How Many People Have Had To Give Up Work?

[mannix10]

I have recently been paid off on ill-health retirement due to my anxiety. I was wondering how badly anxiety has affected peoples working lives and how many people have suffered a similar fate.

[xBettyBoopx]

I said "Yes", but in actual fact I was made redundant in 2005 & because of bad anxiety & physical illness have not been able to go & look for another job. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been made redundant, probably I might still be there but I don't know:shrug:

I lost my mum 3 months after the redundancy & have not been the same since, I can't seem to get over it. Whether work would have been my saving grace, I don't know:shrug:

Els

[bcr]

I said 'no' but it's not quite that straightforward...

I'd decided that I wanted to leave my job and move out of the company I worked for anyway because I didn't like it. However my boss was bullying me so I left sooner than planned - that was due to depression & anxiety.

I actually want to work for myself as I'm fed up of trying to fit into a '9 to 5' society when I know I am an intelligent and capable person who has proved over and over again that I can do a job and make up for the times I am ill... but still expected to fit into this standard way of working.

My ideal situation is to work on a project basis with a deadline that way I can work when I am well, deliver top notch results to timescale but not have the pressure & anxiety of having to deal with bosses & colleagues that don't understand that not everyone can work in the same way.

I still have a certain degree of flexibility in my new job, but struggle with that. I would not be able to work in a strict timed and supervised environment as the anxiety of dealing with that kind of situation would just make me constantly ill.

[mannix10]

Could i please ask everyone on this forum to take part in this poll as i feel we can put across to others just how debilitating anxiety can be - i get really fed up when people tell me it's "just" anxiety. I know only a small number of people have taken part in the poll so far but the results are startling - 67% (2/3) of the people surveyed have had to give up work. What other illnesses out there would have this affect on peoples lives. So again could i please ask people to take part in the survey. Thank you.

[mdLc]

I had to take a personal leave of absence in may thanks to my anxiety/panic.
Since then I have started on sertraline (zoloft) and thankfully felt well enough to retune back in early june.

[kenboon]

Unfortunatly I got sacked becasue of my illness. However I was reinstated after an appeal with welfare rights, only to be made redundant after I was reinstated.

I thought the world had caved in beneath me to be honest. But since then I have now started my own business www.megadealsxl.com . And I am able to work at my own pace now too.

You will get better too. But it does take time. A few months ago I was a real mess, to the point I could not go out the door because of the fear and anxiety symptoms. But now I am 99% there and I have alot more good days than bad. But you have to stand up to this illness and fight and as best as you can ignore it. But it will get better.

All the best

Ken

[lenore]

I had to give up my job because my anxiety and depression got so bad I had to move back home 200 miles away and I haven't worked since then. I've been in therapy for 2 years now and have been working with the Shaw Trust to find a part time work placement. Fingers crossed we think we may have found a place with Mind :) I really didn't think I'd ever get to the point where I'd be excited rather than terrified about getting back to work, but I am!

[Eva May]

I have had to give up a number of jobs because of anxiety due to agoraphobia, I was missing too many days and it was a nightmare to wake up every morning and know I had to face into the journey and the traffic. And then I got a job close to home where the only sick days I took were down to being physically sick and typical, I was let go in January due to recession!!

[Annabelle]

I never really got to start working! My anxiety kicked in at 16 - got better a bit at 17 to do a bit of waitressing then got bad again so gave up - that was 7 years ago! I now clean for an hour a day at a local shop (5 mins away) and thats about it! along with doing my degree im going to be the best qualified cleaner on the planet at this rate!

[DCJuggler]

I had to leave the company i had worked so hard to create over the years since leaving school.

Most days i cant even leave the house never mind go to work!

I want my life back!!!

[bishops]

I WAS off work for 7 weeks, it came to the point when i could just not work, indeed it was hard even to go to the local shops. Thankfully mr doc put me back on meds and arranged some cbt which is on going , and has helped me return to work. When i got back to work i was very open and honest with my boss who now understands my problem, and the company (so far) has been very good in giving me time off for cbt and other doctor visits. I think if i had not gone back i would have got to the breakdown stage, so it has helped me working but everyone is different.

[sandy35]

I had to give up my job in 2006 as I was signed off sick with stress and depression. I am now doing a few voluntary jobs which i am really enjoying including attending committee meetings for a local vocational advice service which i have been doing for two years now. I am also a committee leader for a company that supports people with learning disabilites which i go in every week on a Thursday to help in the office and i attend committee meetings. I hope all being well to be able to do permitted work in the next year or two but just wish the council were not so strict on people who receive housing benefit.

[Alexmarie]

I had to go part time because I couldn't cope with a whole week.

[charlie32]

I put yes but I havn't handed my notice in yet as my boss is on hols. She has been trying to persuade me to stay but I really hate it. I dont drive and its been a hassle to get there and back every day, and I just feel its a lot of effort and stress to do something I dont enjoy. I hope to get a part time job when im feeling a bit better.

[peoplelikeus]

I said yes but actually I was told by my company that they couldn't pay me on the sick forever and terminated my contract. I had a breakdown at work and was never the same again after.

I worked at a few different places after but got ill at every one. Then I became an alcoholic and used drink to relax which of course ruined my life. I even got arrested for drink driving. That was the end of me and I gave up. Years of alcohol abuse and anxiety are now on my medical records. No one would employ me now .

[Bill]

I had to resign from my job due to severe anxiety but it ended up the best thing I ever did, even though it took a long time for me to realise.

Once I was better, I found a new job that I enjoyed so my anxiety was never a problem.

I feel there are two very important things we need to remember - 1) Find a job that provides job satisfaction because then you'll enjoy it and so look forward to going in rather than fearing it with dread. 2) Find happiness in the home with a partner you feel you can depend on.

If you surround yourself with happiness, anxiety is much easier to cope with so if you're unhappy with any aspect of your life, don't be afraid to make changes to bring in the things you need to feel happier because life will then feel easier to cope with.:hugs: