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My Story/Getting back to work?

AesopWaitsCasual Contributor13 Jan 2019, 10:17 pm AEDT

My Story/Getting back to work?

Hi all,

I've been dealing with a generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and depression for a long time but they have become very acute over the last 2 years.

Until april '17 i was working fulltime over fairly long stretches (i was in my last job for 7 years, before that various shorter lengths). Throughout most of this time i was able to cope with my mental health issues at work fairly well with the help of a supportive manager, coping strategies and sheer luck i guess.

The issues really started to get bad after some minor surgery i had in january of 2017, after some planned recovery time along with some extentions of that time i managed to get back to work for around 3 weeks before everything got significantly worse. I was unable to leave my house (sometimes my bedroom) for several months, luckily my psychologist was able to do sessions with me over skype during this time and the only other times i HAD to leave was to see my GP (and occasionally psychiatrist).

I have been working with my GP and Psych(s) since then using CBT, Meds and exposure to get back to a place where i can drive my car again (backroads mostly, im pushing myself to get back on mains but i dont last very long), i can visit smaller shops to buy groceries for myself again and have been making efforts to socialise with friends at their houses under the right circumstances and as long as the amount of people is minimal.

I've been very lucky in that my former job's income protection insurance has allowed me to focus on recovery up until this point but that looks to be running out once the 2 year hits in april of this year. I really dont feel 'ready' to get back into the workforce and to be honest im worried about what pushing myself back out there too early might do to my recovery.

I guess the reason for my posting is to see what strategies others may have used in similar situations to prepare themselves when they dont feel ready.

Also any suggestions for good occupations with minimal social contact to look into as a way to transition back incrementally to a full working schedule would be greatly appreciated.

FYI my last role was team leading for a transport company, im great with computers, and have been learning design/animation with all the time i've had on my hands

Thanks for reading and great work with the community here seems like a great place!
- AesopWaits

4 replies

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In response to: My Story/Getting back to work?

utopiaSenior Contributor13 Jan 2019, 10:42 pm AEDT

Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

@AesopWaits

I'd double check all the fine print on your income protection policy. It might be that the 2 years cut off time, isn't really the cut off time. It could be they expect people to be ready for work by then.

I'm on WorkCover and I thought the same thing. The pressure was on to get a job, any job. So I took a temporary contract position. In the end it caused me so much extra anxiety that it pushed my health way down. It was only when I spoke to my lawyer that he told me WorkCovee won't cut me off, so long as I can demonstrate that I'm still sick and not fit for work.

So double check the same doesn't apply to your income protection insurance. And good luck.

In response to: Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

AesopWaitsCasual Contributor13 Jan 2019, 10:54 pm AEDT

Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

thanks for the reply @utopia

definitely something worth getting more clarity on, appreciate the advice!

In response to: My Story/Getting back to work?

MDTSenior Contributor14 Jan 2019, 3:48 pm AEDT

Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

hey @AesopWaits

I can relate to this stuff. Especially in relation to the employment area. I struggled immensely, in some respects still can. But I found that gradually exposing myself to new things did wonders for both my employment prospects and also my mental health.

"Also any suggestions for good occupations with minimal social contact to look into as a way to transition back incrementally to a full working schedule would be greatly appreciated."

This is a good point. I did work in a call centre for a bit. I found that a bit of a confronting thing at first, but it really improved my conversational ability and also my confidence in interviews. Was also good to deal with people's rejections - because you have to in that capacity. I actually got to a point where I was able to develop rapport really well on the phone - almost too good because they'd still reject it and yet they'd enjoy talking lol. This taught me A LOT about my own anxieties and depression as well.

Just take baby steps back into where you want to be. I am currently doing this. It's really the only way to do it well without it negatively affecting your mental health

In response to: Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

Zoe7Senior Contributor14 Jan 2019, 5:03 pm AEDT

Re: My Story/Getting back to work?

Is your income protection through a super fund because if it is you may also be covered for total and permanent disability payout. That usually means you can't return to that occupation but will give you time to get things a bit more together in respect to looking for other work that you can do and cope with @AesopWaits.

It is always lovely to see new members so welcome to the forum and I hope you find it a supportive environment for you to be part of

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