Is this stress??

[speccy1]

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.

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

 

[speccy1]

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

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

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.

 

[Ganymede]

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

 

[Mark Walker]

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

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

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.

 

[speccy1]

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?

 

[speccy1]

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

Thanks Mark

 

[Ganymede]

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.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

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

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.

 

[Mark Walker]

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

 

[speccy1]

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

 

[Ganymede]

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!

 

[Mark Walker]

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

 

[Saluki]

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.