Anyone here with depression/anxiety that holds a full time job

[Guest_9870]

I have posted about jobs and whats best for us that suffer mentally before and i have been given some valuable advice from lots of you.
I just have a few more questions and that is, anyone on here hold a full time job and suffer mentally, what jobs are they, how do you cope etc?

I had been given advice to have 2 jobs and that is going okay although i still get bad anxiety on the days i work as the bosses are rude and cause drama. I try to keep away from it as much as i can.

Although this is okay for now, theres no security as they are casual, and i feel like i am not getting anywhere.

I want a career and all i can think of is jobs that are helping people, but i know that nursing and jobs like that will be too much for me.

I dont even know if i can hold a full time job, i have tried multiple times and just end up not coming to work anymore.

Any experiences you guys have that are work related please share what worked for you.

[blondguy]

Hello Angie26

You have written a great post here and good on you for having the strength to work through your pain too

I have worked through some heavy duty anxiety for about 30 years and it was difficult. Mainly in positions like marketing, product development and management.

Just from my experience....the higher the profile of career/job the greater the anxiety if a person has anxiety attacks and/or depression.

I only survived these 30 years due to the mega support from my GP's and a great free mental health worker through the local council who I saw frequently for a long time.

I know some senior level nurses (Div 1 Grade2, 3...and grade 4) They love their work but do have to contend with frequent and ongoing stress.

Just fyi a combination of super regular counseling/looking after myself and some basic low level meds all helped with achieving over 3 decades of gainful employment 🙂

You are an amazing and proactive person Angie! There are some people with anxiety that have a Diploma in counseling and enjoy what they do......There is also many other types of employment available too....I remember when my anxiety was severe....I wished I was working in a nursery....close to mother nature

The counseling (and sometimes meds when required) is a ongoing gift when we are working

Great thread Angie

Paul

[JessF]

Hello angie26, I want to gently encourage you but at the same time don't want to make you feel deficient for the difficulties you have had to date.

I believe that most people with depression and anxiety manage to work full time. Of course it depends on the severity of your illness, but even in the worst cases it comes in patches. I live with depression and anxiety that has been extremely tough at times, but I have managed to remain in full time employment for many years.

As blondguy has said, the key is having supports alongside you. Think of it as a scale, with stresses being loaded on one side and supports on the other. If you load yourself up with a high powered stressful job and no support, the scale will tip. Colleagues you don't get on with at work are a given, this is where an active social life and good friends outside of work help to balance.

I think it's important that you try and break the cycle here, because unfortunately, the longer you stay out of work, the bigger the gap on your CV, which makes it more difficult to get work. Consistency is the key.

You mention that helping people is a big motivation for you. Perhaps you could start out with some volunteering alongside your casual work, and build up some contacts and confidence. There are many helping professions and jobs out there aside from nursing. Look into charities that do work in areas that you are passionate about and see what opportunities there are.

It sounds like the jobs that haven't worked out weigh heavily on your mind. Try instead to look at the jobs you've had where things have worked. Why did they work? What could you take from those jobs into any new career you move into?

[Guest_9870]

Thankyou for your experiences and advice i really appreciate it! I believe meds and pyschologist will be the best chance to succeed with how i am.

I used to be on meds for years but then i got anxiety that it was going to affect my brain...and i stopped.

But i know i need it if i want to try and live a normal life.

[Guest_9870]

Thankyou for your reply i really appreciate it! Unfortunately i am one of the people that cant hold a full time job when it gets tough. I think youre correct about having the support it does help so much. I have many people there for me which im so grateful for... but unfortunately my illness has taken over me. I currently work casual for 3 days, the other 4 days i am sleeping, barely looking after myself. When my friends ask me out most of the time i come up with excuses. To be honest, me starting to work the 3 days is progress as i used to spend every day sleeping, not getting up for food etc.
i think i definitely need pyschologist and meds again, as i am basically sleeping my life away.

I also worry about my resume, like you said, the gaps are hard to explain to employers.

Thankyou again.

[gloria10]

Hi Angie26,

I completely understand where you are coming from. It is challenging working full time with depression and anxiety and its something I have posted about too.

Some of the things I have been trying is to make more time for myself such as exercising or even meditiating for five minutes I found to be a real benefit. I think its important to spend time on things that make you happy to break away from work as well.

You mentioned wanting to nurse but not sure if its right, what about Medical Admin? It still deals with helping people but perhaps less intense. Just an idea though 🙂

Best wishes!

Gloria10

[blondguy]

Hi Angie26

Thanks heaps for posting back to everyone

I admire you because you have been strong to post thus you want to get better and good on you!

I hope you can stick around the forums and let us know how you go

My kind thoughts

Paul

[Guest_9870]

Thankyou Gloria for your reply, i even find doing things for myself a task! I have been offered a childcare role so maybe it might be okay to do that. Ill see how i go. All the best to you Gloria 🙂

[Guest_9870]

Thankyou for your reply I really appreciate it 🙂 I am glad to hear you made it, you should be proud of how far you have come! very inspiring. I have been offered a full time role in childcare, Ofcourse i feel down and anxious about it, but i am trying to overcome it but just thinking about it is hard. I just hope its a good environment and that i can do it. I think you're right about the meds and getting help, i hope there are pyschologists available after hours or on the weekend. Thanks again for your advice 🙂

[TalkingHead]

Hi Angie26,

I think you're a fantastic person and the courage you show in posting how you feel is an inspiration to a lot of people, including myself. I suffered from heavy depression when I was a kid all the way through to adulthood, and I have random anxiety attacks even to this day. However, when I was a kid, I didn't talk very much, especially about how I honestly felt. I kept that stuff hidden deep inside, and the tighter I grasped at it, the worse it got. I became afraid of people finding out and being laughed at. It took over ten years for me to slowly realise that I wasn't the only one and I started opening up, found friends and support groups who were going through the same thing and began to come out of my shell slowly. It is tremendously hard to cope with negative thoughts in your head, but one thing that that has kept me safe and on track is this. Take small steps and make small goals. The ultimate goal is to get to a point where anxiety does not take centre stage, but it sits in the back row asleep. These small goals over time add up to something amazing and your already doing that by posting here and talking about how you feel. Every new change will be a challenge, but for me, I found it a little easier to cope when I only focused on my day, not my week, month or year. These things I will tackle when I get to it, for now, I just want to conquer today.

While I've only been on these forums for less than a day, I can already see it being a great support network and a place of respect and non-judgment. I hope you let us know how things go as I think you're doing great and I hope if you took the childcare position, that you are doing well.

Best wishes

Norman