No Sense of Direction

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Rick666
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:15 pm

No Sense of Direction

Post by Rick666 »

Hi All

I have just started a new job and I really really love it and I want to stay there for many many years to come because its perfect for me because so far all I do is stand in one place and pack biscuits into boxes or stand at a conveyor belt and remove broken or burnt biscuits.

But what's worrying me is that this factory is massive and they have asked other people who started just before me to move pallets round the factory and I think they are going to ask me to move things around the factory and I know I will never be able to do it because I still get lost just trying to get to and from the canteen every time I have to take a break. If I could I would even forgo the breaks and would rather just pack boxes or remove burnt or broken biscuits for 8 hours without a break because every time I know my break time is coming up I get nervous.

Because of my bad sense of direction I have never learned to drive and I haven't been on holiday for over 30 years I just hope they will let me stay in this job when they find out I can't move things around the building like the other employee's can because I would be more than happy to stay on the national minimum wage or less to keep this job.

Rick666
Tom fod
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Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 9:05 pm
Location: SW UK

Re: No Sense of Direction

Post by Tom fod »

Hi Rick and welcome

I've moved this post into Work for you ask this fits better here.

I think a lot of us are not easily prised out of our comfort zones and can become trapped by our anxieties. What strategies do you have for finding your way to and from home to your assigned work station each day? what points do you pass between your place on the line and the canteen? Could you perhaps use part of your break or your journey in/out to better familiarise yourself with where things are so that in the event these other people are not around and you get picked upon to help it does not present such a challenge.

I appreciate your reasons, but you are entitled to your breaks and should take them. Equally you are entitled to the going rate for your work, otherwise you/we all run the risk of exploitation by employers who feel they can get away with shirking their duty of care.
Tom
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With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
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michele
Getting settled in
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Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:03 am
Location: Illinois, USA (UK heritage)

Re: No Sense of Direction

Post by michele »

Hi Rick,

Welcome, dealing with our weakness is often a challenge.

I see several things in your post.

One is the often harsh price of living with dyspraxia where it may be misunderstood...are you US or UK based (or elsewhere) if I may ask?

I understand about breaks almost not being worth it with the anxiety they bring. At a previous job I did end up not taking them because the rules about taking them became so cumbersome and stress inducing. Like you, and many in the dyspraxia family I have little sense of direction, get lost easily, and have even less sense of time.

Its not fair or right but you feel so greatful for a job and in someways like .a perpetual fraud. We are hard workers and dedicated but so prlne to screewing up little things others take for granted...so I understamd far to well wanting to make that trade and lose your basic rights as a trade for overlooking your faults. Thenproblem is you do need breaks and they may not see that traadeyou aare making.

Now for solutions...forget the canteen carefully and slowly expand your comfort path in the factory....look for ways to tell areas apart...landmarks. of any kind...see if there is a map or reference sheet. Take it one piece at a time....think about whether you learn best by spiraling out from your station or by walking straight lines.

Also this will sound weird but try to learn to "see" with your other senses...its called crossmodality. I seem to see with sound to a certain extent. It helps a little but like you vast unfamiliar environments that are hard to see easy landmarks in are almost a loss of equilibrium as well as difficult....the same with managing time....I think we all just want to do our jobs and not hit thenlittle trip points

Michele
"When none of the offfical paths lead you anywhere good there is a simple solution...forget about roads."
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