Work burnout and anxiety

[rab_34]

Hi, it’s my first post here and would like to seek advices on my situation. A bit long I’m sorry.

I’m a nurse working in hospital and just moved to Australia 2.5 years ago. During the first half year, everything seems fine and I did enjoyed it. Then management changed and I started hating my job. I’ve been nurse for 10 years and haven’t feel this again after my grad year. Workload is triple increased and unreasonable rules made by the department make me feel very unpredictable. Work culture here encourages compulsory overtime while we already worked more than legal hours. We asked to prioritize work over family and health. 1 year plus is required to book for a week of holiday. Compliments are discouraged and will got told off. Day/night roster is unstable which mades financial also unstable.

I developed anxiety-like symptoms around 1-2 years ago. It started as failed to wind down and clear my mind, tired and exhausted, to recently palpitation, rage, poor sleep, hard to focus and organize, unable to enjoy any hobby/holiday/moment. I now get irritated very easily and have zero patience. At the same time rushing to do many things but still feel like no time. I’m losing my self.

I know mainly of the stress came from my job. But what else can I do when having bills to pay. Job vacancies of the department I worked at are limited as kinda specialized. Another public hospital got repeated workplace bullying while other hospitals are private which are even more hectic. Also it can be hard to transit as I share one car with my partner so it’s not guaranteed to fit the time. It seems there’s nowhere better unless I considered moving interstate. It’s also hard to move home due to political and economical factors there.

I love the state I’m living in. Nature, weather, people. They are so good. But I feel like I’m 90% full of the bottle and getting harder and harder to control my anger and helplessness.

Wondering shall I start Mental Health Care Plan and reach out professional support or I just wait and see?

I’m also worried on the time that I spent on counselling and therapy. As I work 40 hrs per wk + compulsory overtime + compulsory oncall, I feel so stressful to get to therapy on my day off. Also the share one car problem for transport. Does anyone know are there any good telehealth therapy available under MHCP? And which professional shall I go to? Psychologist, therapist or counselling? 

Thank you so much for reading here. Sorry that it’s v long. Wish you all had a good one.

[therising]

Hi rab_34

My heart goes out to you so much as you face what sounds like a torturous amount of hours of work, along with some seriously questionable ethics on the part of management. Btw, apologies for if I'm imagining wrong but I'm imagining you work part-time, along with a whole stack of extra hours.

I'm wondering whether you've looked into The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the rights you have according to them. For example, while they acknowledge you may not be able to refuse a reasonable amount of overtime, they also acknowledge the right to not accept extra shifts under certain conditions. Another consideration could involve contacting the Fair Work Ombudsman. As you'd already know, a lot depends on what workplace agreement you're working under and what your contract states.

When you mentioned new management, I couldn't help but brace a little. With me having worked in the kitchen of an aged care facility that went from being owned and run by reasonable people to being owned and run by people who squeeze as much out of each employee as they can, I can relate to some of the emotions you mention feeling. Stress, rage, a lack of enjoyment and especially dread are not easy emotions to work with. When the job you love becomes a somewhat dread filled job but you love the people you work with and those you serve, there can be so many mixed emotions involved. At the end of the day, you have to put yourself first and begin to question 'What do I need more than anything else?'. If the answer is 'I need to work in a different sector' or 'I need to start refusing extra shifts (if possible)' or the answer is found in some other way, the answer has to be about what serves you while still being able to meet the everyday costs of living. While you knocking back at least one shift a week might put your co-workers under more pressure, so be it. Btw, I felt a terrible sense of guilt when I eventually resigned from my job, leaving my co-workers to manage with one less person while already under a lot of stress. The relief came to outweigh the guilt.

rab_34, I salute you😇. You're an angel. When I consider the amount of times my mum returned to hospital over the last handful of years in the lead up to her passing last year, a lot of the nurses made not just a difference to her physical health but her mental health too. She especially loved the ones with a sense of humour. If our job is leading us to lose our sense of humour, one of the things that helps us manage work stress, it's time to seriously question things. If, one by one, the things that help us manage are the things we're gradually losing, all we're left with in the end is stress. The truth is (in many cases) management doesn't care, as long as the work gets done. Btw, if management ask why you're knocking back at least one shift every week, you could always tell the truth and say 'My circumstances have changed and I've now become a carer for someone who requires extra care'. You don't have to tell them who you've started caring for (you). If you work part-time and there's a day where you're not permanently rostered on, that becomes your care day, the day where you're just not available. It might also pay to look into General Adaptation Syndrome, especially the 3rd stage.❤️

[randomxx]

Ho there op and v sorry about what the situation has become.

Sadly nothing stays the same anymore. lt's become some in thing to mix things up and change things non stop and in your field management or someone comes on with new brilliant- not , ideas, update update update.

l hate it.

In your line, my ex is a nurse 30yrs, she had similar things happen in some of her jobs. And she was a great nurse, one of their best yet some new management would start up and give her a hard time or some other rubbish, change everything,

I remember one she persisted for awhile but they got so bad she quit and got a new job somewhere else. She'd worked for that hospital 7yrs, they all loved her and knew her style and the way she worked and appreciated it but the new mob- just laid into everyone and wrecked the whole system they'd had going for yrs. 

But that was pretty common, she's changed jobs quite a bit over the yrs. She knows the system and if that starts happening again , the poor nurses don't have a leg to stand on bc it all comes from the top so she doesn't even bother anymore, she'll just move jobs to another hospital. One good thing about your field, there's a hue demand, she can get work anywhere.

lf it doesn't look lke getting any better l'd just leave going on ex's experiences if it was me.

Good luck anyway.

rx