Hello everyone, new to this site

[FRANKIEISBACK]

I am a 39 year old fella and have suffered with anxiety and depression for many years however I am finally taking it seriously.

I am not working at present and was wondering what sort of occupations, if any, people with mental health problems seem to do.

Is there any help out there getting people like us into meaningful employment?

Take care all

[Meg]

Welcome Frankie,

Glad you are addressing your issues and aiming to get better.
Shout if you need any specific help or advice

First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)

Volunteering ... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3767)



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Many thanks meg

[pinkscrumpy]

Hi Frankie

Welcome to the forum



MANDIE XX

[FRANKIEISBACK]

And hiya to you as well mandy

[Theo]

Hello Frankie,

Welcome to the site.

I know exactly the way your are feeling. I am a 37 year old male currently signed off work (i work in pensions normally) and wonder if finding the right job may, not necessarily help, but improve my outlook on life.

I am currently deciding on a college course with a view to a future job. To be perfectly honest i am not sure if there is a specific job for people with our condition. I think what is important is to be able do something that you enjoy, find challenging without being stressful and basically make you feel valued. A lot of jobs nowadays seem to be only concerned with hitting targets or sales figures regardless of who achieves it. Maybe, this has always been one aspect of working that you are pretty much a small cog etc. but i don't think it applies to people who have gained life experience.

Sorry to go on but I felt a great deal of empathy for you with the message that you posted. One thing I can suggest is not work in a call centre, sales or in the financial
sector, apart from that i don't know.

Feel free to send a PM if you want.

Hope to hear from you at some point

Theo

PS. The people on this site are very supportive so you've come to the right place

[Quirky]

Welcome Frankie :)
As theo said there are no right or wrong occupations for people with anxiety or depression, you just need to find what is right for you.
I have read many people start out with voluntary work and build up from there.
Take care and good luck,
LJ

[FRANKIEISBACK]

I have been told to avoid anything with stress, teaching, nursing etc.

I am a qualified city and guilds decorator and really enjoy the work but its the crap of dealing with fussy customers who want it done for as cheap as possible that means I couldnt really run my own business which in itself is stressful

[Karen]

Hi Frankie

Welcome to the forum.

Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Thank u karen

[seh1980]

Welcome aboard Frankie!! :D

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[zena]

Hi Frankie.
Welcome to the site honey.
I agree with LJ. Why don't you go to the voluntary sector, they maybe able to put your qualifications to work.
That way you do how many hours you wish and not the other way round.

with good wishes

Zena

[Claireabell]

HI Frankie

Welcome to the site, you will find lots of help and advice.

We are all here to support one another.

Take Care

Claireabell :)

[FRANKIEISBACK]

there is no way I could work full time the way I am feeling at the moment.

I am a graduate, bsc geography, but I have never really used it,sort of drifted in life really.

Do others feel they have been disabled by depression and stress? I am in the position of being 39 and having to live with my parents, it doesnt do a lot for ones self esteem and as for relationships well thats just a non starter.

Having said that my father and I are in the process of building a small flat at the back of the house, so at least I and they will have a bit of privacy.

One of my biggest problems is the sense of loss, seeing my peers marry, settle down, etc , I think I just have to accept my life has been limited by all this.

[Meg]

I agree totally Frankie that jumping in the deep end is not the way to go..

Yes many of us have had to have some time off from work and it can be a struggle to get back especially if we left the workplace and had extended time off which sometimes is very necessary, but as we improve, I think it is important to get back to a routine of being partially self sufficient and being accountable for something.

This helps those big issues of self esteem and self worth but also keeps you focussed on something other than yourself and starts building life skills confidence and increases your social interaction.


I do agree these disorders can be very limiting but that doesn't have to be perpetual.

Do check out the links I sent you re starting with volunteering. You are fully in control then and can decide and try before you commit.

Well done for your current building project .. Nice one.


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[Claireabell]

Hi Frankie,

Just take one step at a time, no matter how small that step might seem, it all helps.

It is not unusual for graduates not to use what they have gained, a cousin of mine graduated but now works a jewellery stall but the most important thing is she is happy and that is all the matters. Also you are only 39 and thats not old.
The small flat that you are building with your father is giving you something to focus on which can help us to stop thinking negative thoughts for a while anway :)

Relationships or lack of them was one of my biggest worries, everybody else was with someone or getting married and I felt like I was the only one on my own but it can change. I am now married with a daughter and I meet my husband on a bus. Seeing as I don't do public transport I think this was a miracle for me, nervous and pulled at the same time :)

If you feel like a chat feel free to pm or msn.

Please remember that you are not alone no matter how much it feels like it.

Take Care

Claireabell :)

[vernon]

hi franki, Welcome to the site.

[kairen]

Hi Frankie,

Welcome to the site, as you can see you will get lots of help and support here,

take care


kairen x

[bluesparkle]

hi frankie
welcome to the site...
this is a great place to be...
i understand what you are saying about relationships... but i have learnt that it will come in time and is not the most important thing but i do understand...
i tried working last year but wasnt ready... and i felt such a faliure but i gave myself time and used the advice i was given on here wisely and i am now looking to work again by september... i have done a few things lately and i feel great when i achieve them...
you will be made very welcome here and will get loads of great advice...
i have made many good friends here too which helps with the loneliness
i am on msn if you would like to add me for a natter sometime
rach

[sueiamnew]

Welcome Frankie

[clickaway]

Hi Frankie!

A somewhat belated welcome to the site, but have just read your posts and have discovered that our thoughts and issues are somewhat similar.

I can certainly tick the 'low self-esteem' box but this is getting better with age and understanding (I'm 51).

And I can totally relate to the hang-up with being with parents well into adulthood and the resultant void in the world of women lol. Thinking back to when I was about 21 I felt like a lost cause which now I see as pretty daft. Of course someone came along in the end, albeit a bit later than I'd wanted, but they saw something in me they liked I suppose. We all have something to give whatever our situation.

As far as work is concerned, I was an accountant for a local authority. I was indeed a cog in a wheel and really got cynical about targets and my job's real worth to the tax-paying public. Life seemed full of permissions, and it made me feel as if I couldn't be trusted.

But it was probably my personal life, much of it rooted in childhood that caused my general anxiety I think, and found that I could not continue working.

For the last two months I have undertaken some charity shop work, just one afternoon a week, and this forms part of a much needed structure to my life. I'm an extra pair of hands and so if I don't feel up to scratch one week I can phone in sick with no guilt - I am doing a favour to them each week for free after all!

Hope your building work is coming along fine - that will be something to be proud of, which will send a few good vibes to help you along.

Cheers,

Ray



Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself.--Alice Walker

[FRANKIEISBACK]

Ta mate