Work stress

[Always]

Hi,

first time posting. I currently work in a job that is extremely stressful - like the worst stress I've ever experienced. In an office with far too few staff and far too much work. Plus the rules change constantly, i feel undertrained and am constantly being verbally abused by 'clients'. I was diagnosed with depression & anxiety a few years ago but got it well managed and was ok until i started this job. I'm at an all time low and feel i need to take some time off before i quit and lose my income. I don't sleep. I have anxiety attacks and bouts of crying before work most days. I have some income protection through my super but I'm not sure if my previous diagnoses would exclude me from claiming. I wouldn't even know how to arrange to go on stress leave if thats even an option. Or would they blame the preexisting condition and say i don't qualify? I've tried to tell my team leader that I'm overwhelmed but she does nothing except try to console me.

Is there anyone else out there who has preexisting mental illnesses that were well managed but due to work related stress have had a decline in mental health? What did you do?

[Chicken_Wings]

Hi Always,

Welcome to the forums.

I totally understand. I work in a job that can be really stressful too. I’ve had to let my manager that I’m ‘not ok’. So first off let me say well done saying something because that can be a struggle.

I’ve had really long periods of being really well. No anxiety to speak of.

At the moment I’m up and down, I usually feel anxious before I leave for work and can also feel panicked through the day at times. A few weeks ago I was driving home crying at the end of every day

Right now is a really busy time at work and sometimes I just wish I could stay home. I can certainly feel the anxiety leave when I work through the front door and I’m basically just waiting for weekends.

Is you work big enough to have an HR department? Last time I was going through a particularly rough patch I spoke to our HR team and found that my work will actually pay for 3 sessions with a psychologist. It might be worth investigating what your work might have in place.

If not, have you considered a Mental Health Care Plan through your GP?

It gives you access to 10 sessions with a psychologist subsidised by Medicare.

I’m doing some CBT at the moment and I’ve found it really helpful in reducing my anxiety through the day.

[Always]

Hi

thanks so much for replying.

I work in a big organisation and have previously accessed an employee assistance program a few years ago when i had a really low point but really didn't like the psychologist. She was very abrubt and seemed to be blaming me for upsetting other people. That experience left a sour taste towards those services. After that i accessed a mental health care plan and saw an amazing psychologist who i did some CBT with. That was when my life really picked up again and the good days started outnumbering the bad. Then i moved away from that town and a year later started this job. The move was definitely beneficial to my wellbeing but it means i can't go back to that psych.

The interesting thing is, this time I don't have the same feelings of self loathing and self blame. I'm not blaming myself anymore for not being able to cope. That's a huge thing for me.

I asked my team leader today if she could look into whether i could enter a short term part time agreement just to have 1 day off per fortnight and get some balance back in my life. She's following up with HR. I'm feeling a little more hopeful right now. I just wish could get control back when I'm having those darn panic attacks in the middle of the night. I know my strategies, just can't seem to apply them in the moment.

its great to have this forum to discuss these things. I can really sense the shared experiences and understanding in the forum community and don't feel the stigma at all.

[Chicken_Wings]

Thats great that your manager is looking into it.

I don’t know if you’ve tried it, but sometimes if I wake up feeling panicked, try put a wheat bag (doesn’t have to be heated) over my eyes and listen to some white noise on a low volume. Alternatively, sometimes I just lay the wheat bag on my chest where I feel the panic.

The weight of the wheat bag is actually really calming. I guess that’s why people find weighted blankets so comforting.

It might be worth talking to your GP about psychologists in your area? My GP was able to recommend one based on feedback from her other patients and I really like the one I’m seeing now.

[smallwolf]

Always,

You said - "I've tried to tell my team leader that I'm overwhelmed but she does nothing except try to console me." I have two bosses. One is understanding, and wants me to get better. The other is "I don't understand why you worry about things so much". Yeah! Thanks! Don't recall asking for that feature. The fact is that some people don't understand or get what it is really like. But from your recent post it sounds like you are making some in-roads. So I have my figures crossed for you on that matter.

Next, you said - "Is there anyone else out there who has preexisting mental illnesses that were well managed but due to work related stress have had a decline in mental health? What did you do?". My real answer to this is that I hit rock bottom towards end of last year and saw a GP who referred me to the psychologist, who has given me distraction and coping tools. Things recently took a turn for the worse and I got a medical certificate for some weeks off work. It is not ideal, but I have to get better. I have said that my health is more important than my job. And added a psychiatrist into the mix.

So I guess the question that I have for you is ...

What distraction and coping tools do you have? Are you still using these?

If you want I can tell you of the ones that my psych told me about... these are CBT based and mindfulness related.

All the best,

Tim

[Always]

Hi

I actually trained in ACT as part of my previous job so i use a lot of mindfulness strategies and refer to books by Dr Russ Harris like the happiness trap. I find this really helpful. Some days i guess i just get stuck in a rut and forget i have those strategies.

When I'm at work I'm fairly certain i have developed an automatic response of acting like I'm happy when other people are around even when internally i want to scream. Its quite engrained as i feel the need to keep others happy and not cause any upset (instilled from a history of abuse) as well as the belief that i would look weak and not cut out for my job if i showed my emotion. Of course i have little tanties when I'm frustrated and open up to some colleagues individually but to most people I'm sure they see me as generally happy and a bit annoying.

when i panic in the middle of the night, as soon as i feel able to get up i walk around the house so i can do some deep breathing and i find my cat to give her a cuddle. Lucky for me she's more affectionate when she's sleepy.

At the moment I'm just trying to take each day as it comes and use the time driving home in the evening to reflect on the parts of the day that i handled well. This includes the terrifying (to me) situations where I've been able to stand up for myself and assert my position in a professional manner when I've been getting yelled at down the phone. It helps to remind myself that i am actually kinda good at the job and some people do appreciate my work. That is so often clouded by the stress and the angry people. I usually forget to acknowledge when I've done well and spend so much time fearing the next dose of bad.