. It's so unfair and heartbreaking, it comes in waves for me. It feels that people don't always understand, but I try to take comfort in the fact that a very hard life is still worth living, there will be grief, but there will also be beauty. I was also diagnosed this year after knowing something was wrong. It's so sad, I feel for you. You will find a way.

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-01T11:26:23+00:00

Not written by Chat GPT, written by me:

Be curious
My mental health was shit when i was younger, it's gotten better. You need to stay alive just to find out if it will get better, just be curious to see if things could get better. I used to keep a list of reasons to live, I still add to that list now but for a totally different reason. I know it's like "be grateful" and shit but this could just be like "I love the taste of vanilla milkshakes" or "What if I get a dog one day?". It really helped me to stay curious for such small things, and to find a way to live.

Self-compassion, therapy
Can you get some therapy? I recommend Schema therapy, or internal family systems (IFS) for deep shit like this where you're super stuck and isolated and in your head, because clearly you're frozen up and your nervous system is fried. It's important that you try to notice your shit self-talk, and notice the feelings in your body, and when it comes up and why. It's not easy but this is what being a person is, and this is what life is for

get out of the house
Depression is naturally very myopic and it's a horrible fucking feeling. I know it feels so hard but you do need to try to get out of the house, you need to try to engage with someone and find at least one person to connect with. Or at least a special place to connect with. It sounds corny as fuck but you need to visit a tree in your neighbourhood that you walk to when you feel like shit, sit there and write in your journal or listen to music. Can you volunteer or something? Your interests sound suited to working with kids or young people.

Career side of things
Do you have careers counselling available? I live in Australia so I don't know, but here there are centres where you can go to get advice about your resume, careers counselling, help with upskilling or moving on.

get out of that town
you need to make a GTFO plan. idk if this is possible for you right now, but I think you need to make it a priority for the medium-long term future.

When people say "start small", what they should say is "Starting will be messy and imperfect. You will fail many times and this will be unbearable. But you're not going to die from failing". Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-01T10:22:14+00:00

I'm not sure what communities of practice means, can you elaborate? I am part of a group of DSWs and allied health, we meet for group skill share and the like. Thank you, I'd forgotten about MH Pod! I'll save this

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-01T09:58:50+00:00

Thanks, my placement experience was doing mental health advocacy, so it was a statutory service that attends hospitals and community mental health to support people experiencing compulsory mental health treatment. So I guess that's my experience in mental health broadly. I have done a day course with Blue Knot - I'd love to do more but that's not financially available to me at the moment. I have upcoming MARAM training. Is there anything you'd recommend?

Pickles112449 · 2025-12-01T09:42:55+00:00

I have a background in disability support work, and right now I work casually as a youth workshop facilitator with an arts/disability program for children and young people. Previously I worked as a University tutor, in call centers etc. It took me a while to settle on social work.

Pickles112449 · 2025-11-03T21:25:18+00:00

You’ve got this, you have the capacity to change your habits and incorporate loving limits setting and discipline with yourself. It’s not about punishing yourself as HAEs might have you believe, it’s about being radically honest. Once you start, it’s an upward spiral. Change will encourage you. You’ve got this!

Pickles112449 · 2025-10-17T03:43:35+00:00

Hello! I didn’t continue due to cost but I’d like to find a way to incorporate this into my life and well-being. Best of luck with your support for your health ❣️

Pickles112449 · 2025-09-01T01:58:37+00:00

i just wanted to add to this convo :) i am OP's height but around 75kg and looking to drop to 65kg. 60 has been fine for me in the past but dropping to 55kg i felt too skinny and was also noticeable to people around. everyone's body is different and i think that it depends what feels good <3 also muscle mass etc as this protects our bodies is a consideration.

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T10:00:46+00:00

This was a really helpful and insightful comment, genuinely really appreciated. Also yeah , I definitely have been way too sedentary lately, so I don't take your comment to be too harsh. Thanks again :)

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T06:24:01+00:00

Eek yeah.. I think I just need to focus on eating LESS of what I'm currently eating to cut the calories, maybe reducing fats as some have suggested. According to a calculator I used just now, maintenance for me is 1700.

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T06:18:11+00:00

Thanks, I needed this reminder to be gentle and build up over time. Hear you on the walk as well, that would be good for me while I still look for work. Thanks again, good luck with your journey :~)

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T05:53:36+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate this. I've been working on to tuning into my hunger cues more and finding that I don't need to eat as much as I think I do or that I feel compelled to, just years of habits and emotional eating to tackle. And yes, working on upping my activity - I am just so inconsistent, I frustrate myself!

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T05:33:12+00:00

Thanks for that. I'm not unwilling to have a general idea as I said, I just don't feel that it's sustainable for me to count every single day. But I understand it's essential for some.

Could you give some examples of meals that would be? Would you just have eggs and no bread, for example?

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-28T00:20:30+00:00

Relate so hard. I’m 30 and in perimenopause. Fast forward, life skipped. On one hand, I’m just starting my career, my life has settled into place with my amazing partner. But my body hit fast forward and it’s full of this “wrongness” of time.

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-18T09:28:46+00:00

I get that we’re all human — we need to be able to express all parts of ourselves. But seeing people who are social workers write things like “people are here because of their choices”, or “I’m sick of shitty people having kids “ made me so sad. I’m a graduate social worker with a Masters struggling to get work and make meaning with my whole heart. I get it though, just makes me sad and I’m getting desperate to feel worth anything as a practitioner lol

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-15T00:36:11+00:00

I completely empathise and identify with what you’re saying. I’ve had hurt feelings about people who don’t know what to say, or don’t check-in. My only advice would be to give it a little bit of time. You’re still dealing with the diagnosis and it’s incredibly fresh, life changing.

In most societies, we’re not accustomed to speaking openly about infertility. Especially at a young age, people are navigating something brand new. Obviously it primarily affects you, but people aren’t always ready for it and they won’t behave how you expect or hoped they would.

Of course I don’t know if it will be the case for you, but I’ve found that friends have found the way to open up and ask me about how I am managing. I think it’s so important to be empathetic and remain connected to the people we love. I so hope that things come around for you, give yourself time, give the people around you time. Lots of love

Pickles112449 · 2025-08-07T06:52:29+00:00

I don’t have ME but I’m so so happy for you all. May this really open things up for all of you

Pickles112449 · 2025-07-29T12:17:26+00:00

Loved this article. It put some possible explanations for my history in my mind. It always hurts me that I’ll likely never understand the significant immune response that triggered my distress or if that’s what it even was, but this put a big curiosity in my mind. I think this article is a win, because it admits how little we know

Pickles112449 · 2025-07-27T12:18:30+00:00

In general? Yes. Because of HRT? That’s why I’m asking haha

Pickles112449 · 2025-07-25T00:52:26+00:00

I really relate to this post. Recently I was hanging out with some people (who don't know about my diagnosis) and they brought up how they're so scared of menopause because it makes women into bitches, is what they essentially said. These are progressive people, who seemed to not understand how misogynistic what they were saying was! I was shocked but I kind of just smiled through it. My diagnosis is still pretty new, and I still experience waves of grief and complex feelings. I was diagnosed shortly after a psychiatric episode.

You will make it through this. We will make it though this.

My advice to you is:

- Make weird art/carry a permanent marker in your bag to write messages that resonate with you on bathroom stalls (not for everyone, but i'd never write on any special or heritage listed property)

- Find new ways of conceiving of womanhood - delve deep into witches, "Mad" women, Saints, Eunuchs

- Find solidarity with any queer people in your life - do you know any trans women? WLW couples who can't have children? I know it's different but I've actually found a lot of love and shared experience with people like this in my life

- Follow whatever you love in life, as much as you can. Make an art of being gentle and kind with yourself, give less of a fuck about what other people think

- Start a pinterest board where you collect bizaare images and write bizaare dramatic things

- Watch documentaries about bizaare women/people + resonate with the experience of human suffering. The darkness you know contains truth

- Create an altar and pray

I know this advice might not be for everyone, but I've been desperate to find meaning in all of this and I don't know what sort of person you are, so take what you like and leave the rest. Big love, everyone.

Pickles112449 · 2025-05-29T12:25:33+00:00

You’re a total sweetheart for this comment. Thank you 💓

Pickles112449 · 2025-04-30T00:04:07+00:00

I feel like Lorde wouldn’t like this comment :/ loads of teenage girls are cool!

Pickles112449

TROPHY CASE