nice to know we’re on the same page. ;)

i hope all who are reading this article & the following posts.
1) see the situation in the true form
2a) seek help in any way if need be. in this case the need for psychological, social & emotional support.
2b) options to explore:
- seek professional help,
- hit the library & read up on self-help topics.
- indulge in hobbies, in your past
- or pick up a new hobby that promotes mental activity, eg problem solving.
the aim is to take your mind of depressing thoughts, not let the brain rust & keep your spirits up. ;)
3) knowing step 2 is just a means to an end, not the solution to the root of the problem, in this case joblessness.
4) network, blog, go online (no H1N1 online 8) ) forums & do not isolate yourself.

remember, a healthy mind enhances a healthy body. when the chance for an interview arises, head down for the interview. no interviewer will hire a sulky, broody person. in future, if you hear others telling you to “be/stay positive”, you know how to, even if they don’t!!

/// so in times of need 1 can do without hurtful people like i read in above posts.////

an Old KungFu master was beaten up by some thugs, his deciple asked “did they hurt you?”
“No”, came the answer, “they can’t hurt me, they can only hurt my poor body.”

///, the power of positive thinking should come into the picture after a person has accepted to the true picture of the situation,///

that is a very important first step. you first must know where you are before you know where you are going.

/// act as a form of psychological resilience to help the sufferer bounce back up, not dig a hole in the sand to bury the head. ///

too many people spent too much time digging deeper in the hole they are in to get out, complaining is one way, blaming others is another.
there are thing we have no control nor change, things that we can contol and change right now, and things that takes time to change.
what we can control and change right now, we must take responsibility to do them. you will be surprise how many things we can control. and by changing what appears to be one small change, this small change will make something else that looks insurmountable at first become more managable and which now you can control and change and the positive cycle continues and you realise you actually have more control of your life in more ways than you believed possible.

///there are lessons to be learned throughout 1’s lifetime, “teachers” can take on very humble forms. like how people can be inspired by everyday happenings, the trick is to learn to be more aware. ////

true, even the most repulsive complaining ranters in TOC teaches me something, if nothing else, they constantly reminds me of the person I must not become.

life is a wonderful journey of discovery, or a never ending chore of frustration, it is what you choose it to be

1) if can solve, if.
2) the root problem is not psychological, as this article is about joblessness, not psychological health in general.
3) seeking professional counselling is a is a form of psychological assurance, some need not everyone who is jobless needs this. soem are more resilient than others. ;)

see my point?

The unemployed needs jobs, but they will still need emotional support to tide through the period of unemployment. Human are not unfeeling creatures.

////A person have to be in the frame of mind to want to be helped before help arrives, may it be in the form of a counsellor, or a book.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.////

true, & that person can do with more options. more so in times of need 1 can do without hurtful people like i read in above posts.

personally, the power of positive thinking should come into the picture after a person has accepted to the true picture of the situation, act as a form of psychological resilience to help the sufferer bounce back up, not dig a hole in the sand to bury the head.

there are lessons to be learned throughout 1′s lifetime, “teachers” can take on very humble forms. like how people can be inspired by everyday happenings, the trick is to learn to be more aware. ;)

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hi Hum Bongo,

thanks for the compliment. :) & yes, i am jobless!! lol…

counselling is a healthier form of alleviating the pain & stress compared to alcoholism, gambling & smoking i guess? but that said, i am just wary that given the publicity for counselling currently, some may think it is the solution to the problem, which it certainly is not.

me seek counselling for a few dollars? i am spending my many jobless days on my low budget hobbies. works for me, i hope it works for others too!

Well said!

psychologist is to treat a problem after it has happened or is still a root problem.
It alleviates the problem for some but others.

Though treatment is not a bad idea, we must not forget that the root cause is still there – joblessness.

Anyone who has never been jobless will NEVER fully understand the problem.

Its like dancing, or watching old movies, or drinking alcohol – it temporarily makes you feel better and forget about the problems which will still remain.
Like, you keep hearing good stories without hearing the other unpleasant stories which are also the truth, and then you live in denial – the problem is still there.

///power of positive thinking ///
///yes, i have tried it & it works very well for me. sometimes 1 book is just not enough, pick up another ///

Yes being positive is a very important attributre to have in life.
Negative feelings only aggreviate a negative situation.
Books are wonderful self help tools.

A person have to be in the frame of mind to want to be helped before help arrives, may it be in the form of a counsellor, or a book.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

#18 agree fully, everyday under pressure thinking of paying bills, go counseling also cannot help me to pay my bills. bills not paid, my family got to sleep in the void deck liao.

Government has to create more jobs for Singapore Citizens period.

the jobless can live without paying for counselling sessions when every cent counts.

if the power of positive thinking that powerful where got such think as economy no good? every year is a goody goody year liao.

sometimes when a person sneeze, it may not be the flu bug that cause it, but the air is dust/germ filled.

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an alternative to counselling in person is to head to the library to read up on related topics on managing stress, lost (no need to be job lose), grief, relaxation technics, & so on in the library’s self help section.

just in case some are wondering… yes, i have tried it & it works very well for me. sometimes 1 book is just not enough, pick up another to fill in the gaps. ;)

Guessed what! They had me under a camera. And so what I say and how I behaved was being recorded.

Then what’s your problem. To cut a long story short they said they cannot help me.

I left and cursed myself for seeing these social workers trained by NUS.

Then I had problems in my head because of ill-treatment by the military security people and I went to the FSC in Yishun, nearest my HDB flat.

They told me they cannot do anything and I put two anfd two together and knew that they feared the military security people.

They said it is not within their purview.

That’s the end of the social workers.

So, I decide to self-medicate my mind.

To cut a long story short I have most sucessful.

Then I decided to see the real mental health people and I got a feference fro a polyclinic to see the shrinks at the Institute of Mental Health.

This time I had good results.

The doctor tried to find out about my social skills and got to talk about my ex-girlfriend in Sweden and I told her about my most romanctic love for her and its storminess in the cold far north near the Arctic circle.

She listened with such rapt attention and my words began to flow out of mouth like a cascade of water flowing off a waterfall.

Then she said a few words that really changed my life.

Everything in good old sing reminds you of the military and shy not go to another country.

So, I left sing and finally stayed in Indochina and have been here for six years.

I wonder was Kar Chuah a similar victim of life?

Many may look succesful but they actually are taking medicines that make them feel ‘better’ if u know what the …. i mean.

While most FSCs only recruit properly and professionally trained social workers (and perhaps counsellors in some cases), it is unfortunate that there might be a few centres that do not abide by such professional standards and hence one might end up in an unprofessional encounter. If one does in fact have such an encounter, one should request to speak to the head of the FSC or even the MCYS (Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports).

Having said that, there have been many cases of good work done by the professional social workers and counsellors in the FSCs. However, oftentimes due to the respect for client confidentiality, many of these stories have not been reported.

Professional social workers are required to go through at least 3 years of college training on social work and field placements in order to ensure that they are qualified. All social workers are bound by professional code of ethics, just like doctors do too. The Singapore Association of Social Workers has been actively pushing for the registration and certification of social workers, and perhaps, the profession might be moving toward licensing eventually. With that, it will help to create a more accountable system and people would then be better able to differentiate between the qualified and unqualified helpers.

To get a ward bed in hospital, I heard some discouraging rumors.
Wonder if got no money to afford a bed, even in an A&E situation, can a poor bloke old uncle be given a bed and some gentle loving attention of the highly educated talent ?

Y/N ?

Even poly clinics charge and charge and you have to queue and queue.

jobless->psychological illness / distress

Under such situations, treatment should be free as it will only Deter these broke people from seeking help.

We need REAL Help and not Help-Given-ONLY-if-you-can-pay-n-pay.

2 legs good, 3 legs lagi bagus.

best of luck!

You can angry at everythings except yourself! Either is God, Gov, Environments or PAP or Anything!

If can’t find place to blame or vent your anger come to Online Citizen or go Hong Lim Park and talk it louds!

Normally Singaporean got no guts! Isn’t it !