Work

Hi @CrystalPink,

Welcome to the forums! I hope you find them really helpful and supportive. That must be really challenging to be managing social anxiety, depression, and to have difficult voices. It sounds like you are questioning whether your workplace or industry is a good fit for you, I'm not sure if anyone on the forums can answer that question for you, as you are the expert in your life. Would it be helpful to let us know a bit more about what has made you question your industry or what you are finding difficult at work? Even if people can't tell you what is right for you they may be able to relate, offer support, or give a perspective.

Take care and hope to see you more on the forums!

Tortoiseshell

Also @CrystalPink, just so you know, you can introduce yourself here as well as starting this discussion, but no pressure as both are fine!

I hear voices too. I find it very difficult to connect @CrystalPink. I have started work last year.

I think if you look at the reasons to work because you want your independence, start looking to get help and see it's right for you down the track. If at the moment you find it difficult ring the support lines on the forum. I chatted to them on the internet and found them helpful in giving direction. I found thinking about the work situation motivated me to try to manage schizophrenia and the first step was to find help in a safe environment. It is difficult trying to sort out to get in a good place.

Thanks for posting for the first time.

Welcome to the forum @CrystalPink'

I know that @jamesle2015 works in retail. Maybe he has some ideas.

It depends on how supportive the environment is.

If you are willing to be open to the other staff and everyone accepts you it will be better..

There is a lot more awareness now so that helps

Did you previoulsy work in retail?

I think the main thing is that you feel comfortable working in the environment...

As long as you can do your job well and everyone is supporting you it should be fine..

The customers won't know about your social anxiety and depression unless they ask you something personal that you don't want to answer but if they don't ask you anything - most of the time they won't ask anything but it helps to prepare an answer to some questions e.g. if you are away some of them may ask you about your holidays ...then you are prepared - then you don't have to think too much when it happens 🙂

If it's okay with you do you mind if I ask what sort of retail it is - is it small business ?

@jamesle2015

I've been working with OPSM for 12 year

The employees are very supportive. If I have a bad week, they understand. Just recently I had to stay away for a week. It was before Christmas, when it wa busy. Then I was ok.

I'm asking because, I'm fine when it's quieter. I can handle it. When it's busy, I have to increase my medication. I'm not happy about that. It gets me too....happy? Artificial? Out of body? I dunno, it's hard to explain. It doesn't feel balanced. Yet it's a necessity for me.

When I'm on holidays I can halve the medication. I haven't always been on meds. I was a high functioning person with anxiety. It's just been in the last two years. Maybe I'm feeling too dependent on them and wonder why?

I dunno. I'm frustrated. I work 32hours instead of 38. And sometimes that can be a handful. But don't want to reduce hours because what if I get worse. Or am I being to hard on myself? What do I need? I just don't know?

32 hours is good....if you cut down your hours a bit its ok

OPSM sounds good....for retail I think the atmosphere is usually good...

The retail job that I do it's impossible to have such a good 'atmosphere'...

We have to do a lot of transactions and you never know what will happen next

Some people are very very annoying...I had one really irritating one..she's a 'regular' customer make some comment to me about my work - she has done it before

Why did she have to say that comment today?

Then the manager doesn't care about it he laughed ....I don't know why very strange behaviour....why laugh when it's not funny?

That's the problem with retail - the 'atmosphere' would be much better if we could get rid of the annoying customers .....

For the work I do the pay should be more - not to offend anyone but for example in supermarket job they only put the groceries and they do not need to remember how to do so many transactions

When I'm not at work - today Monday - is public holiday I can't get rid of the 'images'

they are constantly there - that's the problem I think I have been doing this too long...

On public holidays do you look at the time and think 'now it's time for lunch break'

or you think of what you would normally be doing at that time if you are at work....

Maybe part if it is because my life is very 'limited' - i don't have any 'friends'

do you have 'friends'?