# Is this stress??



## speccy1 (1 Feb 2014)

Before I go crawling the doctors I want to find out if I`m wasting my time or not as I hate the place at the best of times.

About 4 months ago, my boss turned around to everybody and told us that "change" was coming but wouldn`t tell us when, or what was going to happen. Initially I was very worried by this (rumours don`t help), then it eased and I felt a bit more positive, but now it`s got bad and is effecting me. We already have 2 guys off sick because they are worried like me.

Basically, there is very little work in this part of the country and losing my job would be catastrophic to me because I love my house and where I live, and it could all be at risk. I`m hoping it won`t come to that but after 4 months of not knowing, it`s really wearing me down. I though a job with the NHS was a safe bet.

Anyway, I`m getting about 2 hours sleep a night if I`m lucky because my brain won`t switch off, my resting heart rate is up by quite a bit, I`ll go for a whole day without eating and then comfort eat on crap because thats the only way I can force food into myself. I am SERIOUSLY grumpy and short fused with everybody, even my closest family aren`t excluded from that. I don`t have any interest in my hobbies, even the bikes, I haven`t cycled in nearly a month. If things in the house don`t work properly they will get a clout or thrown across the room - I don`t care if they get broken. Generally I can`t settle, I`m edgy, irritable, and when I do make myself sit down I just smoulder, waiting for the next thing to annoy me. Even my house is like I tip because I can`t be bothered to tidy up, and I have always ran a very tidy ship - it`s always been one of my number one rules.

If anybody recognises any of this as stress I would be grateful if you could let me know please, or whether I just need to "grin and bear it" and shut up moaning.

Thanks for any advice guys


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## Peteaud (1 Feb 2014)

Sounds like you are worrying, then lack of sleep just destroys you.

Been on the stressed out about job thing several times, no easy fix.


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## 400bhp (1 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Before I go crawling the doctors I want to find out if I`m wasting my time or not as I hate the place at the best of times.
> 
> *About 4 months ago, my boss turned around to everybody and told us that "change" was coming but wouldn`t tell us when, or what was going to happen*. Initially I was very worried by this (rumours don`t help), then it eased and I felt a bit more positive, but now it`s got bad and is effecting me. We already have 2 guys off sick because they are worried like me.
> 
> ...



Can't help you fella, but you're boss is a c_unt, I can tell you that.


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## byegad (1 Feb 2014)

Yes and seek help ASAP! You need to get this sorted and having the job you have should mean you have a support network available to you.


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## ScotiaLass (1 Feb 2014)

From what you've said you obviously aren't feeling right in yourself so it's best to go and see your GP.
Hope it all eases soon for you


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## screenman (1 Feb 2014)

Not got a clue, I recognize some of the things you are going through and it is not nice. I thought it was just the reserve of the self employed but reality a lot people in what was once considered jobs for life are feeling it.

I would hope you are in a better position those already off.

I wish you luck for the future, I work on the principle when one door shuts another opens, even if sometimes it needs a kick to do so.


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## Snaily (1 Feb 2014)

Get yourself to the doctors, sounds exactly how I was with my anxiety, stress and depression. They should assist you and point you in the right direction whether that would be group sessions, one on one sessions or medication as a last resort. You would be surprised at the symptoms for stress and anxiety, many go to the doctors not knowing the are stressed.


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## 400bhp (1 Feb 2014)

Hmmm, do we have any employment lawyers here?


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## screenman (1 Feb 2014)

Do you have any true idea of what the changes may be if they ever happen.


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## wisdom (1 Feb 2014)

Your first port of call should be the occupational health team.they have a duty of care to you.they should have a councillor who you can talk to and plan your next move.It may be enough to get you through it.The nhs takes a serious stance on work related stress.
your manager has been totally unprofessional and have to be accountable for their actions and the worry they have placed you under.Good luck


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## Dan B (1 Feb 2014)

To answer the question in the subject line: yes, it's stress.


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## 400bhp (1 Feb 2014)

wisdom said:


> Your first port of call should be the occupational health team.they have a duty of care to you.they should have a councillor who you can talk to and plan your next move.It may be enough to get you through it.The nhs takes a serious stance on work related stress.
> *your manager has been totally unprofessiona*l and have to be accountable for their actions and the worry they have placed you under.Good luck



Does it go further than that?

Grievance?

And he might not be in an organisation that has occupational health, his boss may be the owner for example.


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## potsy (1 Feb 2014)

That does sound a really crappy announcement speccy, I suppose stress would explain some of those symptoms.

We had a similar announcement 5 months ago and I know it affected my sleeping pattern dreadfully, still not right now.
Hope it works out for the best and you start to get back to normal soon


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## Snaily (1 Feb 2014)

What profession are you in? Are you a union member?


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## midliferider (1 Feb 2014)

This is stress but the question is how you deal with it.
If I were you, this is what I would do.
If you work in the NHS, wherever you work, whatever you do, there are some standard procedures to follow.
1. Your assumption may be wrong. Your manager must provide you with information. If he does not, he is not following the procedures. Talk to your union, they should be able to talk wit the Trust and let them know about their duty to keep workers informed of the situation.
2. Go and see your occupational health dept. You must have one.
3. See what occi health say.
4. Learn some basic stress relieving techniques


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## Pedrosanchezo (1 Feb 2014)

Talk to your boss, they/he/she will have the answers to the questions you are asking. Asking yourself the same questions over and over simply become to stressful for you to handle, hence the frustration and change in attitude. 

Finding out where you stand is a must! 

Best of luck.


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## madpensioner (1 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Before I go crawling the doctors I want to find out if I`m wasting my time or not as I hate the place at the best of times.
> 
> About 4 months ago, my boss turned around to everybody and told us that "change" was coming but wouldn`t tell us when, or what was going to happen. Initially I was very worried by this (rumours don`t help), then it eased and I felt a bit more positive, but now it`s got bad and is effecting me. We already have 2 guys off sick because they are worried like me.
> 
> ...


ive been made redundant twice - and the one thing that helped was exercise - it will not solve the problem - but it will help to relieve the stress in you body - and put you in a better
position mentally to analize your situation - when it first happend to me we lost the house ( i was married with three children ) - to cut a long story short - i changed my carrear to do something
i knew nothing about - finished up in a better position - and made plenty of money - Im still married and retired - the kids are all in employment.
I must stress the importance of exercise to relieve the body tension - may i wish you all the very best


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## Nigel-YZ1 (1 Feb 2014)

To start with go see the GP. Getting things off your chest can help. Those are stress symptoms, and you need to do something before you crash. I've been there.
Try and exercise, but don't go crazy, you need some feelgood factor right now.
Thirdly, Get your CV updated and get job hunting. Your boss is an ignorant sod for not keeping you up to date. No announcement like that should go without a follow up, and any boss like that deserves to lose his best people. There's an NHS recruitment website, and the government NextStep site can help identify new career paths.
Fourth, you're in the NHS, get an audience with a union rep. If it's anything like YAS those people will have the power to find out stuff.

I was 18 years in the same job, and thought it was set in stone. I built every computer, wired the buildings, wrote the software, taught everybody. I had the knowledge that could not be bought.
The company was going to hell in a handcart, and suddenly I found myself with a new superior shadowing my job.
I found out there was to be an offer of redundancy with a big payout. My new superior decided I'd rather not have it without consulting me. I was made redundant with no pay under a CVA a few weeks later and escorted out with nothing except a form for the National Insurance Fund.
I have a history of depression and I knew I had to control or slide. The next day I job hunted, then got out on the bike, then went to my weekly Tai Chi class.

Change happens. It can hit you like a train. I'm not a strong person. But I have learned to have a backup plan, keep my eyes open, and realise above all that my job is not the be all and end all of me. I can survive. If a wuss like me can then you can too.

It's not a nice situation, but other doors do open. Get proactive. If you cannot control the situation, then take control of what you can.

Now good luck to you and let us know how things go 
If you've ever read the Depression Strikes thread you'll see there's loads of people here that will lend an ear (and a keyboard).


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## Pro Tour Punditry (1 Feb 2014)

midliferider said:


> This is stress but the question is how you deal with it.
> If I were you, this is what I would do.
> If you work in the NHS, wherever you work, whatever you do, there are some standard procedures to follow.
> 1. Your assumption may be wrong. Your manager *must* provide you with information. If he does not, he is not following the procedures.



It may be that the manager does not know what is happening, other than change is coming - change is inevitable, but in my experience people have a tendency to view change as a negative thing.

In my current job, I assured everyone who is "under" me (I don't like that phrase as I see us all working together but there is a hierarchy) that I would keep them informed of any changes I knew about; as they said that this was what they wanted because in the past they had been told very little. So I have kept them up to date with anything pertinent; they seem surprised at how little I am told, and some think I am keeping things from them - I have repeatedly told the Chief Exec that she should be communicating more information with her senior managers, yet it falls on deaf ears. 

@speccy1 don't think the worst, try to think positive thoughts but even if things do turn out to be "negative" try to keep yourself positive and look at it as a change and the next step in life. I know this might sound like a right load of old bollocks (I have tried re-wording it a few times but it still reads like a load of old bollocks to me!) but it really is all about how you respond.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (1 Feb 2014)

And don't think that by going to your GP that they'll have the slightest clue about what you are going through; most of them are clueless and simply refer to their "what pills can I prescribe manual"


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## Mr Haematocrit (2 Feb 2014)

GP's are great if you want pills to mask the symptoms.
Imho you need to take action to address the cause of the problems..
At this time you do not know what the changes coming are, they might be positive ones.. The only way to find out is to ask for details about the up and coming changes and once you have information you can take the next step, until such time you simply do not know.

Exercise as well is a positive thing, it gives you control, balance and relieves stress.


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## marzjennings (2 Feb 2014)

Sounds like stress and worrying about the unknown is eating you up. I've been in situations like yours 3 times, company management making noises about efficiency gains, reduced work coming in and industry moving cities. Three times I polished my CV, started looking for something else and somewhere else, quit and moved on. As mentioned change is inevitable, so make the change on your terms not on your company's schedule. Plus it's never a bad thing to update your CV and by accident let your boss know, keeps 'em their toes.


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## Shut Up Legs (2 Feb 2014)

Your boss' attitude absolutely stinks!   I'm feeling stressed just reading this thread, because I'm well aware that I'm not indispensable. Anyway, as the others said, take some action: talk to HR, union reps, etc., whatever it takes to clarify the situation and protect yourself. Good luck with it.


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## shouldbeinbed (2 Feb 2014)

OP. Not to sound like a competition but well done for finding a job that has escaped this stuff until now. We've been in this sort of Damocles limbo for nearly 3 years in a different bit of Public Sector, Already had redundancies, pay cuts, a potential relocation & merger of services 40 miles away and only needing 50% of the current total of the several sites and there's more in the offing. People are scared to go sick because it was one of the scoring criteria they used in sacking people last time. Yes get yourself to the Dr's and get help & support for your emotional state - Union support, HR input - a little knowledge can terrify but it'll also help you to know more, also get a workplace referral to your own Occupational Health department. They are often more willing and quicker than GP's to get you talking to people that can put things into the right perspective and get your mind right without drugs, although the short term destructive cycle breaker of drugs shouldn't be discounted just because you don't like the Dr's, used properly they could be a godsend. You also don't mention a wife or children to worry about in all this, just stuff - again not intended to belittle but if that is the case then it is a big worry less than many of your colleagues will have. Also, all of the people that went from us are working again and still around, I know this stuff feels like the end of the world (still does to me and my next, unavoidable & essential, knee op may well guarantee I lose my job) but there's a lot of people out there proving there is life after X.




400bhp said:


> Can't help you fella, but you're boss is a c_unt, I can tell you that.


his boss is typical of the public service style, mine are the same. Someone on high commissions a staff wellbeing survey where we complain we're mushrooms, or the boss gets a hammering in staff meetings for not communicating with people properly, so the edict goes out we're to be told what they know for sure to save them being accused of being secretive. There is a fine line that they never quite find.
On the other side I turned up to (private sector) work one day last recession to find the doors chained shut and a letter taped to the window telling us we were all out of a job. No idea it was coming and no chance of preparing.


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

Thanks for all the lovely posts everybody, there are some nice words of encouragement there and some good advice

I will have a good think about things over the next few days and probably go and see the occ health guys to see what their spin on it is.

Exercise is a good point and I agree it works wonders, but after a pretty nasty fall on ice a month ago I`m still not over my injuries and unable to get out on the bike for the near future, I do enjoy walking but its always raining, so I`m a bit stuck. As for my living arrangements, I`m single and live on my own which is the way that I love to be but it`s not good when you`ve got problems. My family are within 30 mins of here so that`s fine but I don`t want to bother them with my problems.

I`ll see how it goes and post here if I make any progress.

Thanks again all


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## shouldbeinbed (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Thanks for all the lovely posts everybody, there are some nice words of encouragement there and some good advice
> 
> I will have a good think about things over the next few days and probably go and see the occ health guys to see what their spin on it is.
> 
> ...


 By the sound of it, your family will be on tenterhooks waiting for you to open up to them. There's a lot if threads on depression on here all with a similar theme - the depressed person is the last to know they're depressed & thinks they're hiding their problems well enough from others, when in reality they may as well have a neon sign round their neck advertising their problems.
You've taken a big first step in recognising you're not right in yourself. Speak to your family, let those that love you pick you up and carry you for a bit, you'll be less of a burden of worry letting them in than by bottling it up.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Before I go crawling the doctors I want to find out if I`m wasting my time or not as I hate the place at the best of times.
> 
> About 4 months ago, my boss turned around to everybody and told us that "change" was coming but wouldn`t tell us when, or what was going to happen. Initially I was very worried by this (rumours don`t help), then it eased and I felt a bit more positive, but now it`s got bad and is effecting me. We already have 2 guys off sick because they are worried like me.
> 
> ...


The symptoms you describe it sounds like your going through a bout of moderate depression triggered by psychosocial factors. As such you've become trapped in a viscous circle of your emotions, thoughts and behaviour going round and round in a downward spiral which is now affecting you physiologically. 

If you work for the NHS then speak with your Occy health department, also speak to your GP. There a few ways to deal with this quite simply, usually through talking therapies or talking therapies and medication. Don't be fobbed off with medication only, CBT is a well proven and robust therapy aimed at mood disorders.

The meds are used just to help you elevate your serotonin levels and may help you to get some motivation back, don't worry 1 in 4 people suffer from this type of mental illness, you just need help to get your resilience back.

Hope that helps and get well soon.


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## sheddy (2 Feb 2014)

If you're not sleeping, try some herbal sleeping tablets.


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

bromptonfb said:


> The symptoms you describe it sounds like your going through a bout of moderate depression triggered by psychosocial factors. As such you've become trapped in a viscous circle of your emotions, thoughts and behaviour going round and round in a downward spiral which is now affecting you physiologically.
> 
> If you work for the NHS then speak with your Occy health department, also speak to your GP. There a few ways to deal with this quite simply, usually through talking therapies or talking therapies and medication. Don't be fobbed off with medication only, CBT is a well proven and robust therapy aimed at mood disorders.
> 
> ...


Many thanks for your post. I`m not sure if this is depression, as life was fantastic until my **** of a boss dropped this bombshell. I`ve just been worried ever since, and the worry is affecting my life now. I`m usually very chilled out and laid back, content with my lot etc etc, and I`m sure if I was told I had a job I could rely on then I would get back there very quickly. Don`t know, perhaps this has turned into depression??


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## Ganymede (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Many thanks for your post. I`m not sure if this is depression, as life was fantastic until my **** of a boss dropped this bombshell. I`ve just been worried ever since, and the worry is affecting my life now. I`m usually very chilled out and laid back, content with my lot etc etc, and I`m sure if I was told I had a job I could rely on then I would get back there very quickly. Don`t know, perhaps this has turned into depression??



Sounds like stress to me - I've suffered a milder version but my bro-in-law had it bad in similar circumstances and got signed off work with stress and very high blood pressure. 

Your boss is very wrong to drop a hint in that fashion - he may have thought he was doing people a favour by giving a little unofficial warning but has no idea what this can do to people. Certainty is easier to deal with.

I can't extrapolate from my bil's experience as his life is no doubt very different from yours, but you need to tackle this (as you've obviously realised) and you need to share with people you trust and the people involved (ie your family). I second herbal sleeping pills, but the main thing is to learn to control your negative thoughts, as suggested above.

If you cannot do much physical exercise, you might try seeking another outlet - interestingly David Beckham's just reported as saying Lego does it for him! - but I find learning an instrument or knitting is good - something which takes your attention and has a physical skill attached. I do know it might not be easy to take up something new when you're in a difficult state. 

I hope you find the help you need, and perhaps you should have a word with your boss. Ask him what he really meant, and if he says "redundancies", get job-hunting.


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

Ganymede said:


> Sounds like stress to me - I've suffered a milder version but my bro-in-law had it bad in similar circumstances and got signed off work with stress and very high blood pressure.
> 
> Your boss is very wrong to drop a hint in that fashion - he may have thought he was doing people a favour by giving a little unofficial warning but has no idea what this can do to people. Certainty is easier to deal with.
> 
> ...


I`m sure if I could sleep properly it would be a big help, will give the herbals a try.

The thought of leaving an institution based job and getting my own business is one ray of sunshine, but I really don`t know what I could do, and it does take a lot of risk and luck. Still, as del boy says, "he who dares wins", maybe that`s true?

Just on the lighter side, I loved Lego as a kid, it was fantastic!! I also used to love a jigsaw puzzle, and have been finding then very soothing lately, even though I am about 60 years too young


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

The responses to this thread have been a real comfort. Thanks everybody its all much appreciated


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Feb 2014)

Sorry guys but there is no diagnosis called stress, stress is just a response to environmental factors. The symptoms you've described only need to be present for more than 2 weeks to be diagnosed and treated as depression (ICD10 and DSM 5) - what's it's called is irrelevant, the symptoms need treating for a speedy recovery. Depression can and does burn itself out, but usually returns if this path is taken - simply because the sufferer didn't learn new ways to learn to be resilient.


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## Ganymede (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> I`m sure if I could sleep properly it would be a big help, will give the herbals a try.
> 
> The thought of leaving an institution based job and getting my own business is one ray of sunshine, but I really don`t know what I could do, and it does take a lot of risk and luck. Still, as del boy says, "he who dares wins", maybe that`s true?
> 
> Just on the lighter side, I loved Lego as a kid, it was fantastic!! I also used to love a jigsaw puzzle, and have been finding then very soothing lately, even though I am about 60 years too young



I did jigsaw puzzles when I was understudying in the West End. I got completely hooked! You get sort of sucked in and finding the next piece becomes the most important thing in the world! This is why things like that bust stress - they take over your brain and hands and and take you away from your life - give you a real rest.

I'm glad you've found the thread helpful, speccy - a problem shared may not be a problem halved but it really does help


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## Mark Walker (2 Feb 2014)

I have plenty of thoughts (on the) and experience of the situation (Stress) you are going through.
I could write pages of advise and recommendations to overcome this situation , but in my opinion the help you require is best left to the professionals.
People decry local GPs but mine picked up I was struggling mentally and referred me to a cognitive therapist.
In my case this as helped me greatly and would recommended this type of help 100%.
The issue of work placed OT is another matter , in my opinion the less work knows about a mental problem (until the problem becomes very serious ) the better.
It is PC for the workplace to be sensitive and compassionate to mental health issues but I do not think this is the case in reality.
Let me finish by saying that you WILL over come this , to be certain life is not fair but you can choose your reaction to this situation , every time that feeling of dread and panic comes over you make a choice and choose to stay positive.
regards
MW


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> I`m sure if I could sleep properly it would be a big help, will give the herbals a try.


I've done a lot of assessments of people with a diagnosis of depression and quite a lot have this misconception, that is not too say however that for some it can be as easy as sleeping well.


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

Ganymede said:


> I did jigsaw puzzles when I was understudying in the West End. I got completely hooked! You get sort of sucked in and finding the next piece becomes the most important thing in the world! This is why things like that bust stress - they take over your brain and hands and and take you away from your life - give you a real rest.
> 
> I'm glad you've found the thread helpful, speccy - a problem shared may not be a problem halved but it really does help


Thanks it really does help. As for the jigsaws, I visit my nan for tea every Friday (she`s 84 now bless her) and she always has a jigsaw on the go. I sat there last week for nearly 3 hours going at it and totally chilled out, it was almost like she knew I was bothered by things, and left me to unwind. Perhaps family really do know more about you than you realise eh?


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## speccy1 (2 Feb 2014)

Mark Walker said:


> I have plenty of thoughts (on the) and experience of the situation (Stress) you are going through.
> I could write pages of advise and recommendations to overcome this situation , but in my opinion the help you require is best left to the professionals.
> People decry local GPs but mine picked up I was struggling mentally and referred me to a cognitive therapist.
> In my case this as helped me greatly and would recommended this type of help 100%.
> ...


Thanks Mark


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## Ganymede (2 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Thanks it really does help. As for the jigsaws, I visit my nan for tea every Friday (she`s 84 now bless her) and she always has a jigsaw on the go. I sat there last week for nearly 3 hours going at it and totally chilled out, it was almost like she knew I was bothered by things, and left me to unwind. Perhaps family really do know more about you than you realise eh?



So true! I play the ukulele with my old Dad (86, plays the harmonica in spite of dementia) and you don't know where the time goes - keeps him laughing too.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (2 Feb 2014)

Mark Walker said:


> I have plenty of thoughts (on the) and experience of the situation (Stress) you are going through.
> I could write pages of advise and recommendations to overcome this situation , but in my opinion the help you require is best left to the professionals.
> People decry local GPs but mine picked up I was struggling mentally and referred me to a cognitive therapist.
> In my case this as helped me greatly and would recommended this type of help 100%.
> ...


Slightly different in the NHS, the Occy health department in my experience provide excellent service to their employees. On another note, mental illness comes under the protection of the DDA 1995.


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## Mark Walker (2 Feb 2014)

bromptonfb said:


> Slightly different in the NHS, the Occy health department in my experience provide excellent service to their employees. On another note, mental illness comes under the protection of the DDA 1995.


To be fair I would not say that about my place of work they are very very good but some are not.However I have chosen not to tell them 
I think (maybe unjustly) that once you "come out" as it were to mental health problems you have to be very careful to whom you do.
I appreciate that this could be seen as a paranoid sense of view and in some way may contribute to my problems but my point was to advise caution.
Mind you everyone and every situation is different, we can only offer advise as we see fit , the main thing is to talk to some one and not try to tough it out on your own.
regards
MW


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## speccy1 (4 Feb 2014)

Just a quick update, been told today that nothing is going to happen to our department and that our jobs are safe, the only changes will be when people retire and things will move around a bit to accommodate that, but nothing that is going to affect anybody. I am SO relieved, and will be even more so when it sinks in a bit more and I come back down to the floor!

Hopefully life can get back to some normality now after 4 months of hell and I can find my sense of humour again. I`m hitting the pub tonight as a starting point

Thanks for all the contributions everybody, there are some lovely people here


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## Ganymede (4 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Just a quick update, been told today that nothing is going to happen to our department and that our jobs are safe, the only changes will be when people retire and things will move around a bit to accommodate that, but nothing that is going to affect anybody. I am SO relieved, and will be even more so when it sinks in a bit more and I come back down to the floor!
> 
> Hopefully life can get back to some normality now after 4 months of hell and I can find my sense of humour again. I`m hitting the pub tonight as a starting point
> 
> Thanks for all the contributions everybody, there are some lovely people here



Speccy that is BRILLIANT news. I am SO pleased for you.

Someone, however, needs to tell that manager - and perhaps the whole management - what they've done in letting that remark slip out. My god, what a huge amount of harm and distress they have caused! I strongly suspect that they have no idea what sort of power that kind of loose talk has in this age of austerity when people are on a hair-trigger expecting the worst. I think you need to get together with the other people who've been affected and just gently point out to them what a ship of fools they are!

Bless you Speccy!


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## Mark Walker (4 Feb 2014)

speccy1 said:


> Just a quick update, been told today that nothing is going to happen to our department and that our jobs are safe, the only changes will be when people retire and things will move around a bit to accommodate that, but nothing that is going to affect anybody. I am SO relieved, and will be even more so when it sinks in a bit more and I come back down to the floor!
> 
> Hopefully life can get back to some normality now after 4 months of hell and I can find my sense of humour again. I`m hitting the pub tonight as a starting point
> 
> Thanks for all the contributions everybody, there are some lovely people here


 
Great news , I have been through the same situation and it is all consuming.
regards
Mark


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## Saluki (4 Feb 2014)

That's great news Speccy. 
Does your stupid boss know what he has put you all through though? I've been through similar myself and would be quite happy to pop to your works and give your manager a good slap.


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## speccy1 (5 Feb 2014)

Thanks again for the messages guys, it certainly hasn`t done much for staff morale, but it really is nice to have the worry gone. I did hit the real ale last night and woke up with a headache this morning, but it was the first time I have enjoyed myself for ages!


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## speccy1 (5 Feb 2014)

Ganymede said:


> Speccy that is BRILLIANT news. I am SO pleased for you.
> 
> Someone, however, needs to tell that manager - and perhaps the whole management - what they've done in letting that remark slip out. *My god, what a huge amount of harm and distress they have caused!* I strongly suspect that they have no idea what sort of power that kind of loose talk has in this age of austerity when people are on a hair-trigger expecting the worst. I think you need to get together with the other people who've been affected and just gently point out to them what a ship of fools they are!
> 
> Bless you Speccy!



Absolutely, I was still working but we still had guys off sick because of the worry and stress of this


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