On a high... But for how long?

We had a good meeting yesterday at the NHS T&D Centre in Sleaford. It was a good job my two colleagues and I attended or there would have been just one other there. I had expected a conference room full of volunteer staff, instead we had a small meeting room and board table. It would have made more sense I think to have had one big meeting with volunteer staff from all parts of Lincolnshire, but being such a vast county there would have been many for whom the trek there would have been too much.
We did manage to come away with some new information and also had the opportunity to spend some time discussing our Mental Health Prevention Fund bid and apportion parts of the bid application to each of us to complete.
It was also useful to find out that we are able to use the venue for any group committee meetings we hold in the future. Apparently we need to meet monthly, particularly if we go for charity status, which is becoming more likely given the fact we will be requesting more than £1k.
It was actually very enjoyable, not just the meeting, but the opportunity for the three of us to go somewhere different and spend some time together. It was clear to me that over the last few months, we had all developed a bond of friendship with each other which I feel will be strong and lasting. This makes me feel good.
My mood had lifted slightly, well I felt it had. My Moodscope rating yesterday was 10% again, but I'm not sure if it accurately reflected my mental state. I certainly felt more active and interested in what was going on around me and the deep depression of the last few days had definitely lifted.
Today I actually felt almost free from depression, though my Moodscope rating this morning was actually just 9% - one of my lowest scores so far. So although the symptoms of despair were there, they hadn't manifested themselves into a low mood. Interesting...
At today's Support Group, we had a guest speaker - a CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) who came to tell us a little about his job and give a Q&A session. It was all very interesting and I was curious to know how he had got into the role and what had led him there.
We also had a new (male) member join us today and he was well received by all. I'm hopeful he will come again as I very much enjoyed his input and I'm sure he can benefit from the Group. We do still need to increase our numbers and it would be nice if we could attract more men though it is acknowledged that men are the least likely to seek help and therapy in the form that we provide.
I need to work some more on the Blue Skies leaflet tomorrow with a view to completing it. I need to take the final proof with me on Thursday. Hopefully we'll soon be able to get them printed. I'll also finish off the poster so we can get it put up in waiting rooms and medical centres.
I certainly feel on a high at the moment and such a contrast to the last week. I'm interested in doing things and I have been busy typing letters, something I very much enjoy, mainly to banks. I just hope this surge of energy and high spirits lasts, but knowing my condition, I'll soon be back in my pit of despair. That's what makes me think I'm bi-polar and why others think I am too.

Fully Inducted

Yesterday I attended my Induction Course with the NHS in Sleaford. As a volunteer, it is mandatory for anyone working within the NHS to attend an Induction session to formerly introduce them to the organisation and to make them aware of various policies, procedures and regulations.
I was asked if I would provide a lift for another volunteer who lives in Spalding and this provided me some company on my journey.
I had become quite anxious before the course, similar to the anxiety attacks I would suffer before leaving for work at my previous job. I was more worried about not getting there on time or getting lost, as I have been known to do so in the past. My companion would have been of little use as it was her first visit. I really needn't have worried as we arrived with ten minutes to spare only to find that the course was almost twenty minutes late starting.
There were fifteen of us on the course, each of us working in various parts of the Trust as volunteers, our duties varied. The training was very informal and with plenty of coffee breaks, and a nice cold buffet was provided at lunch time.
The agenda for the day was quite lengthy and covered various topics such as life support, safeguarding and infection control. Not everything would apply to everyone, but it was all very interesting.

I particularly enjoyed the life support session. This involved the traditional use of a dummy to simulate the procedure for resuscitating someone who has stopped breathing.  It's surprised me just how tiring it can be to give thirty chest compressions and the weight needed to sufficiently depress the chest.
The safeguarding session was a reminder to us all of how much work goes on in the community to support and protect vulnerable children and adults. We were told of some recent cases where the safeguarding team have been involved and of the immense amount of work and attention paid to each individual. A lot of this work goes unseen and it was comforting to know that services such as this exist in the community.

Another enjoyable session was on infection control. We were shown how germs can remain on our hands despite vigorous washing and the effects that poor hygiene can have in a hospital environment. To demonstrate, we were asked to apply a soap to our hands and ensure we rubbed it in, especially between our fingers. We were then asked to place our hands into a box that shone a special light on our hands to indicate where germs were still present. The results were very interesting and showed that despite our attempts, our hands were still not completely free from germs.

The final session was to do with management of violence and aggression. We were told that on hospital wards, it is not uncommon for patients to lash out or become aggressive toward staff. On dementia wards, this is more common due to the mental state of the patient. Specialist training is now provided to all staff and volunteers as a result and this was a very enjoyable end to the days proceedings. I chose (wisely) not to take part in the physical part of the tuition, opting to sit and watch the demonstrations. It was quite a lot of fun, though we did all learn some simple manoeuvres to repel a would be attacker.

The whole day was very enjoyable. It was nice to meet others who give their time generously to help others. Most if not all have had first hand experience of mental health issues and they, like me had decided to give something back in the form of volunteer work within the Trust.