How do you work?

[Lissy43]

How do you carry on with your job when you feel depressed/anxious?

[JT69]

Hi Jessica,

I guess its just down to how bad you are really feeling and if you can cope with work. I know for me personally work is a distraction but only when I am strong enough to cope and that is usually with the help of meds. I have suffered on and off for around 11 years now and for that time have mostly had an anti-depressant in my system be it even a very low dose. The couple of times that I have completely crashed was when I initially started out with dep/anx and then last October I crashed having weaned myself off meds back in January and then had a build up which hit me before I had chance to get meds into my system again!!

We are all different, some people cope easier than others but then symtoms differ, so it is a difficult one to call. Sometimes your body needs that time away from work to rest and recouperate properly and at other times you can push on and get through. It depends I feel on every individual and what they are going through.

Hope that helps.
JO.xx

[TTBP]

With great difficulty at the moment :weep:

I really am not sleeping well and when it is time to get up, I have no motivation to do so. I would actually just like to lie there all day and look at the ceiling, quite what that would achieve, god only knows, which is why I've been making myself get up, do my hair, put my make up on and face another day at work. I'm hoping this spell will pass soon

xxx

[skippy87]

Hi Jessica,

I suffer with anxiety and depression all because i'm scared of getting an upset stomach and yes i mean a poo haha! Although its really not funny because now i am dealing IBS, which has probably come on due to getting so anxious about it all the time, i am now 22 and have been dealing with this phobia since i was 15, how it began i do not know!

But anyway back to the question..work..the thought of it is absolutely terrifying to me, but i do it, how i do not know, i work 9-6 at an estate agents and its a hell of a long time to be away from home and my toilet! But for some reason, i can easily manage to put on a different face for work and when i am around people, i can almost just switch it off. Sometimes i get upset and have a little cry on my way to work, but as soon as i get out my car and im walking to the office its like another person. I dont know how i do it and sometimes it worries me because im sure i should show others how i feel.

Sometimes in life you just have to bite the bullet and do things, try not to let the anxiety/depression get the better of you, yes its very controlling i know this but you have to really try to get some control over it, dont let it stop you from doing everything. Have you thought about a part-time job, or maybe even just a saturday and start off slowly and see how it goes. Whats the worst that can happen, if you dont like it just leave, you will be no worse off.
Also the whole getting a job, and feeling like someone wants you and your skills may help give you a little self belief :)

Hope i have helped,

SKIPPY

[ElizabethJane]

I think that the thought of working is far worse than the actual doing. If you are really very ill with anxiety and depression then it is probably better if your doctor signs you off for a while. I work five and a half hours a day in a specialist music shop. when we are busy I am running up and down stairs answering the phone and serving customers in shop. My colleagues and boss know I suffer with depression but because we are a small business with no room for passengers I do not dare have any time off. If I was off for a long period I would lose my job. Although my boss is a friend he would be forced to employ someone else to do my job. Years ago when I was ill it was far far worse. Imagine feeling depersonalisation and trying to run a busy kitchen and turn out 150 lunches! I have been know to cry into the chops! I would line all my pots up on the stove knowing they all had to be filled by lunch time. Fortunately I dont work in catering anymore but the pressure was enormous. Looking back I'm not sure how I did it. My top tips are to cut down your hours if you can. Tell colleagues that you suffer from depression. If you feel ill at work try to complete your shift. Dont run away if you need to take time off tell your manager why you are taking time off. Best wishes. EJ.

[SadSarah]

I always tell myself that yes I am a good person and yes I do a good job and over and over and oaver again I tell myself its going to be ok. Its definatly hard to work when the one thing that makes me anxious is work. But I just some how find inner strength to carry forward.