YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hi friends.

Fact: I live paycheck to paycheck. (It sucks)

But I just did something grown up:

I put $50 on my Uber account, prepaid.

If trouble comes, doing that won’t solve all my problems, but it will get me (1) away from a bad situation or (2) home, where I can sort things out.

It is really comforting to know that if that “should I get out of here?” gut question comes, I don’t have to think/worry about using an Uber.

Also: I’ve learned: if I find myself asking “Should I get out of here?”, the answer is always yes, and now.

Trust your gut, my dear friends. Get out.

Good job!

And thanks for the reminder about following your instincts. Most of the time they're right.

Cheers,

SD

This feels like such a Be your own Loving Parent moment to me! Such self-love!

Thanks for your encouragement!

It turns out I used it twice, in one day, for a work thing.

The bigger picture: am I worthy of Uber?

In other words, "normal" people use Uber all the time. I've been underemployed and paycheck to paycheck since I got sober (when my new life started), and I've chosen to trudge, literally.

Maybe the point is: I earned this money. I can spend it however I want.

Goodness, it feels awkward typing this. I have shame about money.

You work and support yourself Oak, that's admirable, not shameful in my opinion.

Thanks for your encouragement, friends!

I've since used it three times:

1 and 2: To get to a work thing and back

Strangely, a colleague who never is nosy or obtrusive was really inquisitive and almost-shaming about how I was going to get back.

While this wasn't a big deal, it did prepare me mentally to trust my own judgment about when to get out of a situation, to trust my own gut, and not listen to others. I really don't know why this person said anything, but if someone will say something about a low or no-stakes trip, I should be ready for them to have opinions about high-stakes situations.

Larger life lesson: Listen to one's own gut. When we let people talk us out of urgent urges, we are really risking ourselves.

3: I got out of a pickle: I was headed to a job interview (I didn't get it, frown), and had I walked (per Google Maps) I maybe could have made it. I didn't want to be that kind of last minute person, like I have been so frequently in the past.

So I just got an Uber, and it was completely lovely.