Between a rock and a hard place.

[Hasno_Frenz]

I have worked for my current employer for 11 years. I am autistic. I am 50 years old.

On Thursday night, the night before this looooong weekend; a manager I don't know, decided he didn't like the way I spoke to him. Never mind I am a mimic and I merely responded to him as he was speaking to me, and so he told me to sign off and go home. And decided to formalize a complaint against me.

So now I've been marinating in anxiety for a day and a half and it is driving me insane.

I can't see my doctor because it's the long weekend. I can't see my psychiatrist becos..... it's the long weekend.

I've sent a letter to my union but they can't support me becos... it's the long weekend.

So what do I do? I can't really talk to my wife about it because she will get sad and I have to be careful what I say and do as I have an autistic daughter and I don't want her to start feeling anxious and depressed.

I can't sleep because my mind just won't let up. So I dwell in fear getting steadily more depressed and withdrawn.

There are still two and a half days to go. It's killing me.

[Guest_365]

Hi there

Unfortunately there's not much you can do on a long weekend as most are not working.

What you can do though to make yourself feel a little relief is write down your versions of events to 1 help your claim and 2 get it off your mind and on paper.

You can also give your mind a break by going for a walk or watching TV to pass the time.

Having to deal with something like that over a long weekend is unfortunate but sometimes you can't control these things so control what you can and focus on that.

If you need to chat to someone ring the Beyondblue line for further support.

Hope you can enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[Jackson85]

Hi Hasno,

That sounds like a tough spot, I know the feeling of just waiting on days to pass to get some idea of what's to come. Like Guest said, there is not really much you can do if people aren't available over the long weekend, but what we CAN do, is try not to let it totally ruin our 4 days off! If there is nothing you can do, no matter how hard to think about it or try to get in touch, then you're powerless to make any positive action or change. So if you have no power to change the situation, hopefully you can try to detach just for the last couple of days and be with your family.

Sometimes when I'm in this position I think about the last time something like this happened, and how it all turned out. When I was waiting on tax news one time over the weekend it went fine, and I thought "man I wish I hadn't wasted my whole weekend worrying", and another time I was waiting on a final uni grade I needed to get, which didn't go well, but when I got it on the Monday I thought "well now this is really annoying because I didn't get my grade, and I spent my whole weekend feeling crap".

But either way, both scenarios worked out fine in the end, as they always do, even if they're a bit tough for those pressing moments. I hope you start to feel better today,

Jackson85

[Hasno_Frenz]

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately, my mind just won't stop. Didn't sleep a wink last night and depression has really set in.

I've hardly eaten and I'm tormented by suicidal ideation. Not that I would ever succumb to that. I'm far too attached to my own intrinsic moral compass, and I couldn't allow my daughter to deal with it or see it as a potential solution for her own anxieties.

... But it is hard, and I don't see why I should have to suffer like this for the opinion of a person I don't even know.

What's worse company policy says that they will support people like me... but they don't.

I don't know what to do.

[Guest_365]

The best suggestion I could give now is to ring the Beyondblue hotline and talk it through. Focus on what you can control for now.