panic, anxiety and work

[crazychick]

I was wondering if people would be nice enough to share there experience with suffering panic and anxiety in there work.
I have had a very negative experience and been signed off for a while noe, My doc thinks looking for new work etc might help and was wondering what kind of places are good for poeple to work in, helpful and treat the staff well etc

[Eva May]

hi crazychick. I have changed my last few jobs due to the panic and agoraphobia but luckily everyone was understanding. In my current job, my bosses don't really talk about it but they know it's there. The girls I work with are very good and I know I could talk to them if I needed to. I was very secretive about it in previous jobs and found this put way too much pressure on me. I might have just got lucky cos I know there are some right ignorant @ssh0les out there but I really feel that telling people about it is helpful.And always stand up for yourself,we go through enough without letting others make us feel bad about it :hugs:

[up a ladder]

Crazychick.
I have been in and out of depression and anxiety for 13 odd years. This is all in the same firm. I have had to sit in meetings for hours whilst feeling terrible. Hold meetings and present to people and wishing I was small enough to dissapear into my own pocket.
The only real recommendation I would make is that you try not to avoid situations. Every time you avoid anything, the next time it comes around it is worse.
I would have thought that staying where you were would offer some comfort, rather than having to build relationships from scratch.
I always found it very difficult to discuss with my boss. Oddly enough I have had a few of the guys who work for me discuss their own problems with anxiety and depression.

[Lilith1980]

I guess everyone is different but for me it would be finding the right balance of enough work to keep you going each day, but not too much work that you end up stressing yourself out.

I am bored to my wits end here. The days drag, and the work I do get given is so tedious. Nothing challenges me.

I am looking for another job which will keep me busy, where the people are friendly and where I will feel fulfilled. I normally look for charity sector jobs as I used to love working in a charity, but moving to the Midlands meant I wanted to get a job asap so took one in finance. I have been here for nearly 10 months so I think its time to move on!

xxxxx

[Gabby]

Hiya

Mental health organisations are likely to be more understanding about your problems but I would look for anywhere that has a strong team ethos and try to choose a type of work that you are confident that you have the skills for. Something that you dont think will be too much of a stretch for you.

Other than that, its about seeing what kind of 'feel' you get for a place and how comfortably you feel you fit in with the personalities around you. If you are offered an interview, its often worthwhile asking for an informal visit to the place beforehand so that you can talk to the staff and see the environment.

A look at the mission statement, aims and values of an organisaion is often useful for getting a feel for the place too. Most organisations will have this on their website nowadays.

You might also want to see if they are signed up to something like the 'Mindful Employer' charter, which means that they are committed to supporting staff with mental health issues.

Good luck with looking for new work anyway - hope you find something soon.

Gabby

[Allye]

Hi

I work in a highly dynamic organisation, have a busy job but I can do it standing on my head, so am really bored (stress boredom I think its called). My PA started at work and I have suffered them plus GAD for about 1.5 years.

Only a couple of people here know. There is a work ethos here of long hours, and I have already lost favours because I was off sick so much last year (5 weeks but none with PA or GAD).

I am currently looking for another job – I have decided that quality of life is much better than £££.

In terms of finding work, in certain circumstances you may be covered under the Disability Discrimination Act. MIND have info on this. I think employees in the voluntary or community sector tend to be a lot more accepting.