Jamesflames
01-11-15, 16:29
Hi all. I have been struggling with agoraphobia for about 3 years now and it has made my work a bit difficult. I work for a local council doing inspections of properties for various reasons. I did have responsibility for about half of the local district, which covers just over 200 sq miles, so I had to do about 100 sq miles of mainly countryside. The agoraphobia has made it more or less impossible for me to get to the further half of this area. Luckily about half of the properties in the area are in my town which I feel mostly ok about travelling around. However, the further I get from my home town, the worse I feel. This has got worse over the last 3 years too. Initially I felt able to go anywhere so long as I was near to my car but this is no longer the case.
I have recently agreed with my colleague that she will do more of the rural work and I will do all of the home town work along with some nearby villages and towns that I feel just about ok to get to. However, I feel pretty bad about having neglected my work in the further places.
It has suddenly appeared that my close colleague may have to take 6-9 months off work which is worrying me a bit. She has been really supportive so I worry about how I will cope without her.
Because I have been hoping to recover, I haven't really spoken to my bosses about this. I have had a couple of chats with HR because I think my nearest colleagues have been worried about me. The HR manager is pretty supportive in general but I haven't asked for any specific help. My direct team leader also knows that I am struggling, but I haven't asked for any specific help either.
With the possibility of my colleague being away for a while I am thinking I need to arrange a meeting with my team leader to let her know that I am a bit worried about things. Seeking help is a bit against my nature so I am kind of nervous about this.
Being an anxious type I can't help but worry that my bosses will decide that I am not competent enough and try to get rid of me. I keep reminding myself that, because my first few agoraphobic panics happened at work, I can play the work-related disability card if I get any hassle, although I doubt it would come to that. I am also fairly confident that, if my bosses did cause problems, my GP would be able to sign me off for a while, and if I spent my working hours doing intense CBT & exposure therapy for a month or two, I would be able to get myself a lot better.
Sorry for the epic vent! How are you other agoraphobics coping with work?
I have recently agreed with my colleague that she will do more of the rural work and I will do all of the home town work along with some nearby villages and towns that I feel just about ok to get to. However, I feel pretty bad about having neglected my work in the further places.
It has suddenly appeared that my close colleague may have to take 6-9 months off work which is worrying me a bit. She has been really supportive so I worry about how I will cope without her.
Because I have been hoping to recover, I haven't really spoken to my bosses about this. I have had a couple of chats with HR because I think my nearest colleagues have been worried about me. The HR manager is pretty supportive in general but I haven't asked for any specific help. My direct team leader also knows that I am struggling, but I haven't asked for any specific help either.
With the possibility of my colleague being away for a while I am thinking I need to arrange a meeting with my team leader to let her know that I am a bit worried about things. Seeking help is a bit against my nature so I am kind of nervous about this.
Being an anxious type I can't help but worry that my bosses will decide that I am not competent enough and try to get rid of me. I keep reminding myself that, because my first few agoraphobic panics happened at work, I can play the work-related disability card if I get any hassle, although I doubt it would come to that. I am also fairly confident that, if my bosses did cause problems, my GP would be able to sign me off for a while, and if I spent my working hours doing intense CBT & exposure therapy for a month or two, I would be able to get myself a lot better.
Sorry for the epic vent! How are you other agoraphobics coping with work?