HELP! Depression & Anxiety becoming too much!

Chloemoana · ‎30-12-2017

Hi guys,

I'm feeling very lost at the moment. I am 21 years old and in the past year have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Trying to deal with this and also work full time in a very fast paced environment is HARD! I have just had the past 3 weeks on holiday and it seems that even on day 1 I was still thinking about work and how stressful it is and how much I hate it and dont want to go back. I couldn' even enjoy my time off work.

i guess I'm just asking for input into different career pathways for someone like me? I am looking at studying social work via online study, therefore I will need a job to work during the day.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. I've found myself having panic attacks almost everyday. (Already on antidepressants).

Thanks so much

Chloe

geoff · ‎01-01-2018

hi Chloe, sorry you haven't had a reply, but if the site is busy comments on page 1 get pushed onto page 3 or 4 and get missed until someone can pick it up.

Maybe the holiday was to escape your work hoping that the time away would help you with your depression and anxiety and time to get regain your energy, but with depression this rarely happens, once you start thinking about all your troubles they stay with you.

Firstly you need to be in a job that you like, because if you stay in this present job then your mind won't be able to even pick up a book and study, the desire, the want to or the interest will just clog your mind, so find another job, whether it be 4 days a week then you will be able to have the time to get help with your depression, which needs to be done and then find a course you want to study. Geoff.

romantic_thi3f · ‎03-01-2018

Hey Chloemoana,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for reaching out.

Sorry to hear that you're struggling with depression and anxiety; sounds like this must be very exhausting for you right now.

Hm.. career pathways - so you're looking at studying social work online. Will this be full-time? Are you looking for ideas on extra work you can pick up that's related to support you financially?

Can you give us a little bit of an idea as to what you like or what sorts of jobs you've had in the past?

and finally.. are you getting a little bit of help right now like seeing a therapist? Panic attacks everyday sound incredibly exhausting so I'm just wondering if you are ready to jump back into the working right now.

Chloemoana · ‎07-01-2018

Hey there, sorry for the late response.

My holiday is finally ending and I am due to go back to work tomorrow. I can feel another panic attack coming on..

I've had to defer my offer of social work as I know I need to focus on my mental health first. At the moment I am looking for anything really.. I've been looking at call centres, online customer service, I guess things that dont involve much face to face contact with new people all the time. I'm a manager at maccas and have been for the past 3 years but it' gotten too much for me now.

no I haven' seen a therapist, I've been pushing it off as it' so scary to think about however I now know that it is something I need to do.

Thank you aagain

romantic_thi3f · ‎09-01-2018

Hi Chloemoana,

Thanks for your post and great to hear from you again 🙂

Can I ask what sorts of things you do when you feel like you have a panic attack coming on? How do you manage them? I know that they can be really exhausting!

Call centres and online customer service sounds great; you could consider admin? A lot of workplaces have an admin who works at the front desk (customer service) but then also admin's behind the counter - things like data entry etc. Sometimes it can help if you look through the job description; that way you can have a bit more of an idea of how much contact you'd have to be doing with others.

Or you talked about working as a manager; could you swing the other way into corporate?

I understand that seeing a therapist can be scary; is that something you'd be willing to talk about here? I do think it would be really helpful. Often the benefit of seeing one can outweigh the idea of how scary it could be.

Chloe_M · ‎05-04-2018

Hi Chloe,

Welcome! Thank you for posting here- there are plenty of people who want to help you!

What happens when you have a panic attack? What goes through your head? How does your body feel/react?

I frequently have panic attacks as well- they make me sweat, shake, hyperventilate, and cry. I dread everything, hallucinate, and sometimes go crazy with my hand sanitiser, because I am 'covered in germs'. I have no diagnosis but I feel like I am battling GAD or OCD or something.

Also, how do you know when you are going to have a panic attack? I would be interested how this 'warning sign' differs from person to person. When I am about to have one, I have an intense feeling of dread in my stomach, and my breathing gets fast, short, and sharp.

If you are scared to speak to someone face to face, continue posting here, or check out eHeadspace- they have free online counselling. I pay them a visit from time to time to get help with my own problems. I also find that my anxiety isn't as strong and 'demanding' when I am trying to help others (like on this forum).

Best wishes, my thoughts are with you!

Us Chloe's should stick together anyway 🙂

xx Chloe_M