Autozone careers

From someone who has held management positions with three other companies throughout my lifetime I can honestly say that AutoZone is not like any other company. Though strict in it's policies and getting things done their way, I can truly say that they have a lot to teach that can be used in other sales jobs. All one has to do is lay aside what you think you know and try to understand what they are teaching you so you can go places.
Many retail jobs only ask you to greet a customer and be polite. AutoZone ask you to get to know your customers personally. When you can do that you will often find that your customer can benefit your career with their insights and knowledge. This comes in handy in your growth in the company. This is being a true SALESMAN. What you learn here can benefit you in so many other jobs. If you chose not to stay with AutoZone and move on.
AutoZone IS the world leading auto parts retailer, with the highest index in the stock market opening new stores often. If you bear with the ups and downs, that actually come with any company, you could very easily find yourself as a business operator of your own store, or moving up the chain to become a District Manager, Regional Manager, or possibly one day the next Vice President of AutoZone. So don't come in with a hard head and know it all mentality. Be open minded and draw from what they have to offer.
I've been with the store for one year and eight months. I came into throwing my prior experience around only to watch another get advanced before me. After having a heart to heart with my GM he helped me to grasp AutoZone's way. Proving to me that he had the best intentions for my career. I've been a PSM for two months now and look forward to the possibility of finally having a career job that I can retire from.
Make the most of what AutoZone has to offer. Don't let negative people lead you into bailing out. What you find here you will also find anywhere else at any other job. You have to decide what to do with what you get. And if you feel like you are not getting enough out of the job then talk to your management and ask for more. What you get out of a company is entirely up to you. You just have to chose to show the company how valuable you are.
AutoZone is not for everybody, and everyone is not for AutoZone.

I’m a burnt out college student and I just want to get my career started. I understand that many of you will tell me that school is important but I just wanted to see my options. For context I am 20 years old and currently have a associates degree working on my 4 year economics degree currently. I have also worked at AutoZone for 2 years. I’m very willing to get a certification for the job as well if it is required as long as it isn’t extremely difficult. I’m willing to move for work too.

20 Things I Learned During My Stay At BH Inpatient
I was fed up with life. I proceeded to get it off my chest in one explosive rant. I made a decision that led to a massive opportunity: I called the crisis hotline. At this point, I was crying hysterically, and panicking. All my issues and responsibilities became too heavy for me to wear on my shoulders. I had lost a job. I had major responsibilities coming up. I was so obsessed with results that I lost my passion for my hobbies. On top of all that, I was a smartphone addict. Everything toppled on me. After the dust was settled, I had to spend one week in the Behavioral Health sector of a hospital for “suicidal ideations”. I had no intent to act on it, but I called as soon as the thought even crossed my mind. I am really glad things turned out the way they did after I called the crisis hotline, even if I was hesitant to do so at first. I spent the next 7 days away from my phone, which felt like severing a limb. I was away from the outdoors (that part was not easy), I had minimal contact with my friends and family, and I had a life that was lived in a few rooms for a week. I can give you 20 Things I Learned.

1. Sometimes The Best Way To Open Up To Something Is To Stick With It.

My first night at the hospital was challenging. I was dazed and confused, not having fully processed what just happened. I was sitting there looking at the ceiling of the hospital bed, in hospital robes. I was staring at the wall, wondering if I made a stupid decision to call the crisis hotline. However, I didn’t have much time to reminisce. A nurse came into my room and told me group therapy was getting started. I thought it was better than nothing. Next thing you know, I dragged a body and mind that was not all the way there to group therapy. I was running near empty, and I pushed myself to use the last bit of gas. That was a catalyst for my confidence to come back. In those groups, which I was a bit hesitant to embrace with open arms, I saw a reflection of my skills again. I have always been good at brainstorming, and thinking outside the box. The version of myself that was successful at those things was coming back. At the time, I wasn’t really happy with my life anyway. It’s crucial that I had 7 days to focus strictly on myself. I put the idea of medical discharge on the back burner. I decided to proceed forward and build my life around each day in the hospital. It resulted in me finding myself again.
2. People Are Too Interesting to Avoid.
Often, for a variety of reasons, people have their guard up toward one another. Whether it be trust issues, anxiety, or a fear of being hurt, it isn’t easy for a lot of people to warm up to one another. In the hospital, I had to allow my walls to come down a little and become a lot closer to new people faster than usual. There were some unique life stories from everyone I met. Some of them were happy, some of them not so much. Some examples included:

• A man who was super into science and who also had the tool skills to help make his cousin's ambulance into a mobile home.
• A person younger than me who had the hilarious life stories of someone much older. Sadly, he was a product of violent parents.
• A culinary chef who has traveled to tons of countries.

There were some parallels that all of the stories shared. You have an opportunity to take something away from every social interaction if you try. I had no contact with friends and family, besides my mom updating them. So as far as a social support system, this unique group of individuals was it, besides the professionals. It does take bravery, and a lot of practice to warm up to people, but it’s often worth getting good at.
3. Multitasking is often the same as not paying attention.
I used to be terrible with this one. I would sometimes get antsy if my phone was not right next to me. Sometimes, when I was supposed to do some other task. I would often be trying to finish a task while my Heavy weapons guy just subbed back in on Team Fortress 2. I was not fully immersed in very many tasks because I deemed it efficient to do them all at once. I was incorrect. This is probably the best lesson I learned that I don’t think the hospital realized they were teaching me. When a group is started, it’s only about the group and either speaking or listening. When I was in my room during the transition period, I was only focused on Sudoku (I have become a fan of it since). I often had to sit with my feelings and focus, instead of doom scroll my way out of such obligation. It showed me that mindfulness and taking one task at a time is the best way to be efficient. It helps you live in the moment and pay attention instead of pretending to.
4. It Is Not a Big Deal If You Have To Go Off The Grid.
I was seldom out of the loop about whatever was going on in the world. I could answer texts quickly. I kept up super closely with any sports score I deemed important. I could get any answer to any question I wanted simply by using a search engine. My friends were concerned about my silence because it was uncharacteristic of me. I certainly can understand, because I felt anxious about being away. That being said, it was fantastic to get a week away from life and not have to be attached to whatever was going on outside of one hallway stretch. I remember early on mentioning that I hoped my friends knew I was okay. My Mom, on the morning phone call, told me I can’t be worried about that. She said I would come home anyway eventually. So I took her advice and rolled with it. I had no visitors to stay focused on. I limited my phone time (their phone, no cell phones) to 10 minutes a day in the morning. It was awesome to allow all the outside noise to be unimportant, and now that I’m out, I feel the same. I have hardly looked at social media, because I simply find my personal life more interesting right now. It also came at no cost to my personal life, as friends and family were more relieved that I was safe. Inside the hospital, I got to take care of myself because I didn’t have anything else to take care of. Sometimes it’s hard not to be attached to being involved in society, but when you get a small chance to do so, I encourage you to take it. You will find that it isn’t the end of anything.
5. It Is Unwise To Deem Results as The Only Measure of Productivity
The results feel great, but I got myself in mental trouble because I became obsessed with them. I had to read or write this many pages, apply for this many jobs, or come up with this many things, or it was all for nothing. That’s ridiculous, and no wonder I wasn’t producing like I wanted to. As the song goes “All I really gotta do is live and die. I’m in a hurry and don’t know why”. I would rush things constantly for no reason. There is no reason to be so fixated on quantitative measures. If you take a few baby steps toward something really good for you, you should feel really good. In the hospital, I decided that maybe I should try to make smaller goals. Examples included: “be positive”, “stay engaged in the group”, and “figure out how to stay busy when I had to be in my room” (sudoku, of course!). I think it came from observation. I am a big-picture person, but I forgot that every puzzle is solved one piece at a time. I observed people in the hospital who understood this better than me and took influence. Goals like getting good rest seemed like they didn’t have a direction, but then you realize good rest means you are well rested to handle things. That type of thinking has helped me become more productive. I gave up the idea that I have to do things. Instead, I am making pieces of things I want to do into one puzzle, but slowly.
6. Call For Some Help If You Need To Blow Up, Do Not Self Destruct
I guess this one is different. I learned it early, but the hospital stay validated it. When I say the crisis call hotline call I made was explosive, that’s selling it short. That call could’ve easily burned my entire apartment complex to the ground. I put all my rage, sadness, regret, and guilt into one explosive rant, and I have to credit the poor crisis hotline worker for withstanding it. The good news is it must’ve gotten to the sweet-hearted lady next door, who called for help for me. The time between that call and an ambulance with crisis helpers coming to my door was about three seconds. I am relieved I got to thank her a week later. If I would’ve just waged wars in my head, no one would have even known I needed help in the first place. If I would have kept it all in and done nothing else, I don’t want to know what would have happened. If things are that hard, assume you can’t do it alone, and seek out help. Some emotions are too intense to process alone.
7. One Day At a Time
The worst thing you can do is live in the past and fear the future. The reason I was caught in such a rut was that I couldn’t stay in the present. I was buried in guilt, regret, and trauma from what happened before my stay. I was idolizing a future I wasn’t currently living, which led to a fixation on social media and lives that were not my own. Luckily I have started to realize I have a chance to make each day special and unique if I stay in the moment. Some of my greatest inspirations, for this reason, are recovering drug addicts. They have no choice but to take it a day at a time because they are often even taking it even further. Some of them have to focus on one hour at a time. One of the speakers had a nasty addiction to narcotics. He mentioned having to slowly take each moment and build his exercise up more and more. Slowly the results would grow greater and greater as he took each day for what it was. The thing that makes living in the moment so crucial is that it is the only time you can experience it. In the hospital, I was focused on my structured schedule. There was no use worrying about the things that stressed me out. I couldn’t do anything about them. For me, it was all about seizing the moment and using the tools in front of me. I wanted to have them handy whenever the time came that I was to depart. The results were better than they would have been otherwise.
8. It’s Important to Think With No Distractions
It’s very easy in this day and age to avoid thinking about our problems. You have Smartphones, movies, video games, etc. There are so many good tools to repress your feelings and not let them pass over. I have been able to put my feelings on the backburner hundreds of times. This is why I benefited greatly from being put in a situation where nothing could distract me. For the first couple of hours after my crisis call, I was lying in a hospital bed. I could not move as I was laying there hooked to an IV. The only thing to do was sit there and think about everything that happened and where to go from there. It was easier to do that since my call was so intense that I still don’t think I can feel intense emotions like that even now. Before I went to bed most nights I was there I even sat up to think. Fortunately, it was not to sit and bathe in guilt. I felt productive, insightful, and self-aware feelings. I wanted to think about what opportunities I had. I knew I could work on being a less intense and more happy person going forward. I usually doom-scrolled when I was sad about life because it was too much to bear. However, it is much easier to bear sitting and thinking. Time goes by slower, fewer days feel wasted, and you have a head that’s decluttered.
9. Stigmas Are Often Pointless For One Huge Reason
There is a needless stigma about mental illness. Even some professionals
questioned why I felt so comfortable talking about my mental health experiences. I would
rather not have depression than have it. However, that is not what happened.
The thing about my story is that if I made a short story sweet, there is nothing truly
unique about any of it. The story can be summed up as I was struggling, so I got help. Everyone on the planet struggles, life is often really challenging and mentally exhausting. On top of all that, we all need to get help. If my car needs a fix, I can go find a mechanic. If I have an injury, I don’t drive myself to the hospital. One of the speakers from NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) paid a visit to the hospital. He admitted to having to deal with depression plenty of times in his life. He said that he also feels that having a mental illness does not prevent anyone from living a fulfilling life. It doesn’t make a difference if someone needs therapy and meds or not: a good life is a good life. I won’t tell anyone not to cry or process feelings, that’s cruel. Mental illness does not work under different parameters.
10. Open Mindedness Is One of the Best Traits To Have In This Life
I developed some close-mindedness due to what I was going through. I’m glad I
opened my mind again. I was always open to almost any social situation. I was friends with so many people who are completely different. The bad news is I got set in my ways in my professional and personal life. I was not even being myself. My mind had to be open if I wanted to handle 7 days in that hospital. I had to be open to criticism. I had to face challenges regarding my attitude. Being jaded is an enemy of open-mindedness, so I was ready every day with a positive attitude. I have mentioned Sudoku comedically in this writing, but even that was open-mindedness. I used to hate Sudoku, I felt the puzzles were too much brain power and I didn’t care for the process. I bought a 900 puzzle book a day after I got out(for 5.99 too!). There were so many life experiences and ideologies I had to speak with me. The entire process broke down whatever I felt had to be done. When your mind is open and not overly rigid, you challenge whatever you view as evidence. My life was never over, my problems are not unsolvable. In fact, besides the job hunt, I have a lot going for me. Good friends, fun hobbies, I have a good apartment. Plus the job that I parted with was a bad fit, nothing personal. Having this type of demeanor and attitude makes a person harder to break down.
11. Expressing Gratitude is Crucial When Things Are Hard
I dismissed feelings of gratitude when I was down and out. I thought I didn’t have much
of a life to be grateful for. I wanted the job, the career, and all of those things I felt were part of a fulfilling life. I went back to what worked for me when I was just a little younger. I had a gracious attitude about anything big or small. If I got a big paycheck and was afforded all my bills, I expressed how grateful I was for how things worked out. I was also grateful for something small, like the weather being 75 and sunny. I am grateful for the man who said his goal was to be grateful on one of his bad days, and that inspired me. I got a paper and a writing utensil. For the entire time, I had to be in my room that day, I brainstormed everything that I feel gratitude toward. I ended up with such a strange list. There were friends, family, and a home on a list with video games, basketball, heavy metal mosh pits, and The Big Lebowski. What is important to me is that being grateful is hardest when things are difficult, but that’s also when it counts for the most.
12. Sometimes Fixing Your Mental Health Is All About Remembering The Basics
I can be a bit analytical and research-oriented, sometimes to my detriment. There are
also, times when it leaves me super perplexed about the simple stuff. Group activities consisted of relearning and trying to practice skills that take you right back to basics. Examples include:

• Core Beliefs, Which Deals With How People Interpret Life Experiences
• Coping Skills
• How To Use Assertive Language
• ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts Sensations)
• Fair Fight Rules, which is how to appropriately handle arguments

The concepts work because even though they sound simple on paper, it is human nature to make them much harder to execute. Humans rush through things too much to take a step back and think. I felt I got a week-long course in the art of self-preservation. These concepts were taught by different people each time who each had a unique way of connecting with people. I was influenced by people who were much better at thinking small than I was. A lot of them used very simplistic examples and coping mechanisms and I had no way of disputing whether they were right. All my coping mechanisms weren’t even grand. I play basketball, listen to music and watch movies. The basic stuff you see every day. All there is to it.
13. If You Have a Great Idea, It Would Be a Shame To Not Use It
It was about near the middle of my stay when I decided I would write about my
experiences. I wrote up all 20 ideas in anticipation that I would fill them in once I had some time at home. That’s the thing about ideas, you will regret the ones you kept to yourself, but unless you are doing something that will put you in jail, you are not likely to regret the ideas you used. I had brainstormed multiple lists during my stay. I will always remember one incident the most. People started talking about movies, a topic I remember fondly. In 2022, I decided to make a list of 200 films I would recommend. As you may guess, movies became a huge part of my identity. I decided to test the waters and use this again. When people were discussing movies, I thought it might be fun to get people to discuss movies. I wrote two sheets worth of movies I think are great and passed them around. My goal: get some new recommendations of movies to watch and get the conversation going. The result: A new list of movies and recommendations, a much happier group, and a lot of compliments for my memory and knowledge. That was one of the happiest moments of my entire stay. It made me feel like I was using my idea generation, a strong suit of mine. The only thing you know about where a good idea may take you is that the answer is nowhere if it’s not used.
14. Brainstorming is Such an Empowering Activity
Brainstorming is one of my favorite tools of conversation and how I have kept so many unique friendships. Simply asking a question such as “Name your favorite movies”, “favorite food”, “favorite album”, “Best concert” etc. It is so fun to jog people's brains and experiences. It makes me feel like I get to know the person in a whole new way. I didn’t re-learn how to brainstorm, but I did learn how to use it to increase my self-esteem. I brainstormed out of memory 3 lists: Movies I love, 20 Things I Learned During My Stay, and Things I am Grateful For. Even If I did use the movie lists for community engagement, I mostly brainstormed for myself and got my mind thinking again. I suddenly tapped into the imaginative side of my mind that I thought was wasting away. It was always still there when I challenged myself to keep thinking. When you brainstorm, you think in more unique terms. You are looking in every nook and cranny in your head for some small special idea and, usually, they’re stronger than you may think.
15. Get Your Mind Clear To Make Better Decisions
A day after I got home, I had a meeting with a health department official. I asked her if she had any idea why my decision-making fell off a cliff during my darkest hours. She explained things in understandable terms. The mind had different areas that focused on survival and critical thinking. My mind was so far into a survival mode that my critical thinking was completely blocked off from me, for the most part. The body cannot differentiate between real threats and perceived threats, so my mind and body were obsessed with surviving. I lost the ability to create and job hunt using my skills because I suddenly forgot how I developed them. I was under the impression that I would be in some deep trouble if I did not get it right the first time. I am so glad that this ridiculous notion was changed while I was in Inpatient. My mind went from unfolded laundry everywhere to a clean closet. It led to a slower and more logical decision-making process. I always assumed it was just how I was. I made bad decisions under intense pressure. I was always at my best when I had time to breathe and think. I was never actually a unique case in this regard. It is easier to think with more time than it is without it. When I could organize my thoughts, I realized that maybe a few things I was doing could be changed. Maybe an extroverted and talkative person like me should not work remotely. Maybe I was not under the financial pressure I thought I was. I almost left my car at a mechanic because who else? Instead, the next morning I went to Autozone. I found out I just needed spark plugs, and my friend and I got to hang out and work on it. I saved nearly 600 bucks. Clarity is important for the head to do what the heart wants.
16. So Many Problems Would Be Solved With Good Sleep
This is one of the most important life skills that is often overlooked. I have had to work on
abysmal sleep before, most everyone has. Stress and emotions hindered one of my best skills. I used to be a great sleeper, consistently getting 7-8 hours, no naps, and consistently well-rested. I had almost no need for caffeine until adulthood. I lost touch with that in favor of phones, caffeine, and stress sleep. Whatever you do, understand that your bedtime routine and your sleep matter. I got my deep sleep back at the hospital because those sleeping meds helped me get it back. When you are well rested for 8 hours, you are not as irritable, your mind is healthy and the world seems like a much chirpier place. I will never neglect sleep like I used to again.
17. You have Gotta Be Flexible about What You Want In Life Because It Can Change
Remote Jobs Only is what I originally insisted on in my job hunt. In the hospital I realized
otherwise. I support the growth of remote jobs, but I realized I did not see my values shine in remote work. I thought when I got let go in my recent position, it was because I simply didn’t have talent. The truth is I certainly do, it was just not the right fit, nothing personal. So now my mind has shifted toward the right in-person work for me. That’s the funny thing about dreams and desires, they may always change. I wanted to be a pilot as a kid and I hate flying as an adult. The things I was so set on when I walked into that hospital changed a bit as I walked out. Because at the end of the day, we all want to see our values. I thought I would leave Illinois as soon as I got there, but now I am staying here to learn to live alone, so I can live near my therapist. Check-in with yourself at all times.
18. Sometimes We Just Gotta Slow Life Down Just A Little Bit
Life certainly could move quickly, but some reasons cause problems that lead it so.
You could be so consumed by technology that you do not realize how much time has passed (ex: gaming addiction). In the hospital, I had the opposite. The days felt a lot longer than they actually were. A week felt longer than it was. That wasn’t really a bad thing. I had time to think, soak in the lessons, and focus on conversations. I used to be in a hurry for the next feeling that gave my brain dopamine. I couldn’t simply sit there and just think and process, I felt restless. I best remember a very specific activity. We played a meditative youtube video. You closed your eyes and imagined yourself on a beach. There were zero clouds, and you just had to relax your muscles. You would take each muscle and slowly relax them, eyes closed, while imagining the beach. It was serene, peaceful, and quiet. In a meditative state, the only responsibility to worry about is to relax and decompress. That’s how you gotta handle being productive, take it slow and easy. When I stepped outside, I acknowledged the beautiful air and the birds, soaking it in. More of that is crucial.
19. Absorbent People Are Going Far In Life
I was obsessed with group sessions and absorbed everything I could like a sponge. I
was not going to accept forgetting the topics down the line. It was important to make sure down the line I could recite exactly what I learned, occasionally verbatim. It tied back to what I noticed I like to do. I love to look up Wikipedia articles on a variety of topics I am interested in. I love to absorb and retain information. It’s great to be like that, you learn more and you get to recite more. I gained so much respect from older people at the hospital because they thought I had a crazy good memory. I tried to take that and run with it. By paying the sharpest attention possible and assuming I will be asked later, I noticed my excitement for the days in the hospital slowly improving, it would all go great. I respect people more when they recite a lot of knowledge. One of the most exciting moments in the hospital was with one of my fellow patients. He was really into science and he was sharing a video about how a certain slope is the fastest way to roll down a hill. I have a very specific learning style too. I like activities, workbooks and constantly going over the details to learn. As long as you absorb information, you’ll go far.
20. I Am So Happy To Be Alive
Life is insane, sometimes stupid, sometimes hilarious. I am so happy to be a part of it,
and keep on keeping on. With so many great lessons out there, the learning is endless. There are so many cool hobbies I can pursue, and I have a ton of great ideas to go over. I’ll get a great job, I will do things I am passionate about, and great things are ahead for me. The same can be true for you, just get help when you need help. That trip to the hospital was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and I am certainly excited as to what happens next.

20 Things I Learned During My Stay At BH Inpatient
I was fed up with life. I proceeded to get it off my chest in one explosive rant. I made a decision that led to a massive opportunity: I called the crisis hotline. At this point, I was crying hysterically, and panicking. All my issues and responsibilities became too heavy for me to wear on my shoulders. I had lost a job. I had major responsibilities coming up. I was so obsessed with results that I lost my passion for my hobbies. On top of all that, I was a smartphone addict. Everything toppled on me. After the dust was settled, I had to spend one week in the Behavioral Health sector of a hospital for “suicidal ideations”. I had no intent to act on it, but I called as soon as the thought even crossed my mind. I am really glad things turned out the way they did after I called the crisis hotline, even if I was hesitant to do so at first. I spent the next 7 days away from my phone, which felt like severing a limb. I was away from the outdoors (that part was not easy), I had minimal contact with my friends and family, and I had a life that was lived in a few rooms for a week. I can give you 20 Things I Learned.

1. Sometimes The Best Way To Open Up To Something Is To Stick With It.

My first night at the hospital was challenging. I was dazed and confused, not having fully processed what just happened. I was sitting there looking at the ceiling of the hospital bed, in hospital robes. I was staring at the wall, wondering if I made a stupid decision to call the crisis hotline. However, I didn’t have much time to reminisce. A nurse came into my room and told me group therapy was getting started. I thought it was better than nothing. Next thing you know, I dragged a body and mind that was not all the way there to group therapy. I was running near empty, and I pushed myself to use the last bit of gas. That was a catalyst for my confidence to come back. In those groups, which I was a bit hesitant to embrace with open arms, I saw a reflection of my skills again. I have always been good at brainstorming, and thinking outside the box. The version of myself that was successful at those things was coming back. At the time, I wasn’t really happy with my life anyway. It’s crucial that I had 7 days to focus strictly on myself. I put the idea of medical discharge on the back burner. I decided to proceed forward and build my life around each day in the hospital. It resulted in me finding myself again.
2. People Are Too Interesting to Avoid.
Often, for a variety of reasons, people have their guard up toward one another. Whether it be trust issues, anxiety, or a fear of being hurt, it isn’t easy for a lot of people to warm up to one another. In the hospital, I had to allow my walls to come down a little and become a lot closer to new people faster than usual. There were some unique life stories from everyone I met. Some of them were happy, some of them not so much. Some examples included:

• A man who was super into science and who also had the tool skills to help make his cousin's ambulance into a mobile home.
• A person younger than me who had the hilarious life stories of someone much older. Sadly, he was a product of violent parents.
• A culinary chef who has traveled to tons of countries.

There were some parallels that all of the stories shared. You have an opportunity to take something away from every social interaction if you try. I had no contact with friends and family, besides my mom updating them. So as far as a social support system, this unique group of individuals was it, besides the professionals. It does take bravery, and a lot of practice to warm up to people, but it’s often worth getting good at.
3. Multitasking is often the same as not paying attention.
I used to be terrible with this one. I would sometimes get antsy if my phone was not right next to me. Sometimes, when I was supposed to do some other task. I would often be trying to finish a task while my Heavy weapons guy just subbed back in on Team Fortress 2. I was not fully immersed in very many tasks because I deemed it efficient to do them all at once. I was incorrect. This is probably the best lesson I learned that I don’t think the hospital realized they were teaching me. When a group is started, it’s only about the group and either speaking or listening. When I was in my room during the transition period, I was only focused on Sudoku (I have become a fan of it since). I often had to sit with my feelings and focus, instead of doom scroll my way out of such obligation. It showed me that mindfulness and taking one task at a time is the best way to be efficient. It helps you live in the moment and pay attention instead of pretending to.
4. It Is Not a Big Deal If You Have To Go Off The Grid.
I was seldom out of the loop about whatever was going on in the world. I could answer texts quickly. I kept up super closely with any sports score I deemed important. I could get any answer to any question I wanted simply by using a search engine. My friends were concerned about my silence because it was uncharacteristic of me. I certainly can understand, because I felt anxious about being away. That being said, it was fantastic to get a week away from life and not have to be attached to whatever was going on outside of one hallway stretch. I remember early on mentioning that I hoped my friends knew I was okay. My Mom, on the morning phone call, told me I can’t be worried about that. She said I would come home anyway eventually. So I took her advice and rolled with it. I had no visitors to stay focused on. I limited my phone time (their phone, no cell phones) to 10 minutes a day in the morning. It was awesome to allow all the outside noise to be unimportant, and now that I’m out, I feel the same. I have hardly looked at social media, because I simply find my personal life more interesting right now. It also came at no cost to my personal life, as friends and family were more relieved that I was safe. Inside the hospital, I got to take care of myself because I didn’t have anything else to take care of. Sometimes it’s hard not to be attached to being involved in society, but when you get a small chance to do so, I encourage you to take it. You will find that it isn’t the end of anything.
5. It Is Unwise To Deem Results as The Only Measure of Productivity
The results feel great, but I got myself in mental trouble because I became obsessed with them. I had to read or write this many pages, apply for this many jobs, or come up with this many things, or it was all for nothing. That’s ridiculous, and no wonder I wasn’t producing like I wanted to. As the song goes “All I really gotta do is live and die. I’m in a hurry and don’t know why”. I would rush things constantly for no reason. There is no reason to be so fixated on quantitative measures. If you take a few baby steps toward something really good for you, you should feel really good. In the hospital, I decided that maybe I should try to make smaller goals. Examples included: “be positive”, “stay engaged in the group”, and “figure out how to stay busy when I had to be in my room” (sudoku, of course!). I think it came from observation. I am a big-picture person, but I forgot that every puzzle is solved one piece at a time. I observed people in the hospital who understood this better than me and took influence. Goals like getting good rest seemed like they didn’t have a direction, but then you realize good rest means you are well rested to handle things. That type of thinking has helped me become more productive. I gave up the idea that I have to do things. Instead, I am making pieces of things I want to do into one puzzle, but slowly.
6. Call For Some Help If You Need To Blow Up, Do Not Self Destruct
I guess this one is different. I learned it early, but the hospital stay validated it. When I say the crisis call hotline call I made was explosive, that’s selling it short. That call could’ve easily burned my entire apartment complex to the ground. I put all my rage, sadness, regret, and guilt into one explosive rant, and I have to credit the poor crisis hotline worker for withstanding it. The good news is it must’ve gotten to the sweet-hearted lady next door, who called for help for me. The time between that call and an ambulance with crisis helpers coming to my door was about three seconds. I am relieved I got to thank her a week later. If I would’ve just waged wars in my head, no one would have even known I needed help in the first place. If I would have kept it all in and done nothing else, I don’t want to know what would have happened. If things are that hard, assume you can’t do it alone, and seek out help. Some emotions are too intense to process alone.
7. One Day At a Time
The worst thing you can do is live in the past and fear the future. The reason I was caught in such a rut was that I couldn’t stay in the present. I was buried in guilt, regret, and trauma from what happened before my stay. I was idolizing a future I wasn’t currently living, which led to a fixation on social media and lives that were not my own. Luckily I have started to realize I have a chance to make each day special and unique if I stay in the moment. Some of my greatest inspirations, for this reason, are recovering drug addicts. They have no choice but to take it a day at a time because they are often even taking it even further. Some of them have to focus on one hour at a time. One of the speakers had a nasty addiction to narcotics. He mentioned having to slowly take each moment and build his exercise up more and more. Slowly the results would grow greater and greater as he took each day for what it was. The thing that makes living in the moment so crucial is that it is the only time you can experience it. In the hospital, I was focused on my structured schedule. There was no use worrying about the things that stressed me out. I couldn’t do anything about them. For me, it was all about seizing the moment and using the tools in front of me. I wanted to have them handy whenever the time came that I was to depart. The results were better than they would have been otherwise.
8. It’s Important to Think With No Distractions
It’s very easy in this day and age to avoid thinking about our problems. You have Smartphones, movies, video games, etc. There are so many good tools to repress your feelings and not let them pass over. I have been able to put my feelings on the backburner hundreds of times. This is why I benefited greatly from being put in a situation where nothing could distract me. For the first couple of hours after my crisis call, I was lying in a hospital bed. I could not move as I was laying there hooked to an IV. The only thing to do was sit there and think about everything that happened and where to go from there. It was easier to do that since my call was so intense that I still don’t think I can feel intense emotions like that even now. Before I went to bed most nights I was there I even sat up to think. Fortunately, it was not to sit and bathe in guilt. I felt productive, insightful, and self-aware feelings. I wanted to think about what opportunities I had. I knew I could work on being a less intense and more happy person going forward. I usually doom-scrolled when I was sad about life because it was too much to bear. However, it is much easier to bear sitting and thinking. Time goes by slower, fewer days feel wasted, and you have a head that’s decluttered.
9. Stigmas Are Often Pointless For One Huge Reason
There is a needless stigma about mental illness. Even some professionals
questioned why I felt so comfortable talking about my mental health experiences. I would
rather not have depression than have it. However, that is not what happened.
The thing about my story is that if I made a short story sweet, there is nothing truly
unique about any of it. The story can be summed up as I was struggling, so I got help. Everyone on the planet struggles, life is often really challenging and mentally exhausting. On top of all that, we all need to get help. If my car needs a fix, I can go find a mechanic. If I have an injury, I don’t drive myself to the hospital. One of the speakers from NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) paid a visit to the hospital. He admitted to having to deal with depression plenty of times in his life. He said that he also feels that having a mental illness does not prevent anyone from living a fulfilling life. It doesn’t make a difference if someone needs therapy and meds or not: a good life is a good life. I won’t tell anyone not to cry or process feelings, that’s cruel. Mental illness does not work under different parameters.
10. Open Mindedness Is One of the Best Traits To Have In This Life
I developed some close-mindedness due to what I was going through. I’m glad I
opened my mind again. I was always open to almost any social situation. I was friends with so many people who are completely different. The bad news is I got set in my ways in my professional and personal life. I was not even being myself. My mind had to be open if I wanted to handle 7 days in that hospital. I had to be open to criticism. I had to face challenges regarding my attitude. Being jaded is an enemy of open-mindedness, so I was ready every day with a positive attitude. I have mentioned Sudoku comedically in this writing, but even that was open-mindedness. I used to hate Sudoku, I felt the puzzles were too much brain power and I didn’t care for the process. I bought a 900 puzzle book a day after I got out(for 5.99 too!). There were so many life experiences and ideologies I had to speak with me. The entire process broke down whatever I felt had to be done. When your mind is open and not overly rigid, you challenge whatever you view as evidence. My life was never over, my problems are not unsolvable. In fact, besides the job hunt, I have a lot going for me. Good friends, fun hobbies, I have a good apartment. Plus the job that I parted with was a bad fit, nothing personal. Having this type of demeanor and attitude makes a person harder to break down.
11. Expressing Gratitude is Crucial When Things Are Hard
I dismissed feelings of gratitude when I was down and out. I thought I didn’t have much
of a life to be grateful for. I wanted the job, the career, and all of those things I felt were part of a fulfilling life. I went back to what worked for me when I was just a little younger. I had a gracious attitude about anything big or small. If I got a big paycheck and was afforded all my bills, I expressed how grateful I was for how things worked out. I was also grateful for something small, like the weather being 75 and sunny. I am grateful for the man who said his goal was to be grateful on one of his bad days, and that inspired me. I got a paper and a writing utensil. For the entire time, I had to be in my room that day, I brainstormed everything that I feel gratitude toward. I ended up with such a strange list. There were friends, family, and a home on a list with video games, basketball, heavy metal mosh pits, and The Big Lebowski. What is important to me is that being grateful is hardest when things are difficult, but that’s also when it counts for the most.
12. Sometimes Fixing Your Mental Health Is All About Remembering The Basics
I can be a bit analytical and research-oriented, sometimes to my detriment. There are
also, times when it leaves me super perplexed about the simple stuff. Group activities consisted of relearning and trying to practice skills that take you right back to basics. Examples include:

• Core Beliefs, Which Deals With How People Interpret Life Experiences
• Coping Skills
• How To Use Assertive Language
• ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts Sensations)
• Fair Fight Rules, which is how to appropriately handle arguments

The concepts work because even though they sound simple on paper, it is human nature to make them much harder to execute. Humans rush through things too much to take a step back and think. I felt I got a week-long course in the art of self-preservation. These concepts were taught by different people each time who each had a unique way of connecting with people. I was influenced by people who were much better at thinking small than I was. A lot of them used very simplistic examples and coping mechanisms and I had no way of disputing whether they were right. All my coping mechanisms weren’t even grand. I play basketball, listen to music and watch movies. The basic stuff you see every day. All there is to it.
13. If You Have a Great Idea, It Would Be a Shame To Not Use It
It was about near the middle of my stay when I decided I would write about my
experiences. I wrote up all 20 ideas in anticipation that I would fill them in once I had some time at home. That’s the thing about ideas, you will regret the ones you kept to yourself, but unless you are doing something that will put you in jail, you are not likely to regret the ideas you used. I had brainstormed multiple lists during my stay. I will always remember one incident the most. People started talking about movies, a topic I remember fondly. In 2022, I decided to make a list of 200 films I would recommend. As you may guess, movies became a huge part of my identity. I decided to test the waters and use this again. When people were discussing movies, I thought it might be fun to get people to discuss movies. I wrote two sheets worth of movies I think are great and passed them around. My goal: get some new recommendations of movies to watch and get the conversation going. The result: A new list of movies and recommendations, a much happier group, and a lot of compliments for my memory and knowledge. That was one of the happiest moments of my entire stay. It made me feel like I was using my idea generation, a strong suit of mine. The only thing you know about where a good idea may take you is that the answer is nowhere if it’s not used.
14. Brainstorming is Such an Empowering Activity
Brainstorming is one of my favorite tools of conversation and how I have kept so many unique friendships. Simply asking a question such as “Name your favorite movies”, “favorite food”, “favorite album”, “Best concert” etc. It is so fun to jog people's brains and experiences. It makes me feel like I get to know the person in a whole new way. I didn’t re-learn how to brainstorm, but I did learn how to use it to increase my self-esteem. I brainstormed out of memory 3 lists: Movies I love, 20 Things I Learned During My Stay, and Things I am Grateful For. Even If I did use the movie lists for community engagement, I mostly brainstormed for myself and got my mind thinking again. I suddenly tapped into the imaginative side of my mind that I thought was wasting away. It was always still there when I challenged myself to keep thinking. When you brainstorm, you think in more unique terms. You are looking in every nook and cranny in your head for some small special idea and, usually, they’re stronger than you may think.
15. Get Your Mind Clear To Make Better Decisions
A day after I got home, I had a meeting with a health department official. I asked her if she had any idea why my decision-making fell off a cliff during my darkest hours. She explained things in understandable terms. The mind had different areas that focused on survival and critical thinking. My mind was so far into a survival mode that my critical thinking was completely blocked off from me, for the most part. The body cannot differentiate between real threats and perceived threats, so my mind and body were obsessed with surviving. I lost the ability to create and job hunt using my skills because I suddenly forgot how I developed them. I was under the impression that I would be in some deep trouble if I did not get it right the first time. I am so glad that this ridiculous notion was changed while I was in Inpatient. My mind went from unfolded laundry everywhere to a clean closet. It led to a slower and more logical decision-making process. I always assumed it was just how I was. I made bad decisions under intense pressure. I was always at my best when I had time to breathe and think. I was never actually a unique case in this regard. It is easier to think with more time than it is without it. When I could organize my thoughts, I realized that maybe a few things I was doing could be changed. Maybe an extroverted and talkative person like me should not work remotely. Maybe I was not under the financial pressure I thought I was. I almost left my car at a mechanic because who else? Instead, the next morning I went to Autozone. I found out I just needed spark plugs, and my friend and I got to hang out and work on it. I saved nearly 600 bucks. Clarity is important for the head to do what the heart wants.
16. So Many Problems Would Be Solved With Good Sleep
This is one of the most important life skills that is often overlooked. I have had to work on
abysmal sleep before, most everyone has. Stress and emotions hindered one of my best skills. I used to be a great sleeper, consistently getting 7-8 hours, no naps, and consistently well-rested. I had almost no need for caffeine until adulthood. I lost touch with that in favor of phones, caffeine, and stress sleep. Whatever you do, understand that your bedtime routine and your sleep matter. I got my deep sleep back at the hospital because those sleeping meds helped me get it back. When you are well rested for 8 hours, you are not as irritable, your mind is healthy and the world seems like a much chirpier place. I will never neglect sleep like I used to again.
17. You have Gotta Be Flexible about What You Want In Life Because It Can Change
Remote Jobs Only is what I originally insisted on in my job hunt. In the hospital I realized
otherwise. I support the growth of remote jobs, but I realized I did not see my values shine in remote work. I thought when I got let go in my recent position, it was because I simply didn’t have talent. The truth is I certainly do, it was just not the right fit, nothing personal. So now my mind has shifted toward the right in-person work for me. That’s the funny thing about dreams and desires, they may always change. I wanted to be a pilot as a kid and I hate flying as an adult. The things I was so set on when I walked into that hospital changed a bit as I walked out. Because at the end of the day, we all want to see our values. I thought I would leave Illinois as soon as I got there, but now I am staying here to learn to live alone, so I can live near my therapist. Check-in with yourself at all times.
18. Sometimes We Just Gotta Slow Life Down Just A Little Bit
Life certainly could move quickly, but some reasons cause problems that lead it so.
You could be so consumed by technology that you do not realize how much time has passed (ex: gaming addiction). In the hospital, I had the opposite. The days felt a lot longer than they actually were. A week felt longer than it was. That wasn’t really a bad thing. I had time to think, soak in the lessons, and focus on conversations. I used to be in a hurry for the next feeling that gave my brain dopamine. I couldn’t simply sit there and just think and process, I felt restless. I best remember a very specific activity. We played a meditative youtube video. You closed your eyes and imagined yourself on a beach. There were zero clouds, and you just had to relax your muscles. You would take each muscle and slowly relax them, eyes closed, while imagining the beach. It was serene, peaceful, and quiet. In a meditative state, the only responsibility to worry about is to relax and decompress. That’s how you gotta handle being productive, take it slow and easy. When I stepped outside, I acknowledged the beautiful air and the birds, soaking it in. More of that is crucial.
19. Absorbent People Are Going Far In Life
I was obsessed with group sessions and absorbed everything I could like a sponge. I
was not going to accept forgetting the topics down the line. It was important to make sure down the line I could recite exactly what I learned, occasionally verbatim. It tied back to what I noticed I like to do. I love to look up Wikipedia articles on a variety of topics I am interested in. I love to absorb and retain information. It’s great to be like that, you learn more and you get to recite more. I gained so much respect from older people at the hospital because they thought I had a crazy good memory. I tried to take that and run with it. By paying the sharpest attention possible and assuming I will be asked later, I noticed my excitement for the days in the hospital slowly improving, it would all go great. I respect people more when they recite a lot of knowledge. One of the most exciting moments in the hospital was with one of my fellow patients. He was really into science and he was sharing a video about how a certain slope is the fastest way to roll down a hill. I have a very specific learning style too. I like activities, workbooks and constantly going over the details to learn. As long as you absorb information, you’ll go far.
20. I Am So Happy To Be Alive
Life is insane, sometimes stupid, sometimes hilarious. I am so happy to be a part of it,
and keep on keeping on. With so many great lessons out there, the learning is endless. There are so many cool hobbies I can pursue, and I have a ton of great ideas to go over. I’ll get a great job, I will do things I am passionate about, and great things are ahead for me. The same can be true for you, just get help when you need help. That trip to the hospital was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and I am certainly excited as to what happens next.

I wanted to right something up about a huge life experience to try and reach out to people!
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20 Things I Learned During My Stay At BH Inpatient
I was fed up with life. I proceeded to get it off my chest in one explosive rant. I made a decision that led to a massive opportunity: I called the crisis hotline. At this point, I was crying hysterically, and panicking. All my issues and responsibilities became too heavy for me to wear on my shoulders. I had lost a job. I had major responsibilities coming up. I was so obsessed with results that I lost my passion for my hobbies. On top of all that, I was a smartphone addict. Everything toppled on me. After the dust was settled, I had to spend one week in the Behavioral Health sector of a hospital for “suicidal ideations”. I had no intent to act on it, but I called as soon as the thought even crossed my mind. I am really glad things turned out the way they did after I called the crisis hotline, even if I was hesitant to do so at first. I spent the next 7 days away from my phone, which felt like severing a limb. I was away from the outdoors (that part was not easy), I had minimal contact with my friends and family, and I had a life that was lived in a few rooms for a week. I can give you 20 Things I Learned.

1. Sometimes The Best Way To Open Up To Something Is To Stick With It.

My first night at the hospital was challenging. I was dazed and confused, not having fully processed what just happened. I was sitting there looking at the ceiling of the hospital bed, in hospital robes. I was staring at the wall, wondering if I made a stupid decision to call the crisis hotline. However, I didn’t have much time to reminisce. A nurse came into my room and told me group therapy was getting started. I thought it was better than nothing. Next thing you know, I dragged a body and mind that was not all the way there to group therapy. I was running near empty, and I pushed myself to use the last bit of gas. That was a catalyst for my confidence to come back. In those groups, which I was a bit hesitant to embrace with open arms, I saw a reflection of my skills again. I have always been good at brainstorming, and thinking outside the box. The version of myself that was successful at those things was coming back. At the time, I wasn’t really happy with my life anyway. It’s crucial that I had 7 days to focus strictly on myself. I put the idea of medical discharge on the back burner. I decided to proceed forward and build my life around each day in the hospital. It resulted in me finding myself again.
2. People Are Too Interesting to Avoid.
Often, for a variety of reasons, people have their guard up toward one another. Whether it be trust issues, anxiety, or a fear of being hurt, it isn’t easy for a lot of people to warm up to one another. In the hospital, I had to allow my walls to come down a little and become a lot closer to new people faster than usual. There were some unique life stories from everyone I met. Some of them were happy, some of them not so much. Some examples included:

• A man who was super into science and who also had the tool skills to help make his cousin's ambulance into a mobile home.
• A person younger than me who had the hilarious life stories of someone much older. Sadly, he was a product of violent parents.
• A culinary chef who has traveled to tons of countries.

There were some parallels that all of the stories shared. You have an opportunity to take something away from every social interaction if you try. I had no contact with friends and family, besides my mom updating them. So as far as a social support system, this unique group of individuals was it, besides the professionals. It does take bravery, and a lot of practice to warm up to people, but it’s often worth getting good at.
3. Multitasking is often the same as not paying attention.
I used to be terrible with this one. I would sometimes get antsy if my phone was not right next to me. Sometimes, when I was supposed to do some other task. I would often be trying to finish a task while my Heavy weapons guy just subbed back in on Team Fortress 2. I was not fully immersed in very many tasks because I deemed it efficient to do them all at once. I was incorrect. This is probably the best lesson I learned that I don’t think the hospital realized they were teaching me. When a group is started, it’s only about the group and either speaking or listening. When I was in my room during the transition period, I was only focused on Sudoku (I have become a fan of it since). I often had to sit with my feelings and focus, instead of doom scroll my way out of such obligation. It showed me that mindfulness and taking one task at a time is the best way to be efficient. It helps you live in the moment and pay attention instead of pretending to.
4. It Is Not a Big Deal If You Have To Go Off The Grid.
I was seldom out of the loop about whatever was going on in the world. I could answer texts quickly. I kept up super closely with any sports score I deemed important. I could get any answer to any question I wanted simply by using a search engine. My friends were concerned about my silence because it was uncharacteristic of me. I certainly can understand, because I felt anxious about being away. That being said, it was fantastic to get a week away from life and not have to be attached to whatever was going on outside of one hallway stretch. I remember early on mentioning that I hoped my friends knew I was okay. My Mom, on the morning phone call, told me I can’t be worried about that. She said I would come home anyway eventually. So I took her advice and rolled with it. I had no visitors to stay focused on. I limited my phone time (their phone, no cell phones) to 10 minutes a day in the morning. It was awesome to allow all the outside noise to be unimportant, and now that I’m out, I feel the same. I have hardly looked at social media, because I simply find my personal life more interesting right now. It also came at no cost to my personal life, as friends and family were more relieved that I was safe. Inside the hospital, I got to take care of myself because I didn’t have anything else to take care of. Sometimes it’s hard not to be attached to being involved in society, but when you get a small chance to do so, I encourage you to take it. You will find that it isn’t the end of anything.
5. It Is Unwise To Deem Results as The Only Measure of Productivity
The results feel great, but I got myself in mental trouble because I became obsessed with them. I had to read or write this many pages, apply for this many jobs, or come up with this many things, or it was all for nothing. That’s ridiculous, and no wonder I wasn’t producing like I wanted to. As the song goes “All I really gotta do is live and die. I’m in a hurry and don’t know why”. I would rush things constantly for no reason. There is no reason to be so fixated on quantitative measures. If you take a few baby steps toward something really good for you, you should feel really good. In the hospital, I decided that maybe I should try to make smaller goals. Examples included: “be positive”, “stay engaged in the group”, and “figure out how to stay busy when I had to be in my room” (sudoku, of course!). I think it came from observation. I am a big-picture person, but I forgot that every puzzle is solved one piece at a time. I observed people in the hospital who understood this better than me and took influence. Goals like getting good rest seemed like they didn’t have a direction, but then you realize good rest means you are well rested to handle things. That type of thinking has helped me become more productive. I gave up the idea that I have to do things. Instead, I am making pieces of things I want to do into one puzzle, but slowly.
6. Call For Some Help If You Need To Blow Up, Do Not Self Destruct
I guess this one is different. I learned it early, but the hospital stay validated it. When I say the crisis call hotline call I made was explosive, that’s selling it short. That call could’ve easily burned my entire apartment complex to the ground. I put all my rage, sadness, regret, and guilt into one explosive rant, and I have to credit the poor crisis hotline worker for withstanding it. The good news is it must’ve gotten to the sweet-hearted lady next door, who called for help for me. The time between that call and an ambulance with crisis helpers coming to my door was about three seconds. I am relieved I got to thank her a week later. If I would’ve just waged wars in my head, no one would have even known I needed help in the first place. If I would have kept it all in and done nothing else, I don’t want to know what would have happened. If things are that hard, assume you can’t do it alone, and seek out help. Some emotions are too intense to process alone.
7. One Day At a Time
The worst thing you can do is live in the past and fear the future. The reason I was caught in such a rut was that I couldn’t stay in the present. I was buried in guilt, regret, and trauma from what happened before my stay. I was idolizing a future I wasn’t currently living, which led to a fixation on social media and lives that were not my own. Luckily I have started to realize I have a chance to make each day special and unique if I stay in the moment. Some of my greatest inspirations, for this reason, are recovering drug addicts. They have no choice but to take it a day at a time because they are often even taking it even further. Some of them have to focus on one hour at a time. One of the speakers had a nasty addiction to narcotics. He mentioned having to slowly take each moment and build his exercise up more and more. Slowly the results would grow greater and greater as he took each day for what it was. The thing that makes living in the moment so crucial is that it is the only time you can experience it. In the hospital, I was focused on my structured schedule. There was no use worrying about the things that stressed me out. I couldn’t do anything about them. For me, it was all about seizing the moment and using the tools in front of me. I wanted to have them handy whenever the time came that I was to depart. The results were better than they would have been otherwise.
8. It’s Important to Think With No Distractions
It’s very easy in this day and age to avoid thinking about our problems. You have Smartphones, movies, video games, etc. There are so many good tools to repress your feelings and not let them pass over. I have been able to put my feelings on the backburner hundreds of times. This is why I benefited greatly from being put in a situation where nothing could distract me. For the first couple of hours after my crisis call, I was lying in a hospital bed. I could not move as I was laying there hooked to an IV. The only thing to do was sit there and think about everything that happened and where to go from there. It was easier to do that since my call was so intense that I still don’t think I can feel intense emotions like that even now. Before I went to bed most nights I was there I even sat up to think. Fortunately, it was not to sit and bathe in guilt. I felt productive, insightful, and self-aware feelings. I wanted to think about what opportunities I had. I knew I could work on being a less intense and more happy person going forward. I usually doom-scrolled when I was sad about life because it was too much to bear. However, it is much easier to bear sitting and thinking. Time goes by slower, fewer days feel wasted, and you have a head that’s decluttered.
9. Stigmas Are Often Pointless For One Huge Reason
There is a needless stigma about mental illness. Even some professionals questioned why I felt so comfortable talking about my mental health experiences. I would rather not have depression than have it. However, that is not what happened.The thing about my story is that if I made a short story sweet, there is nothing truly unique about any of it. The story can be summed up as I was struggling, so I got help. Everyone on the planet struggles, life is often really challenging and mentally exhausting. On top of all that, we all need to get help. If my car needs a fix, I can go find a mechanic. If I have an injury, I don’t drive myself to the hospital. One of the speakers from NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) paid a visit to the hospital. He admitted to having to deal with depression plenty of times in his life. He said that he also feels that having a mental illness does not prevent anyone from living a fulfilling life. It doesn’t make a difference if someone needs therapy and meds or not: a good life is a good life. I won’t tell anyone not to cry or process feelings, that’s cruel. Mental illness does not work under different parameters.
10. Open Mindedness Is One of the Best Traits To Have In This Life
I developed some close-mindedness due to what I was going through. I’m glad I opened my mind again. I was always open to almost any social situation. I was friends with so many people who are completely different. The bad news is I got set in my ways in my professional and personal life. I was not even being myself. My mind had to be open if I wanted to handle 7 days in that hospital. I had to be open to criticism. I had to face challenges regarding my attitude. Being jaded is an enemy of open-mindedness, so I was ready every day with a positive attitude. I have mentioned Sudoku comedically in this writing, but even that was open-mindedness. I used to hate Sudoku, I felt the puzzles were too much brain power and I didn’t care for the process. I bought a 900 puzzle book a day after I got out(for 5.99 too!). There were so many life experiences and ideologies I had to speak with me. The entire process broke down whatever I felt had to be done. When your mind is open and not overly rigid, you challenge whatever you view as evidence. My life was never over, my problems are not unsolvable. In fact, besides the job hunt, I have a lot going for me. Good friends, fun hobbies, I have a good apartment. Plus the job that I parted with was a bad fit, nothing personal. Having this type of demeanor and attitude makes a person harder to break down.
11. Expressing Gratitude is Crucial When Things Are Hard
I dismissed feelings of gratitude when I was down and out. I thought I didn’t have much of a life to be grateful for. I wanted the job, the career, and all of those things I felt were part of a fulfilling life. I went back to what worked for me when I was just a little younger. I had a gracious attitude about anything big or small. If I got a big paycheck and was afforded all my bills, I expressed how grateful I was for how things worked out. I was also grateful for something small, like the weather being 75 and sunny. I am grateful for the man who said his goal was to be grateful on one of his bad days, and that inspired me. I got a paper and a writing utensil. For the entire time, I had to be in my room that day, I brainstormed everything that I feel gratitude toward. I ended up with such a strange list. There were friends, family, and a home on a list with video games, basketball, heavy metal mosh pits, and The Big Lebowski. What is important to me is that being grateful is hardest when things are difficult, but that’s also when it counts for the most.
12. Sometimes Fixing Your Mental Health Is All About Remembering The Basics
I can be a bit analytical and research-oriented, sometimes to my detriment. There arealso, times when it leaves me super perplexed about the simple stuff. Group activities consisted of relearning and trying to practice skills that take you right back to basics. Examples include:

• Core Beliefs, Which Deals With How People Interpret Life Experiences
• Coping Skills
• How To Use Assertive Language
• ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts Sensations)
• Fair Fight Rules, which is how to appropriately handle arguments

The concepts work because even though they sound simple on paper, it is human nature to make them much harder to execute. Humans rush through things too much to take a step back and think. I felt I got a week-long course in the art of self-preservation. These concepts were taught by different people each time who each had a unique way of connecting with people. I was influenced by people who were much better at thinking small than I was. A lot of them used very simplistic examples and coping mechanisms and I had no way of disputing whether they were right. All my coping mechanisms weren’t even grand. I play basketball, listen to music and watch movies. The basic stuff you see every day. All there is to it.
13. If You Have a Great Idea, It Would Be a Shame To Not Use It
It was about near the middle of my stay when I decided I would write about myexperiences. I wrote up all 20 ideas in anticipation that I would fill them in once I had some time at home. That’s the thing about ideas, you will regret the ones you kept to yourself, but unless you are doing something that will put you in jail, you are not likely to regret the ideas you used. I had brainstormed multiple lists during my stay. I will always remember one incident the most. People started talking about movies, a topic I remember fondly. In 2022, I decided to make a list of 200 films I would recommend. As you may guess, movies became a huge part of my identity. I decided to test the waters and use this again. When people were discussing movies, I thought it might be fun to get people to discuss movies. I wrote two sheets worth of movies I think are great and passed them around. My goal: get some new recommendations of movies to watch and get the conversation going. The result: A new list of movies and recommendations, a much happier group, and a lot of compliments for my memory and knowledge. That was one of the happiest moments of my entire stay. It made me feel like I was using my idea generation, a strong suit of mine. The only thing you know about where a good idea may take you is that the answer is nowhere if it’s not used.
14. Brainstorming is Such an Empowering Activity
Brainstorming is one of my favorite tools of conversation and how I have kept so many unique friendships. Simply asking a question such as “Name your favorite movies”, “favorite food”, “favorite album”, “Best concert” etc. It is so fun to jog people's brains and experiences. It makes me feel like I get to know the person in a whole new way. I didn’t re-learn how to brainstorm, but I did learn how to use it to increase my self-esteem. I brainstormed out of memory 3 lists: Movies I love, 20 Things I Learned During My Stay, and Things I am Grateful For. Even If I did use the movie lists for community engagement, I mostly brainstormed for myself and got my mind thinking again. I suddenly tapped into the imaginative side of my mind that I thought was wasting away. It was always still there when I challenged myself to keep thinking. When you brainstorm, you think in more unique terms. You are looking in every nook and cranny in your head for some small special idea and, usually, they’re stronger than you may think.
15. Get Your Mind Clear To Make Better Decisions
A day after I got home, I had a meeting with a health department official. I asked her if she had any idea why my decision-making fell off a cliff during my darkest hours. She explained things in understandable terms. The mind had different areas that focused on survival and critical thinking. My mind was so far into a survival mode that my critical thinking was completely blocked off from me, for the most part. The body cannot differentiate between real threats and perceived threats, so my mind and body were obsessed with surviving. I lost the ability to create and job hunt using my skills because I suddenly forgot how I developed them. I was under the impression that I would be in some deep trouble if I did not get it right the first time. I am so glad that this ridiculous notion was changed while I was in Inpatient. My mind went from unfolded laundry everywhere to a clean closet. It led to a slower and more logical decision-making process. I always assumed it was just how I was. I made bad decisions under intense pressure. I was always at my best when I had time to breathe and think. I was never actually a unique case in this regard. It is easier to think with more time than it is without it. When I could organize my thoughts, I realized that maybe a few things I was doing could be changed. Maybe an extroverted and talkative person like me should not work remotely. Maybe I was not under the financial pressure I thought I was. I almost left my car at a mechanic because who else? Instead, the next morning I went to Autozone. I found out I just needed spark plugs, and my friend and I got to hang out and work on it. I saved nearly 600 bucks. Clarity is important for the head to do what the heart wants.
16. So Many Problems Would Be Solved With Good Sleep
This is one of the most important life skills that is often overlooked. I have had to work on abysmal sleep before, most everyone has. Stress and emotions hindered one of my best skills. I used to be a great sleeper, consistently getting 7-8 hours, no naps, and consistently well-rested. I had almost no need for caffeine until adulthood. I lost touch with that in favor of phones, caffeine, and stress sleep. Whatever you do, understand that your bedtime routine and your sleep matter. I got my deep sleep back at the hospital because those sleeping meds helped me get it back. When you are well rested for 8 hours, you are not as irritable, your mind is healthy and the world seems like a much chirpier place. I will never neglect sleep like I used to again.
17. You have Gotta Be Flexible about What You Want In Life Because It Can Change
Remote Jobs Only is what I originally insisted on in my job hunt. In the hospital I realized otherwise. I support the growth of remote jobs, but I realized I did not see my values shine in remote work. I thought when I got let go in my recent position, it was because I simply didn’t have talent. The truth is I certainly do, it was just not the right fit, nothing personal. So now my mind has shifted toward the right in-person work for me. That’s the funny thing about dreams and desires, they may always change. I wanted to be a pilot as a kid and I hate flying as an adult. The things I was so set on when I walked into that hospital changed a bit as I walked out. Because at the end of the day, we all want to see our values. I thought I would leave Illinois as soon as I got there, but now I am staying here to learn to live alone, so I can live near my therapist. Check-in with yourself at all times.
18. Sometimes We Just Gotta Slow Life Down Just A Little Bit
Life certainly could move quickly, but some reasons cause problems that lead it so.
You could be so consumed by technology that you do not realize how much time has passed (ex: gaming addiction). In the hospital, I had the opposite. The days felt a lot longer than they actually were. A week felt longer than it was. That wasn’t really a bad thing. I had time to think, soak in the lessons, and focus on conversations. I used to be in a hurry for the next feeling that gave my brain dopamine. I couldn’t simply sit there and just think and process, I felt restless. I best remember a very specific activity. We played a meditative YouTube video. You closed your eyes and imagined yourself on a beach. There were zero clouds, and you just had to relax your muscles. You would take each muscle and slowly relax them, eyes closed, while imagining the beach. It was serene, peaceful, and quiet. In a meditative state, the only responsibility to worry about is to relax and decompress. That’s how you gotta handle being productive, take it slow and easy. When I stepped outside, I acknowledged the beautiful air and the birds, soaking it in. More of that is crucial.
19. Absorbent People Are Going Far In Life
I was obsessed with group sessions and absorbed everything I could like a sponge. Iwas not going to accept forgetting the topics down the line. It was important to make sure down the line I could recite exactly what I learned, occasionally verbatim. It tied back to what I noticed I like to do. I love to look up Wikipedia articles on a variety of topics I am interested in. I love to absorb and retain information. It’s great to be like that, you learn more and you get to recite more. I gained so much respect from older people at the hospital because they thought I had a crazy good memory. I tried to take that and run with it. By paying the sharpest attention possible and assuming I will be asked later, I noticed my excitement for the days in the hospital slowly improving, it would all go great. I respect people more when they recite a lot of knowledge. One of the most exciting moments in the hospital was with one of my fellow patients. He was really into science and he was sharing a video about how a certain slope is the fastest way to roll down a hill. I have a very specific learning style too. I like activities, workbooks and constantly going over the details to learn. As long as you absorb information, you’ll go far.
20. I Am So Happy To Be Alive
Life is insane, sometimes stupid, sometimes hilarious. I am so happy to be a part of it,and keep on keeping on. With so many great lessons out there, the learning is endless. There are so many cool hobbies I can pursue, and I have a ton of great ideas to go over. I’ll get a great job, I will do things I am passionate about, and great things are ahead for me. The same can be true for you, just get help when you need help. That trip to the hospital was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and I am certainly excited as to what happens next.

I had a important life experience I wanted to write about and I thought this would be the right community to help out and maybe I can lend support!
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20 Things I Learned During My Stay At BH Inpatient
I was fed up with life. I proceeded to get it off my chest in one explosive rant. I made a decision that led to a massive opportunity: I called the crisis hotline. At this point, I was crying hysterically, and panicking. All my issues and responsibilities became too heavy for me to wear on my shoulders. I had lost a job. I had major responsibilities coming up. I was so obsessed with results that I lost my passion for my hobbies. On top of all that, I was a smartphone addict. Everything toppled on me. After the dust was settled, I had to spend one week in the Behavioral Health sector of a hospital for “suicidal ideations”. I had no intent to act on it, but I called as soon as the thought even crossed my mind. I am really glad things turned out the way they did after I called the crisis hotline, even if I was hesitant to do so at first. I spent the next 7 days away from my phone, which felt like severing a limb. I was away from the outdoors (that part was not easy), I had minimal contact with my friends and family, and I had a life that was lived in a few rooms for a week. I can give you 20 Things I Learned.

1. Sometimes The Best Way To Open Up To Something Is To Stick With It.

My first night at the hospital was challenging. I was dazed and confused, not having fully processed what just happened. I was sitting there looking at the ceiling of the hospital bed, in hospital robes. I was staring at the wall, wondering if I made a stupid decision to call the crisis hotline. However, I didn’t have much time to reminisce. A nurse came into my room and told me group therapy was getting started. I thought it was better than nothing. Next thing you know, I dragged a body and mind that was not all the way there to group therapy. I was running near empty, and I pushed myself to use the last bit of gas. That was a catalyst for my confidence to come back. In those groups, which I was a bit hesitant to embrace with open arms, I saw a reflection of my skills again. I have always been good at brainstorming, and thinking outside the box. The version of myself that was successful at those things was coming back. At the time, I wasn’t really happy with my life anyway. It’s crucial that I had 7 days to focus strictly on myself. I put the idea of medical discharge on the back burner. I decided to proceed forward and build my life around each day in the hospital. It resulted in me finding myself again.
2. People Are Too Interesting to Avoid.
Often, for a variety of reasons, people have their guard up toward one another. Whether it be trust issues, anxiety, or a fear of being hurt, it isn’t easy for a lot of people to warm up to one another. In the hospital, I had to allow my walls to come down a little and become a lot closer to new people faster than usual. There were some unique life stories from everyone I met. Some of them were happy, some of them not so much. Some examples included:

• A man who was super into science and who also had the tool skills to help make his cousin's ambulance into a mobile home.
• A person younger than me who had the hilarious life stories of someone much older. Sadly, he was a product of violent parents.
• A culinary chef who has traveled to tons of countries.

There were some parallels that all of the stories shared. You have an opportunity to take something away from every social interaction if you try. I had no contact with friends and family, besides my mom updating them. So as far as a social support system, this unique group of individuals was it, besides the professionals. It does take bravery, and a lot of practice to warm up to people, but it’s often worth getting good at.
3. Multitasking is often the same as not paying attention.
I used to be terrible with this one. I would sometimes get antsy if my phone was not right next to me. Sometimes, when I was supposed to do some other task. I would often be trying to finish a task while my Heavy weapons guy just subbed back in on Team Fortress 2. I was not fully immersed in very many tasks because I deemed it efficient to do them all at once. I was incorrect. This is probably the best lesson I learned that I don’t think the hospital realized they were teaching me. When a group is started, it’s only about the group and either speaking or listening. When I was in my room during the transition period, I was only focused on Sudoku (I have become a fan of it since). I often had to sit with my feelings and focus, instead of doom scroll my way out of such obligation. It showed me that mindfulness and taking one task at a time is the best way to be efficient. It helps you live in the moment and pay attention instead of pretending to.
4. It Is Not a Big Deal If You Have To Go Off The Grid.
I was seldom out of the loop about whatever was going on in the world. I could answer texts quickly. I kept up super closely with any sports score I deemed important. I could get any answer to any question I wanted simply by using a search engine. My friends were concerned about my silence because it was uncharacteristic of me. I certainly can understand, because I felt anxious about being away. That being said, it was fantastic to get a week away from life and not have to be attached to whatever was going on outside of one hallway stretch. I remember early on mentioning that I hoped my friends knew I was okay. My Mom, on the morning phone call, told me I can’t be worried about that. She said I would come home anyway eventually. So I took her advice and rolled with it. I had no visitors to stay focused on. I limited my phone time (their phone, no cell phones) to 10 minutes a day in the morning. It was awesome to allow all the outside noise to be unimportant, and now that I’m out, I feel the same. I have hardly looked at social media, because I simply find my personal life more interesting right now. It also came at no cost to my personal life, as friends and family were more relieved that I was safe. Inside the hospital, I got to take care of myself because I didn’t have anything else to take care of. Sometimes it’s hard not to be attached to being involved in society, but when you get a small chance to do so, I encourage you to take it. You will find that it isn’t the end of anything.
5. It Is Unwise To Deem Results as The Only Measure of Productivity
The results feel great, but I got myself in mental trouble because I became obsessed with them. I had to read or write this many pages, apply for this many jobs, or come up with this many things, or it was all for nothing. That’s ridiculous, and no wonder I wasn’t producing like I wanted to. As the song goes “All I really gotta do is live and die. I’m in a hurry and don’t know why”. I would rush things constantly for no reason. There is no reason to be so fixated on quantitative measures. If you take a few baby steps toward something really good for you, you should feel really good. In the hospital, I decided that maybe I should try to make smaller goals. Examples included: “be positive”, “stay engaged in the group”, and “figure out how to stay busy when I had to be in my room” (sudoku, of course!). I think it came from observation. I am a big-picture person, but I forgot that every puzzle is solved one piece at a time. I observed people in the hospital who understood this better than me and took influence. Goals like getting good rest seemed like they didn’t have a direction, but then you realize good rest means you are well rested to handle things. That type of thinking has helped me become more productive. I gave up the idea that I have to do things. Instead, I am making pieces of things I want to do into one puzzle, but slowly.
6. Call For Some Help If You Need To Blow Up, Do Not Self Destruct
I guess this one is different. I learned it early, but the hospital stay validated it. When I say the crisis call hotline call I made was explosive, that’s selling it short. That call could’ve easily burned my entire apartment complex to the ground. I put all my rage, sadness, regret, and guilt into one explosive rant, and I have to credit the poor crisis hotline worker for withstanding it. The good news is it must’ve gotten to the sweet-hearted lady next door, who called for help for me. The time between that call and an ambulance with crisis helpers coming to my door was about three seconds. I am relieved I got to thank her a week later. If I would’ve just waged wars in my head, no one would have even known I needed help in the first place. If I would have kept it all in and done nothing else, I don’t want to know what would have happened. If things are that hard, assume you can’t do it alone, and seek out help. Some emotions are too intense to process alone.
7. One Day At a Time
The worst thing you can do is live in the past and fear the future. The reason I was caught in such a rut was that I couldn’t stay in the present. I was buried in guilt, regret, and trauma from what happened before my stay. I was idolizing a future I wasn’t currently living, which led to a fixation on social media and lives that were not my own. Luckily I have started to realize I have a chance to make each day special and unique if I stay in the moment. Some of my greatest inspirations, for this reason, are recovering drug addicts. They have no choice but to take it a day at a time because they are often even taking it even further. Some of them have to focus on one hour at a time. One of the speakers had a nasty addiction to narcotics. He mentioned having to slowly take each moment and build his exercise up more and more. Slowly the results would grow greater and greater as he took each day for what it was. The thing that makes living in the moment so crucial is that it is the only time you can experience it. In the hospital, I was focused on my structured schedule. There was no use worrying about the things that stressed me out. I couldn’t do anything about them. For me, it was all about seizing the moment and using the tools in front of me. I wanted to have them handy whenever the time came that I was to depart. The results were better than they would have been otherwise.
8. It’s Important to Think With No Distractions
It’s very easy in this day and age to avoid thinking about our problems. You have Smartphones, movies, video games, etc. There are so many good tools to repress your feelings and not let them pass over. I have been able to put my feelings on the backburner hundreds of times. This is why I benefited greatly from being put in a situation where nothing could distract me. For the first couple of hours after my crisis call, I was lying in a hospital bed. I could not move as I was laying there hooked to an IV. The only thing to do was sit there and think about everything that happened and where to go from there. It was easier to do that since my call was so intense that I still don’t think I can feel intense emotions like that even now. Before I went to bed most nights I was there I even sat up to think. Fortunately, it was not to sit and bathe in guilt. I felt productive, insightful, and self-aware feelings. I wanted to think about what opportunities I had. I knew I could work on being a less intense and more happy person going forward. I usually doom-scrolled when I was sad about life because it was too much to bear. However, it is much easier to bear sitting and thinking. Time goes by slower, fewer days feel wasted, and you have a head that’s decluttered.
9. Stigmas Are Often Pointless For One Huge Reason
There is a needless stigma about mental illness. Even some professionalsquestioned why I felt so comfortable talking about my mental health experiences. I wouldrather not have depression than have it. However, that is not what happened.The thing about my story is that if I made a short story sweet, there is nothing trulyunique about any of it. The story can be summed up as I was struggling, so I got help. Everyone on the planet struggles, life is often really challenging and mentally exhausting. On top of all that, we all need to get help. If my car needs a fix, I can go find a mechanic. If I have an injury, I don’t drive myself to the hospital. One of the speakers from NAMI (National Association of Mental Illness) paid a visit to the hospital. He admitted to having to deal with depression plenty of times in his life. He said that he also feels that having a mental illness does not prevent anyone from living a fulfilling life. It doesn’t make a difference if someone needs therapy and meds or not: a good life is a good life. I won’t tell anyone not to cry or process feelings, that’s cruel. Mental illness does not work under different parameters.
10. Open Mindedness Is One of the Best Traits To Have In This Life
I developed some close-mindedness due to what I was going through. I’m glad Iopened my mind again. I was always open to almost any social situation. I was friends with so many people who are completely different. The bad news is I got set in my ways in my professional and personal life. I was not even being myself. My mind had to be open if I wanted to handle 7 days in that hospital. I had to be open to criticism. I had to face challenges regarding my attitude. Being jaded is an enemy of open-mindedness, so I was ready every day with a positive attitude. I have mentioned Sudoku comedically in this writing, but even that was open-mindedness. I used to hate Sudoku, I felt the puzzles were too much brain power and I didn’t care for the process. I bought a 900 puzzle book a day after I got out(for 5.99 too!). There were so many life experiences and ideologies I had to speak with me. The entire process broke down whatever I felt had to be done. When your mind is open and not overly rigid, you challenge whatever you view as evidence. My life was never over, my problems are not unsolvable. In fact, besides the job hunt, I have a lot going for me. Good friends, fun hobbies, I have a good apartment. Plus the job that I parted with was a bad fit, nothing personal. Having this type of demeanor and attitude makes a person harder to break down.
11. Expressing Gratitude is Crucial When Things Are Hard
I dismissed feelings of gratitude when I was down and out. I thought I didn’t have muchof a life to be grateful for. I wanted the job, the career, and all of those things I felt were part of a fulfilling life. I went back to what worked for me when I was just a little younger. I had a gracious attitude about anything big or small. If I got a big paycheck and was afforded all my bills, I expressed how grateful I was for how things worked out. I was also grateful for something small, like the weather being 75 and sunny. I am grateful for the man who said his goal was to be grateful on one of his bad days, and that inspired me. I got a paper and a writing utensil. For the entire time, I had to be in my room that day, I brainstormed everything that I feel gratitude toward. I ended up with such a strange list. There were friends, family, and a home on a list with video games, basketball, heavy metal mosh pits, and The Big Lebowski. What is important to me is that being grateful is hardest when things are difficult, but that’s also when it counts for the most.
12. Sometimes Fixing Your Mental Health Is All About Remembering The Basics
I can be a bit analytical and research-oriented, sometimes to my detriment. There are
also, times when it leaves me super perplexed about the simple stuff. Group activities consisted of relearning and trying to practice skills that take you right back to basics. Examples include:

• Core Beliefs, Which Deals With How People Interpret Life Experiences
• Coping Skills
• How To Use Assertive Language
• ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts Sensations)
• Fair Fight Rules, which is how to appropriately handle arguments

The concepts work because even though they sound simple on paper, it is human nature to make them much harder to execute. Humans rush through things too much to take a step back and think. I felt I got a week-long course in the art of self-preservation. These concepts were taught by different people each time who each had a unique way of connecting with people. I was influenced by people who were much better at thinking small than I was. A lot of them used very simplistic examples and coping mechanisms and I had no way of disputing whether they were right. All my coping mechanisms weren’t even grand. I play basketball, listen to music and watch movies. The basic stuff you see every day. All there is to it.
13. If You Have a Great Idea, It Would Be a Shame To Not Use It
It was about near the middle of my stay when I decided I would write about my
experiences. I wrote up all 20 ideas in anticipation that I would fill them in once I had some time at home. That’s the thing about ideas, you will regret the ones you kept to yourself, but unless you are doing something that will put you in jail, you are not likely to regret the ideas you used. I had brainstormed multiple lists during my stay. I will always remember one incident the most. People started talking about movies, a topic I remember fondly. In 2022, I decided to make a list of 200 films I would recommend. As you may guess, movies became a huge part of my identity. I decided to test the waters and use this again. When people were discussing movies, I thought it might be fun to get people to discuss movies. I wrote two sheets worth of movies I think are great and passed them around. My goal: get some new recommendations of movies to watch and get the conversation going. The result: A new list of movies and recommendations, a much happier group, and a lot of compliments for my memory and knowledge. That was one of the happiest moments of my entire stay. It made me feel like I was using my idea generation, a strong suit of mine. The only thing you know about where a good idea may take you is that the answer is nowhere if it’s not used.
14. Brainstorming is Such an Empowering Activity
Brainstorming is one of my favorite tools of conversation and how I have kept so many unique friendships. Simply asking a question such as “Name your favorite movies”, “favorite food”, “favorite album”, “Best concert” etc. It is so fun to jog people's brains and experiences. It makes me feel like I get to know the person in a whole new way. I didn’t re-learn how to brainstorm, but I did learn how to use it to increase my self-esteem. I brainstormed out of memory 3 lists: Movies I love, 20 Things I Learned During My Stay, and Things I am Grateful For. Even If I did use the movie lists for community engagement, I mostly brainstormed for myself and got my mind thinking again. I suddenly tapped into the imaginative side of my mind that I thought was wasting away. It was always still there when I challenged myself to keep thinking. When you brainstorm, you think in more unique terms. You are looking in every nook and cranny in your head for some small special idea and, usually, they’re stronger than you may think.
15. Get Your Mind Clear To Make Better Decisions
A day after I got home, I had a meeting with a health department official. I asked her if she had any idea why my decision-making fell off a cliff during my darkest hours. She explained things in understandable terms. The mind had different areas that focused on survival and critical thinking. My mind was so far into a survival mode that my critical thinking was completely blocked off from me, for the most part. The body cannot differentiate between real threats and perceived threats, so my mind and body were obsessed with surviving. I lost the ability to create and job hunt using my skills because I suddenly forgot how I developed them. I was under the impression that I would be in some deep trouble if I did not get it right the first time. I am so glad that this ridiculous notion was changed while I was in Inpatient. My mind went from unfolded laundry everywhere to a clean closet. It led to a slower and more logical decision-making process. I always assumed it was just how I was. I made bad decisions under intense pressure. I was always at my best when I had time to breathe and think. I was never actually a unique case in this regard. It is easier to think with more time than it is without it. When I could organize my thoughts, I realized that maybe a few things I was doing could be changed. Maybe an extroverted and talkative person like me should not work remotely. Maybe I was not under the financial pressure I thought I was. I almost left my car at a mechanic because who else? Instead, the next morning I went to Autozone. I found out I just needed spark plugs, and my friend and I got to hang out and work on it. I saved nearly 600 bucks. Clarity is important for the head to do what the heart wants.
16. So Many Problems Would Be Solved With Good Sleep
This is one of the most important life skills that is often overlooked. I have had to work on
abysmal sleep before, most everyone has. Stress and emotions hindered one of my best skills. I used to be a great sleeper, consistently getting 7-8 hours, no naps, and consistently well-rested. I had almost no need for caffeine until adulthood. I lost touch with that in favor of phones, caffeine, and stress sleep. Whatever you do, understand that your bedtime routine and your sleep matter. I got my deep sleep back at the hospital because those sleeping meds helped me get it back. When you are well rested for 8 hours, you are not as irritable, your mind is healthy and the world seems like a much chirpier place. I will never neglect sleep like I used to again.
17. You have Gotta Be Flexible about What You Want In Life Because It Can Change
Remote Jobs Only is what I originally insisted on in my job hunt. In the hospital I realizedotherwise. I support the growth of remote jobs, but I realized I did not see my values shine in remote work. I thought when I got let go in my recent position, it was because I simply didn’t have talent. The truth is I certainly do, it was just not the right fit, nothing personal. So now my mind has shifted toward the right in-person work for me. That’s the funny thing about dreams and desires, they may always change. I wanted to be a pilot as a kid and I hate flying as an adult. The things I was so set on when I walked into that hospital changed a bit as I walked out. Because at the end of the day, we all want to see our values. I thought I would leave Illinois as soon as I got there, but now I am staying here to learn to live alone, so I can live near my therapist. Check-in with yourself at all times.
18. Sometimes We Just Gotta Slow Life Down Just A Little Bit
Life certainly could move quickly, but some reasons cause problems that lead it so.You could be so consumed by technology that you do not realize how much time has passed (ex: gaming addiction). In the hospital, I had the opposite. The days felt a lot longer than they actually were. A week felt longer than it was. That wasn’t really a bad thing. I had time to think, soak in the lessons, and focus on conversations. I used to be in a hurry for the next feeling that gave my brain dopamine. I couldn’t simply sit there and just think and process, I felt restless. I best remember a very specific activity. We played a meditative youtube video. You closed your eyes and imagined yourself on a beach. There were zero clouds, and you just had to relax your muscles. You would take each muscle and slowly relax them, eyes closed, while imagining the beach. It was serene, peaceful, and quiet. In a meditative state, the only responsibility to worry about is to relax and decompress. That’s how you gotta handle being productive, take it slow and easy. When I stepped outside, I acknowledged the beautiful air and the birds, soaking it in. More of that is crucial.
19. Absorbent People Are Going Far In Life
I was obsessed with group sessions and absorbed everything I could like a sponge. I was not going to accept forgetting the topics down the line. It was important to make sure down the line I could recite exactly what I learned, occasionally verbatim. It tied back to what I noticed I like to do. I love to look up Wikipedia articles on a variety of topics I am interested in. I love to absorb and retain information. It’s great to be like that, you learn more and you get to recite more. I gained so much respect from older people at the hospital because they thought I had a crazy good memory. I tried to take that and run with it. By paying the sharpest attention possible and assuming I will be asked later, I noticed my excitement for the days in the hospital slowly improving, it would all go great. I respect people more when they recite a lot of knowledge. One of the most exciting moments in the hospital was with one of my fellow patients. He was really into science and he was sharing a video about how a certain slope is the fastest way to roll down a hill. I have a very specific learning style too. I like activities, workbooks and constantly going over the details to learn. As long as you absorb information, you’ll go far.
20. I Am So Happy To Be Alive
Life is insane, sometimes stupid, sometimes hilarious. I am so happy to be a part of it,and keep on keeping on. With so many great lessons out there, the learning is endless. There are so many cool hobbies I can pursue, and I have a ton of great ideas to go over. I’ll get a great job, I will do things I am passionate about, and great things are ahead for me. The same can be true for you, just get help when you need help. That trip to the hospital was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and I am certainly excited as to what happens next.

Hello there, young technician just getting started on his career here.
I already have a decent tool set going but I’m yet to own a code reader. I just borrow guys at the shops reader, or use a company owned one. Some of these readers are pretty nice and can show engine graphs and other cool information the average Autozone scanner can’t.
Question is: I’ve seen some of these cool scanners that are Bluetooth powered and connect to your phone, is it worth it to get one of these as they’re cheaper or bite the bullet and get a nice MaxiSys type scanner? Is there even a phone code scanner that can do nearly as much as a MaxiSys esque scanner? Any feedback is appreciated.

I (M27) came to America like 6 years ago and seriously don’t know what to do with my life I’ve tried several jobs and it seems that nothing is good for me a little of my career story: My first job was in a TV channel in my country I worked in HR and Marketing I loved to work in Marketing was and easy job and I learned a lot about market and ad agency then I quit to move to the US because the extreme economic crisis of my country.
Now here while I receive the work permit and all the legal documents I sporadically work in kitchen it was nice I hated for the environment but I like the work in general also pay was generous 🤑 after that I received my work permit I worked as driver and finally as an Amazon distro center staff in there I spent 2 years I was hoping to receive the benefit of college but pandemic happened and my work permit expired I was laid off and couldn’t get back to Amazon until a year.
After a year I tried to apply back but I was starting from zero and didn’t want that again first at all work (at Amazon) is not bad but repetitive and management is the most similar to a jail I have seen, I tried to start college but my school title is not accepted here until I pay for legalization plus, it’s really expensive to study here I don’t know if I want that debt.
I worked in other companies too: Chipotle, Walmart, Autozone honestly in none of them I’ve felt comfortable so I quit with the time.
I’ve applied to jobs like my first one: marketing, ad agency, call center without luck and even hospitality but they always wanted me in the BOH as cooker I’d like FOH for the tips.
So pretty much I’m stuck I don’t want to finish in a dead-end job but I haven’t found too many opportunities outside: logistics, kitchen or retail.
I was thinking maybe move to a bigger city for better opportunities (I hate this city either way)
Another problem is that all my family moved here so they sold all the assets in my original country I have nothing there and if I leave the country, I could possibly can’t see my family anymore for years
Any advice or words of encouragement?

I've seen a few comments on this sub and others around Sue Gove's history and specifically comments that claim she drove Golfsmiths into the ground during her time as CEO. After looking into this a bit I just wanted to set the record straight.

1. First of all Sue Gove was CEO for Golfsmith between 2012 and 2014 at which point she moved to Ionix. She was previously Golfsmiths COO from 2008, then CFO from 2009, and was promoted to President and CEO in 2012.
   
2. After leaving Golfsmith, An article in 2014 announcing Sue's new role at Ionix states: 'Ms. Gove is an international retail senior executive with both public and private company board experience. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Golfsmith International and was instrumental in improving the firm's revenue and increasing profitability. She led the Golfsmith-Golf Town merger, integrating the two firms and positioning the company for growth. Prior to Golfsmith International, Ms. Gove worked as an independent consultant, serving specialty retail and private equity clients. Ms. Gove began her career as an accountant with Zale Corporation, America's largest specialty jewelry retailer, holding various roles during her 25-year tenure including EVP and Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Gove has been an Independent Director of AutoZone Inc. since 2005, and has also served on the Boards of Golfsmith International and Zale Corporation'
   
3. The CEO for Golfsmith between June 2015 - December 2016 was David Roussy.
   
4. Golfsmith filed for bankruptcy in September 2016, 15 months after Roussy started as CEO.
   
5. And finally, David Roussy was previously a management consultant at... wait for it...BCG.
   

Company Name	Title	City
US Army	13J Fire Control Specialist	Ada
US Army	14P Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Crewmember	Ada
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Edmond
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Oklahoma City, OK	Amber
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Amber
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Amber
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Oklahoma City, OK	Arcadia
Dish Network	Sr. Account Executive	Bixby
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Bixby
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Oklahoma City, OK	Bradley
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Chandler
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Oklahoma City, OK	Chandler
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Tulsa, OK	Chelsea
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Tulsa, OK	Depew
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Tulsa, OK	Dewar
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Dewar
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Dewar
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Fort Gibson
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Fort Gibson
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Tulsa, OK	Fort Gibson
Careers In Trucks LLC	Local Dedicated Truck Driver Wanted	Fort Sill
Dish Network	Inside Sales - Customer Retention - Up to $100K+ Per Year - Full Benefits Package - Tulsa, OK	Glenpool
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Oklahoma City, OK	Guthrie
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Harrah
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Haskell

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Dayton
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Mansfield
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Toledo
Milton Township	POLICE OFFICERS	Lake Milton
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations own the operations, run the show	Aberdeen
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Own Your own Business	Aberdeen
Franchise Career Advisor	CEO - Own your own Franchise	Aberdeen
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Ada
Franchise Career Advisor	Business Development - Own a Franchise	Ada
Area Wide Protective	Area Wide Protective Hiring Event (Alger)	Alger
Area Wide Protective	Area Wide Protective Hiring Event - $2,500 sign-on bonus! (Alger)	Alger
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Own a Franchise	Alliance
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Executive - Own a Franchise	Amelia
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Sales own your territory, run the show	Amelia
Franchise Career Advisor	Area Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Andover
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Sales own your territory, run the show	Anna
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Become a Franchise Owner	Anna
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Ansonia
Franchise Career Advisor	VP of Marketing Own the Territory Run the Show	Ansonia
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Sales own your territory, run the show	Ansonia
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations - Own a Franchise	Antwerp
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Own a Franchise	Antwerp
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations own the operations, run the show	Antwerp
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Own a Franchise	Apple Creek
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations own the operations, run the show	Apple Creek

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in oh. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	South Bend
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Warehouse Selector	Ambia
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Milk Selector	Ambia
MW Logistics Systems	Truck Driver	Anderson
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor	Bainbridge
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor - Indianapolis International Airport	Bainbridge
Hudson Group	Retail Supervisor	Bainbridge
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Milk Selector	Bloomingdale
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Warehouse Selector	Bloomingdale
Pizza Hut	Pizza Hut Manager	Bluffton
UPS	Package Handler	Boston
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Bourbon
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Bremen
Hudson Group	Retail Manager	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor - Indianapolis International Airport	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Retail Solutions Manager	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Operations Team Leader	Brownsburg
Integrity Staffing Solutions	QA Agent	Brownsburg
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Marketing Manager - Own a Franchise	Camby
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Chesterton
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Sales Manager	Chesterton
Industrial Pallet	Staff Accountant	Clarks Hill
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Claypool
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Claypool
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Claypool

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in in. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Roanoke
Franchise Career Advisor	Management Leaders - Own a Franchise	Aldie
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Aldie
Franchise Career Advisor	VP of Marketing Own the Territory Run the Show	Aldie
Dominos Pizza	Domino s General Manager	Altavista
VTT, LLC	Simulation Engineer	Alton
Dominos Pizza	Assistant Manager	Amherst
Franchise Career Advisor	Territory Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Annandale
Franchise Career Advisor	CEO - Own your own Franchise	Ashburn
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Chesapeake, VA	Atlantic
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Greensboro, NC	Bassett
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Chesapeake, VA	Belle Haven
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Belle Haven
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Belle Haven
Franchise Career Advisor	VP of Marketing Own the Territory Run the Show	Big Stone Gap
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Greensboro, NC	Blairs
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Chesapeake, VA	Bloxom
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Chesapeake, VA	Bohannon
Ross	Retail Associate	Bridgewater
PSI Resources	Certified Nursing Assistant -CNA (Brooke)	Brooke
Carillion Rockbridge Community Hospital	Travel OR CST (Operating Room Certified Surgical Technologist) - 452889	Buena Vista
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Burgess
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Chesapeake, VA	Burgess
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Burgess
Franchise Career Advisor	Business Leaders - Own a Franchise	Burke

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	South Bend
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Warehouse Selector	Ambia
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Milk Selector	Ambia
MW Logistics Systems	Truck Driver	Anderson
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor	Bainbridge
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor - Indianapolis International Airport	Bainbridge
Hudson Group	Retail Supervisor	Bainbridge
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Milk Selector	Bloomingdale
SYGMA - Illinois - Warehouse Selector	Warehouse Selector	Bloomingdale
Pizza Hut	Pizza Hut Manager	Bluffton
UPS	Package Handler	Boston
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Bourbon
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Bremen
Hudson Group	Retail Manager	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Retail Operations Supervisor - Indianapolis International Airport	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Retail Solutions Manager	Brooklyn
Hudson Group	Operations Team Leader	Brownsburg
Integrity Staffing Solutions	QA Agent	Brownsburg
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Marketing Manager - Own a Franchise	Camby
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Chesterton
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Sales Manager	Chesterton
Industrial Pallet	Staff Accountant	Clarks Hill
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic	Claypool
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Claypool
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Technician	Claypool

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in in. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant	Apollo Beach
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant	Balm
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant - Overnight Shifts Available	Ellenton
Amazon	Warehouse Team Member - Immediate Hire	Lithia
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant - Immediate Hire	Oneco
Amazon	Amazon Packer - Night Shifts Available	Ruskin
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant - Immediate Hire	Saint Petersburg
Amazon	Amazon Fulfillment Center Warehouse Associate	Sun City
Amazon	Amazon Order Filler - Multiple Shifts Available	Sun City
Amazon	Amazon Order Filler - Immediate Hire	Sun City
Amazon	Amazon Order Filler - Immediate Hire	Terra Ceia
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant	Terra Ceia
Amazon	Amazon Packer	Terra Ceia
Amazon	Amazon Warehouse Assistant - Immediate Hire	Wimauma
Amazon	Amazon Fulfillment Center Warehouse Associate	Wimauma
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Clermont
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Saint-Augustine
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Alturas
Franchise Career Advisor	Territory Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Alturas
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations - Own a Franchise	Alturas
Franchise Career Advisor	CEO - Own your own Franchise	Alva
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations - Own a Franchise	Alva
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Executive - Own a Franchise	Alva
Franchise Career Advisor	Sales Account Manager - Own a Franchise	Anna Maria
Franchise Career Advisor	Digital Marketing Sales - Own A Franchise	Anna Maria

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in fl. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Amazon	Warehouse Sorter - Immediate Hire	Charleston Afb
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	North Charleston
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Allendale
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations - Own a Franchise	Anderson
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Awendaw
Franchise Career Advisor	CEO - Own your own Franchise	Aynor
Franchise Career Advisor	General Manager	Aynor
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Marketing Manager - Own a Franchise	Aynor
Enmarket	Cook - Now Hiring	Bamberg
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Batesburg
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Bath
Franchise Career Advisor	VP Operations - Own a Franchise	Belton
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Blackstock
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Blair
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional VP of Sales - Own a Franchise	Boiling Springs
Truck Warrior- OTR	Truck Driver - OTR	Boiling Springs
LOCO MANUFACTURING	Secretary	Cades
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Canadys
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Carlisle
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Cassatt
Ross	Warehouse Associate - Direct Hire, All Shifts Available!	Catawba
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Central
Mercer Transportation	Flatbed Owner Operator - Fuel Discounts & Fast Pay	Chappells
Laurens County Healthcare System	SDU Nurse	Clinton
Laurens County Healthcare System	Travel ICU Stepdown RN (Step Down Unit Registered Nurse) - 452774	Clinton

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Autozone	Retail Sales Associate (Part-Time)	Waterford
Franchise Career Advisor	Area Sales Manager - Own a Franchise	Allen Park
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver - Detroit, MI	Allen Park
Mercy Health	Travel OR RN (Operating Room Registered Nurse) - 449947	Allendale
Domino's Pizza LLC	Domino s Delivery Driver - Flexible Schedules - 21 Mile Rd	Armada
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver (01192) - 24th Ave	Avoca
Domino's Pizza LLC	Restaurant Driver	Avoca
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver - Fort Gratiot Township, MI	Avoca
O'REILLY AUTO PARTS	Parts Delivery	Bad Axe
The TJX Companies	Customer Service Representative	Bay City
Franchise Career Advisor	Business Development - Own a Franchise	Berkley
Franchise Career Advisor	Financial Sales - Own a Franchise	Berkley
Franchise Career Advisor	Regional Marketing Manager - Own a Franchise	Berrien Springs
Franchise Career Advisor	AVP of Operations	Berrien Springs
Franchise Career Advisor	VP of Marketing Own the Territory Run the Show	Berrien Springs
Avanti Health Systems	Certified Nursing Assistant - CNA (Ironwood)	Bessemer
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver - Flexible Schedules	Birmingham
Golling Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram	CRC Specialist	Bloomfield Hills
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver (01183) - Elizabeth Lake Rd	Bloomfield Hills
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Breedsville
Domino's Pizza LLC	Restaurant Driver	Bridgeport
Domino's Pizza LLC	Domino's Delivery Driver - $300 Sign-On Bonus - 2700 State St	Bridgeport
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Bridgman
Cummins Inc.	Diesel Mechanic - Flextech Position in Mishawaka, IN	Buchanan
Domino's Pizza LLC	Delivery Driver (01217) - State St	Burt

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in mi. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

You probably don't know who you are, but we know it. I saw one in an Autozone on Manchester today. Now, I have been annoyed at various corporate failings at times, but especially in a post covid world, you'd think we'd have learned to be grateful that anybody is working retail or restaurants. You've got to REALLY mess up my fast food order before I say ANYTHING, and I have no problem coming back later just waiting if I see a long line and overwhelmed staff.
However, I could tell from the very look of him with his perfect haired son that he was a man of means, well funded, not living paycheck to paycheck, probably a house worth north of 500K, and 3 or more car garage. The product in question was some kind of auto additive in a plastic bottle. The actual price was more than some advertised discount he was expecting.
What did this bottle cost? $30 maybe? I'm cheap, so I will shop around if I am so motivated. I'm mildly annoyed if the price doesnt match what I expected. However, I usually just accept it and pay or look elsewhere if I feel the need.
Not Mr. Asshole. He felt the need to take out his grievance over the price of unnamed product vs. the advertised price on some poor girl working the register. She was able to take 10% off, but that didn't pacify Mr. Asshole.
I've been in these kind of jobs, and I'll bet the girl got minimal training. She didn't set the prices or the system scanning the bar codes. She apologized to Mr. Asshole, and explained that she had limited ability to change anything. She had to do what the register, scanner and/or store training told her to do. I think this was over a $10 discrepancy, at most. Probably less.
But no, Mr. Asshole wasn't done. He told her that he came in to this store a LOT (so do I, Mr. Asshole), and wanted to speak to her MANAGER. She pointed him to the sign out front with the manager's name, and he told her he WOULD be contacting the manager.
I kept looking for a good opening to call Mr. Asshole out for being an asshole, but couldn't find one. My bad, reddit. I'm not by nature very confrontational, and I frequently regret not being more so after encounters like this. The girl was in tears after he left, and I told her I would also be calling her manager to tell him how Mr. Asshole treated her, and how awesome she and the other folks there are.
I wished i had told Mr. Asshole off, because I've been there. Rich entitled people, maybe from Clayton or some other such area, used to breaking the rules, used to getting their way every fucking time because they are BETTER than the rest of us, used to skipping the line or getting their discount because the CUSTOMER is always RIGHT, and they pay a LOT of money. I dealt with those assholes, and it was so demeaning, trading my dignity for a bullshit p/t job to make ends meet.
In fairness to the folks in Clayton and other such municipalities, many of them are nice people who were a pleasure to serve. But there were always a few, and I am so glad that I no longer deal with the general public. Thank you covid for getting me laid off and into a new non public dealing career!
So in conclusion, we salute you, Mr. Entitled Asshole, with our middle fingers.
TL;DR I witnessed a real life Mr. Karen doing Karen things. My apologies to all the nice people named Karen who have had their name sullied by such scum.

Company Name	Title	City
SAS Retail Services	Merchandiser Retail Team Lead	Juneau
Advantage solutions	Retail Merchandiser Project	Juneau
Taco Bell	Team Member	North Pole
US Navy	Registered Nurse	Jber
US Navy	Nuclear Engineer	Jber
First Student	School Bus Drivers	Glennallen
Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation	Roller Operator	Barrow
Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation	Heavy Equipment Operator	Barrow
United Parcel Service	Warehouse Worker - Hiring Immediately	Big Lake
Centra Healthcare Solutions	Registered Nurse (RN) - Long Term Care (LTC) - 3x12 Days	Anvik
Centra Healthcare Solutions	RN	Anvik
Centra Healthcare Solutions	Registered Nurse (RN)	Anvik
Home Instead Senior Care	Home Care CAREGiver - Career Path in Wasilla	Chugiak
COLAS	SECON I Operator With CDL	Douglas
Nike	Retail Sales Associate (PT)	Houston
Nike	Warehouse Material Handler	Houston
Delta Airlines	Call Center Agent	Houston
Nike	Retail Sales Associate (PT)	Juneau
The Home Depot	Lot Associate	Kenai
Autozone	Autozone	Ketchikan
SynergisticIT	Entry Level Full-Time Position	Seward
The Sea Bean	Baker	Seward
Totem Square Hotel and Marina	Housekeeping Supervisor	Sitka
Totem Square Hotel and Marina	Front Desk Agent	Sitka
Totem Square Hotel and Marina	House Person	Sitka

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in ak. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

I need job/career advice
I (20f) from New York have always had bad luck with jobs since I got my first ever job (autozone) I think it has to do with the fact that I’ve never obtained my hs diploma/ged. I currently work at a salad bar type spot but I’m planning on quitting. I wanted to go into a field I think would fit me better like a receptionist, somebody working front desk. I also have medical problems that affect my ability to stand for long periods of time (another reason why I’m quitting & have had problems in the past) any advice? I do plan on going back to school to obtain my ged, I would love some advice on applying in a different field while working on continuing education, dress codes for interviews, more so how I should present myself you know especially considering I don’t have a hs diploma at the moment.