Time off work

[Robinred]

Iv suffered from anxiety on and off now for a few years. And have been on sertraline on and off. Last week it got the better of me again. And I went to my gp on Monday and have been put back on sertraline and been signed off work for 2 weeks. I was constantly worrying and getting attacks I’m not sure if these are panic or anxiety attacks. I’m struggling to sleep. And now all I can think about is how am I ever going to be able to go back to work. They said keep intouch but how can I do this ? What will make it easier when going back? How do I stop all the physical symptoms (shaking, blushing, stomach knot).

I don’t feel my anxiety is work related but I don’t know how it came back so quickly.

[Dolphin14]

I had to take a lot of time away from work when I got sick. I was in no condition to do my job.

You have to take care of the problem first. Get yourself back on your feet. Start back to work doing a shorter shift Mayb? To ease yourself back in?

Take the two weeks and focus on getting well. One day at a time.

[Seroma12]

Hi! How long does sertraline normally take to start working for you? I had to take small doses of lozarepam so that I was able to continue to work until the sertraline started to do its thing. Is something like this an option for you? Also can you see a therapist if you're not doing so already? CBT was very helpful for me. It might help you find the cause of your anxiety. Best wishes, I hope you start feeling better soon.

[Robinred]

I can’t actually remember how long it took to work last time. But it had been a few months since taking so it’s completely out of my system. When this happened before a couple of years ago I had 2 months off of work and then decided I couldn’t go back to the job I was doing and I resigned. I’m now doing a much easier less stressful job. But my biggest fear is what will my work colleagues think ? Why as soon as I get up in the morning am I shaking? I’m hardly eating. And will the sertraline take this away? I used to take propranolol along with sertraline but I can no longer take this because I’m pregnant (early days only 5-6 weeks). Baby was planned and my partner is very supportive. Dolphin14 how did you get on going back to work?

[HiAnxiety]

You are not alone. I have been off since the middle of October with anxiety and IBS I feel very anxious about my return due next week but I should be going back on a phased return. I know that a lot of my anxiety comes from my job but as I can barely leave the house most days I am in no position to try and find another job so I'm stuck at the moment.

Some things I've been attempting to do to try and feel more in control:

Set small goals to achieve, start low eg get dressed after a shower rather than PJs then work to bigger ones like go to the supermarket.

Write down anything that you are worried about no matter how small or large then ask yourself 'Can I do anything about this?' if it's beyond your control put it in a separate pile or bin them. Then after a few days go back to the list and look at what was written, do you still feel the same? If not bin it- don't hold on to more fleeting stresses. Keep repeating every week to focus on the 'bigger picture' and what you can do to downgrade them.

The most important resource I've found for me is a book (brilliant without preaching, he understands that everyone is different) is The Stress Solution by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. It explains the science behind things as well as tips and gives a holistic view on stress/anxiety.

All I can say is that these assist me in my day-to-day and hopefully gets me back on track to going back to my normal life.

Let me know how you get on and if you've found anything that works for you.

Sending hugs and relaxing vibes your way!

[Robinred]

Thanks for your reply hi anxiety. I haven’t even got dressed the last few days or left the house. But today I got up showered and we went a drive and stopped for a light bite to eat (I managed to eat some)

I’m just going to sit down and start a thought diary and write down everything. And hopefully over the next week I can look back on this and will see an improvement.

I’m also going to push myself into getting up every day and do something but not too much. I think at the end of my sick line I may take a little longer off if my gp will sign me off again and talk to work about a phased return to begin with and lighter duties.

Do you think more time off will help? How do you feel now compared to your first week off ? Any better ? Have you tried medication? I think I just need to push myself more to be honest. There is no quick fix I know this from the past.

[HiAnxiety in reply to Robinred]

I'm so sorry I've not replied sooner I didn't receive a notification 🙁

Brilliant news that you have managed to leave the house and even eat. I hope you feel proud of yourself because you should. Did it take you long to recover after the day?

How have you been feeling and are you back at work yet?

I'm on Sertraline 150mgs at the moment also have propanol for when I feel I need an extra boost/likely to end up with a panic attack.

I attempted to return to work last week but I'm now signed off again as all the support my Managers and HR said to me they'll put in place was a lie. They also refused my phased return after they were the ones who suggested it months ago.

I'm trying to push myself a little at a time and then allowing time to recover before attempting the next nudge.

[kenster1]

hi you might be having some side effects from the medication but hopefully that will settle if you need more time off work then just take it because your health matters more.before you go back pop in and say hi and get the feel of the pace again that usually helps settle you down.