Long term Anxiety and Depressive person, lost my job and feel totally overwhelmed and lost. How does someone like me find work?

Hey PerthAnxious

i have no answers for you i only want to say im in the same boat as you but i don’t have a partner to help me. I was in the same job for 8 years and lost it because of my depression. I live with a parent who keeps telling me that they can’t stand to live with me anymore because of my depression. Getting a new job at a new place with new people all completely unknown scares me too. I miss my old workplace and co-workers. You’re not alone in feeling how you do.

Hey @PerthAnxious,

Just wanted to make sure that someone had replied to you. This is my first time on the boards.

Seems we might be in a similar time of life, with similar brain issues going on.

I'm 41 and I went through a redundancy about 10 years ago. I currently have a job, but now my problem is being here, and being functional. There is so much to do, lots of pressure, I can't get it done. So I'm riddled with anxiety the whole time, can't stop my brain, can't sleep.

If it helps you, feel free to check in here. I'm happy to talk to you.

What's happening with you today anyway? Been a few days since you posted - how was the weekend?

@IamNotMyMind,

Thank you for the reply. and also @DGoldman too.

Nothing much has changed since my post, I've been in touch with a previous employer and i'm trying to see if there is a chance of a position coming up with them. Beyond that, i'm doing my damnest to not think about. I really hope something comes up because mounting pressure for Bills to be paid is compounding my anxiety - plus the pressure of holiday season, social functions that i'll get dragged to etc.

I booked an appointment to see my Dr. on Wednesday, need some prescriptions and want to try and talk to him about how i'm feeling. Hopefully something positive comes out of it. I might ask for a referal to a Psychiatrist, maybe it's time for that? i'm not sure...

Again, appreciate the replies and checking in. I honestly feel like I need a saviour to come along and just drag me to my feet and get me going again... but in reality, I know it won't happen.

Well, I don't know if I can save you but I can offer what I've got. I could yell like a drill-seargent, but I doubt it helps much. The thing about being saved is you kind of have to do it yourself, because advice and tidbits from other people usually are useless at best (and insulting at worst) in my experience.

That said, here's what I got: Just do things one step at a time, and make sure you tell your brain you took a positive step and it needs to lay off for a bit. Do one thing a day, that's all you need to get momentum up.

Examples, you just did two positive things:

• Talked to the former employer about a job.
• Booked a doctor appointment (btw this is a good idea, ask the GP to give you a mental helath plan, you get quite a few free psychologist appointments under Medicare).

Now tell your brain to STFU for the rest of the day, and pat yourself on the back.

Well done on booking an appointment with your gp @PerthAnxious. A great place to start.

A psychiatrist normally diagnosis and prescribes medication.

A psychologist does talk therapy and generally teaches techniques to reduce the frequency or severity of your symptoms.

You go can make a referral to both a psychologist and a psychiatrist.

You're already making moves to improve things for you. Keep reaching out, and get the best help possible.

Just a little update, went to see my GP yesterday. Had a good, long chat (nearly a full hour - I felt bad for those people with appointments after me!).

We talked through a lot, he's really good - made me feel very comfortable talking about anything/everything. Gave me some very sound advice, but acknowledged that I needed some help. He's prescribed me a few pills for short and longer term, and asked me to go back to him weekly to keep an eye on my progress and to dicsuss a longer term plan for helping me.

What I didn't realise was that he specialised in Mental Health, which makes sense with how calming he is with me. He made me feel normal, explained that I worry so much about what other people think about me, that I forget that the only person's opinion that really matters is my own. He understood that losing my job was a huge blow to me, because in his words "my job, and the recognition I got from being well regarded in my job, was a huge part of my identity and without it it's natural to feel lost".

It's going to be a really long road, step 1 is finding employment. He said the job you get doesn't have to be your dream job, or even your long term job... but it can just be a stepping stone to get me back into a healthy routine. I need to face the fact that I won't find employment without 1st going out of my comfort zone and facing an interview, new employer and new environments/people. But he said taking my time, and trying to break it down into more managable parts will help. He also reassured me that Mental Health is a much more open subject now, a lot more people are aware of it and some of the stigma that existed 10 years ago doesn't exist now... and like above, worrying about how I feel about myself is more important than worrying about what an interviewer thinks of me, and to just be myself.

I'm rambling again, but I just wanted to post a little update - it feels good getting the words out of my head onto this forum post. Somehow it's theraputic...

He made you feel normal @PerthAnxious - because you are normal. You're just going through a rough time at the moment.

Glad you had suck a knowledgeable and caring gp to talk to.