Anybody lost their job due to anxiety?

[ManNeedsHelp]

Has anybody lost their job due to anxiety? If so, how did things turn out?

I'm being pressured to go back but in no way feel ready and also part of me never wants to go back there as if I do I fear nothing will ever change as thats where my first panic attack happened and I'm very aware of that in my mind.

Whilst in the short term I feel going back there will make me initially better I feel in the long run it wont and I always end up back in this situation.

Just wanted to hear from anybody else who's lost their job and how things have turned out for them :)

[Ingenious]

I quit my job due to anxiety and depression, but that was a personal choice on my part, I wasn't forced out. However like you I did feel under pressure to go back to work, and I just wasn't ready, even after over 7 months.

It was scary quitting my job but I have to say just the removal of this pressure helped take away about 80% of the problems, we tend to get into viscous circles don't we, where we are off work to get better, but the worry about going back to work makes us ill again! Also, I did worry a lot that I was letting people down, and felt bad for being off. However, no-one is irreplaceable and life does go on, not long after I left the company found a replacement, that's business.

And yes, things did turn out OK. I couldn't see it at the time (wood for the trees and all that) but my job was part of my illness. So it was the right thing to move on, even at the risk of a period of great uncertainty.

So whether you lose your job or decide to leave, sometimes life does help us make great steps in life and our recovery, though at the time it can seem like the end of the world.

[semper solus]

I went off sick for a while and felt pressured into going back so I did. about 2 weeks after going back loads of us where told we where going to be made redundant. 2 years on I'm still unemployed and hating every minute of it. I can't seem to find a job. I think very few people are totally happy in there jobs and most get stressed out by it. But my advice is keep hold of your job even when things get rough!

[ManNeedsHelp]

I dont think I can keep hold of it, its a major reason behind the way I've gotten the way I am

[tibb]

I started a job on monday and had to leave on tuesday :( cant see me ever holding down a job :'(

[steveo]

I'm self employed and since my nervous breakdown at the start of Jan, I haven't been able to do any work and I've lost many clients and many hundreds of pounds.

[Sunshine77]

Hi, I understand where you're coming from. I'm due back next week (was originally this week but couldn't do it) and I'm dreading it. Thing is, I'm not sure whether I'm afraid of the job or afraid of the fear. Did you ever enjoy your job? I'd only been in mine for 11 weeks before I had my "meltdown" and the last 3 weeks or so were pure hell but I think that was because I felt so ill rather than because of the job itself - I seem to recall actually enjoying it before that, although it's stressful.

So now although I'm dreading going back and like you I almost want to never go back, I think that might be my mind playing tricks on me. My real fear isn't the doing of the job, it's the "what if I can't do the job?" i.e what if I have a panic attack / burst into tears / become overwhelmed by anxiety etc and have to go off again?

Does that make sense? For me, I am in no fit state to make major career decisions right now so I am going to have to go back and see what happens.

Fear of fear - what a vicious circle it is!

[kawaiiprincess]

I had to quit my job at the end of January due to my anxiety. I had only started at the beginning of the year and lasted 3 weeks. It got to the point where it was affecting my work performance and I just wasn't coping. To be honest I think it was the best decision because there was alot of pressure and I knew I would have gone off sick if I stayed. Not good because I was on probation period and already had time off.

I'm looking for a new role at the moment because I don't want a huge gap left on my CV and I really want to try and cope with my anxiety. I feel the break has helped me though.

[ManOverboard]

I just left my job yesterday. I have gone through life doing this. A job is good until I am confronted for something that I feel was not my fault. From that point on, the anxiety kicks in and it elevates each time I am confronted again. I eventually resign and withdraw from the job instead of facing the problem head on. I select employees that seem to be understanding, as "friends". The others I keep distance and tend to shy from them when they approach me. Sometimes the anxiety causes outburst at the one confronting me, which I don't even realize is happening until it has been said. Is this typical of your situation?

[Logan_Five]

If I've been off work ill for 5 months now - not work related, I might add. Am fortunate that my employer have so far been very good and understanding - hopefully due to my being honest with them, with regards to how I am doing. I'm hoping that I'll be able to head back to work by the end of the month, but we shall see.

[theharvestmouse]

I did leave a job due to anxiety, I'm now self employed and it's the best thing I ever did.

[AthenaFaeyrn]

I could never hold a conventional job so I became self-employed but quit due to my depression and anxiety.

[feelthelove]

my huby is self employed as i can't work due to anxiety and he stays intouch with me most of the day .

[Fight&Flight]

Hiya. I was off for 12 months work related anxiety. I couldn't, go back I was was bullied and harassed by senior management and human resources . In to back dating a statement, which resulted in a dismal. It's a long sad story which I won't bore you with it. Any suggestions on working from home would be nice please.

I've been on ESA for the last 5 years, I want to work, but the thought of being in that environment again just mortifying for me sadly.

[MoonlightFire]

This time round I think I've been pretty close to losing my job. I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Depression and some OCD and I've been really struggling at work. I've recently re-started meds so things are improving now but for a while I seriously doubted I would have the strength to keep a full time job going for much longer. Dragging myself into the office every morning was a nightmare and the environment itself triggered me constantly. I was also sleeping very badly and waking up in the middle of the night panicking about the next day at work. I started having to take time off as well because I was just emotionally wrecked at work every day and bursting into tears regularly. I think I started the meds just in time before the anxiety and dep ruined my job to be honest.

Fight&Flight, that sounds like a really horrible situation you had to deal with at your last work :( I'm sorry you had to go through that. I was bullied in the job I had before this one. It doesn't sound as bad as the bullying you describe but it really messed with my confidence. Have you thought about starting with some low-stress part-time work? Something quiet and calming which wouldn't trigger you. I'm not sure what sort of thing you like to do but for a while I was considering going back into library work, working with animals or maybe something in the community or for a charity.

M x

[Fight&Flight]

Hiya. Many thanks for your thoughts. I'm a big animal lover. And have thought about that route, animals, charity etc something that gives me a routine again. As as much as what happened to me, I want to get back on with life. I was used to a decent income holidays all the things some take for granted. Now I'm stuck on ESA and the DWP try the darnedest to sanctions me / everyone if they can.