Lived Experience Forum

[Belle21]

Hi new to this forum, struggling with depression and anxiety especially anxiety- intrusive thoughts, have a few weeks before going back to work and don't think medication working yet, concerned about being able to return to work, super anxious in the mornings, this is so crap.

have linked into mental health services very supportive, but cannot stand this anxiety!!

[Zoe7]

Anxiety is debilitating @Belle21 I had similar issues before I returned to work - so many questions in my head about if I could do it and how I would cope. For the first few days the anxiety overtook me but as I got back into it I became much more able to cope. What is importsnt right now though is that you are feeling that anxiety intensely so can you see your GP to get some temporary relief. I am by no means saying meds are the answer but they may help you in the interim to be a little calmer and be able to tackle the thoughts a little easier. Are there things you can do for yourself right now to occupy your mind and lessen those intrusive thoughts? I find working in the garden, playing with my fur babies or doing housework to make my environment clean and comfortable helps.

[bipolarbunny]

Hi @Belle21 and welcome to the forums I hope you find it a supportive and safe place to come and visit. 

I too have chronic anxiety which is so debilitating but which is also slowly starting to get better as I learn more strategies to cope with it. I used to find any time I thought about being in a type of social situation I would become anxious about being anxious in that situation and it would just continue to feed on itself. 

For me what helps, especially in social terms is familiarisation with a place to make it feel safe. Example when I first started going to the gym I would suffer the worst anxiety and panic but over time it lessened, to the point now where it's become a very familiar safe place for me and I rarely feel anxious there. 

Mindfulness also helps, grounding myself in the moment rather than thinking too far ahead and as @Zoe7 has suggested having something to occupy your mind and distract your brain from those anxious thoughts can be very helpful too.

Another important thing to remember I've found is to be gentle with yourself and to try and avoid beating yourself up over feeling anxious. It is a natural response to fear and by learning to cope with that fear or by showing your brain that fear is unfounded you will be in a better position to alleviate the anxiety. 

I wish you all the best on your return to work and welcome to the forums once again. Take care of yourself xx

BB 🐰💙

[ShiningStar]

Hi @Belle21 

I just wanted to reach out and welcome you to the forums - it’s great to have you here 

I’m so sorry to hear that you’re struggling with depression and anxiety. In my experience, living with these mental health issues can be incredibly debilitating, distressing, and exhausting and my heart goes out to you 

As I read this part of your story, I could really hear how desperately you’re trying to find some relief from the anxiety that you’re currently experiencing in relation to returning to work 

Although it was some years ago now, I can still remember the time in my life when I was preparing to return to work after a significant leave of absence. During this time, the mere thought or mention of returning to work would result in feelings of dread, panic and terror and I held significant concerns in relation to my ability to be able to manage this transition.

Although this was an incredibly challenging time in my life, one of the things that really helped me, was the opportunity to be able to participate in a return to work program.

Therefore, prior to returning to work my Therapist and I developed a return to work plan, whereby we documented what I needed in order to be able to return to work safely.

As such, my return to work plan included information about the number of hours that I could realistically work per day and a timeframe in relation to when my working hours would be increased.

We also included details in relation to the temporary adjustments that needed to be made to some of my regular duties and responsibilities.

Furthermore, we outlined the goals that I needed to achieve and the time frames in relation to when I needed to achieve these.

Finally, we included details regarding the meetings that I needed to participate in to review my progress and support needs.

Although this process didn’t completely alleviate my anxiety, I felt hopeful that I could return to work as my employer was aware of some of the challenges that I faced and they understood my support needs. They also communicated that they were committed to supporting me and making this transition as smooth as possible.

In addition to providing return to work programs, some organisations provide an employee assistance program which is a service that’s available for all employees; irrespective of your position or how long you’ve been employed with a particular organisation 

As such, employee assistance programs provide free assessment, short term counselling and referrals for employees who are experiencing personal and / or work related issues.

In my experience, the opportunity to receive support through the employee assistance program was invaluable, as it provided me with an additional level of support.

As such, I just ever so gently wondered if these resources may be available for you?

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Belle21 and that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 

Please know that you’re always welcome to reach out here whenever you need to 

Take care of yourself,

ShiningStar