My job is making me ill.

Wicca303

Full Member
My job is making me ill and i can't afford to not be there. I was so happy six months ago when i got the job, and still happy until recently but I've spent 3 nights this week crying and the thought of having to go to work on Monday is making me physically sick.

I haven't been there long enough to get proper sick pay, the job situation in Leeds (and everywhere else) is crap at the moment so i can't just walk into another job, and i just don't know what to do.

Not sure what i'm expecting but i had to say something because at the moment it's all getting too much. And i needed to say something in a place where it won't get back to people i work with.

Does anyone have any advice at all??

I always said i would never let a job make me ill again, but i can't see a way out.

Thanks for reading if you got this far.
 
My previous job made me ill and believe me - as difficult as it sounds you must get out of it one way or another. I ended up off sick for 6 weeks and this, combined with the way i was treated seriously affected my self confidence. I appreciate the job situation is less than ideal in leeds ( my mum works for o2 there and i feel for you if you work there too) but sometimes the grass is really greener and sometimes, its just a case of finding somewhere where the grass is slightly less brown. What you also have to weigh up is whether being unemployed is going to make you iller than staying in a job that makes you cry all the time. finally - your company has a duty of care to ensure your job does not make you ill - doesn't matter how long you have been there. Maybe worth talking confidentially to your hr department.
 
Medical secretary. But have done call centre work in the past. Can audio and copy type. Lots of things inthe job have changed, i've also pretty much been told that i won't have a job soon because of funding cuts. And everyone is worried about there jobs. My manager is also kind of useless is is causing more stress and problems than anything.
 
You poor babe

Exactly what is it that has made you so unhappy Unhappy enough to cry and dread going back to work.

If we do not know the cause, we cannot help with the cure.

You say you swore you would never let a job make you ill again. Has this happened before and if so are the two incidences related???

I really would like to try and help you.
 
Is it private or NHS? If NHS, you should go and see the occupational health department.
Being unhappy in a job is a terrible experience and I think many employers don't give a monkey about their employees health/stress levels, as they are aware of the employees being pretty much a captive audience with the state of the economy and the lack of jobs. There is a lot of exploitation going on.
If I was you, I would apply for other jobs out there, at least you might feel there is light at the end of the tunnel and there surely is.
Just don't give up, something will come round for you, I am convinced.
A relative works for the AA and I know they facilitate working from home after a few months (and they do hire atm). I think the nearest AA office from Leeds might be Stockport, but I am not sure. Worth checking it out.
Good luck and don't let them win. Although we cannot really give you any practical help, at least this forum will provide a place where you can vent your feelings and get some moral support in return.
:hug99:
 
Not related. I have suffered from clinical depression since i was 15 and when i was about 23 had a really bad breakdown which culminated in a long stint on antidepressants. Which i managed to come off of completely about 3 months ago (this was done very slowly over a long time - about 12 months). I am terrified that this will mean i have to start taking them again.

This job was a temp to perm job anyway (6 months rolling contract) so i knew it could finish anytime, that not bothering me. The problem is that everyone else is also worried about their jobs and even the manager doesn't know what's going on (or says she doesn't), making it a very tense working environment. Everyone is sniping and backbiting, and the littlest things get blown out of all proportion. I sat today listening to two women pretty much shred each other over something one of them said the other had said. It's just making it all impossible to get on. You can't work because you're constantly being pulled into conversations which you have no interest in.

It sounds so pathetic a thing to get upset over but everytime I think about work i start crying again. Have pretty much being crying for the last 3 hours.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me everyone, i really appreciate it.
 
OK, firstly I agree with the others, no job is worth being ill over - trust me, I saw my mum have a breakdown through work, and secondly whilst the job market is not particularly buoyant at the moment, there are still jobs around!

Jobs in Leeds - reed.co.uk

I guess you've probably started to really doubt your confidence in your own ability and that is a horrible place to be - make a list of all your qualities - personal and career, get your CV bang up to date and get it out to as many agencies, companies you want to work for etc. etc. xxx
 
I started applying for any and every job vacancy i am even vaguely qualified for about 2 weeks ago, as soon as i saw where the situation was going at work. Because my contract is temp (even though it's NHS) there's not much occupational health will do.

I'm just really not sure i can go in on Monday. Have been fighting to not cry in the office all week and i don't know if i'll be able to hold it in.
 
Not related. I have suffered from clinical depression since i was 15 and when i was about 23 had a really bad breakdown which culminated in a long stint on antidepressants. Which i managed to come off of completely about 3 months ago (this was done very slowly over a long time - about 12 months). I am terrified that this will mean i have to start taking them again.....

I have been on and off antidepressants for absolute ages, more than 10 years now. Whenever I came off them, it sort of backlashed on me, my quality of life decreased and I felt horrible, mentally and physically. I have concluded for myself that if that one capsule a day improves my life, than I will take them, even if it is 'til the exitus.
People who have thyroid problems, for example, would never ask themself such a question, they do take their daily levothyroxine and have done with it. Depression is mainly an imbalance of neurotransmitters (such as serotonin), so I define it as a physical illness in that sense. And some people lead a happier life taking antidepressants.
I do not want to preach to you, you are an adult and you make your own choices, but maybe an objective view re the antidepressant may give you some food for thought.
Take care xx
 
I'm just worried that the ADs just mask issues and don't really fix them. I've been to counselling and everytime the meds are working and i have a good middle ground , they tell me i don't need counselling anymore.

Should also mention because of living on credit when i had the breakdown before i can't work for any company that deals with financial bodies (banks, insurance, etc).
 
I really do sympathise work is a big part of someones life and I think if you have a job you like it makes life far easier.

Keep applying for anything you can in a big city like Leeds there is probably lots of agencies to sign up to.I hope you feel better soon no job is worth your health.

Look after yourself.:D
 
Sounds silly but apart from the money issue, i am worried that if i have time off sick it will affect my chances of getting another job.

Am going to look at the AA website tomorrow, and see if they have anything suitable within distance.

Thanks again. You really are helping.
 
Wicca303 said:
Sounds silly but apart from the money issue, i am worried that if i have time off sick it will affect my chances of getting another job.

Am going to look at the AA website tomorrow, and see if they have anything suitable within distance.

Thanks again. You really are helping.

Its not a silly thing to worry about - your current company would be breaking a whole bunch of employment laws if they told a new employee the details about a period of sickness and if they did you could sue their arses hun.
 
aww u poor thing :( ive been in that situation too and i know how horrible u feel! :gen126:
I hope everything will work out for you x
 
I'm just worried that the ADs just mask issues and don't really fix them. I've been to counselling and everytime the meds are working and i have a good middle ground , they tell me i don't need counselling anymore.
Have u had CBT? Try to get hold of this book: Overcoming depression: Amazon.co.uk: Christopher J. Williams: Books
You get it in pretty much every library. There is also a website of Dr Williams: Living Life To The Full
There you'll find a lot of stuff you can do yourself, without a professional.

I think that AD's don't necessary mask issues, I see them more as a therapeutic tool to prepare you for other interventions, or help you dealing with stress/life in general even after non-pharmacological therapies.
 
I did do CBT once but the lady i saw for the first session asked me lots of questions and then told me CBT wouldn't be helpful for me and sent me back to another counsellor.
 
I did do CBT once but the lady i saw for the first session asked me lots of questions and then told me CBT wouldn't be helpful for me and sent me back to another counsellor.

Oh, dear hun, that was pretty unprofessional of that woman in my opinion, she was probably having a bad day. I work alongside people who are CBT counsellors and yes, there is a tiny minority of people unsuitable for CBT (but these are not normally anxiety or depressive clients), however NICE guidelines recommend CBT for this patient group!
Have a look at the book and the website I mentioned in the previous post. Don't want and expect too much too soon, but every small step will be a step in the right direction of a better life quality and effectively dealing with stress life throws at you.
Jill xx
 
Thanks.

I have spoken to my dad and he's said it doesn't matter about work. If i have to have time off sick then so be it......if the job finishes then it finishes. He reminded me i managed my bills and things before i got this job and i can do it again.

Love my dad (except when he tries to explain to me that i should pull myself together because i don't have anything to be depressed about, although in fairness to him he hasn't done that in the last year. He may finally be accepting that it is a real illness and not just something i've made up.
 
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