Undiagnosed Physically Attacked On School Campus

[Jeenniee17]

Hello, about a month ago I was attacked on my school campus. A man tried to get me into his car on a Tuesday night after one of my classes. Since then I have experienced a wide range of emotions. At first I missed work and never told my family. I started going to therapy and told my family and for a while i believed I was okay. Currently I am sitting in bed it's 5 am and have had no sleep. I have been super on edge and on guard. My heart races during the time I am home alone. I have work at 8 and I am freaking out about going in. My heart is racing and everytime I tried to go to sleep I keep dreaming about that night I know I am not okay to go to work. My therapist hasn't said that in suffer ptsd but I just need someone to guide me through this and tell me if it's okay to stay home and miss one day.

 

[barefoot]

Sorry to hear that you had this experience - it sounds totally understandable that you're having the kind of responses you're having at the moment (anxiety, disturbed sleep etc).

I'm glad that you've found a therapist who you can talk to, so that you can work through this together and so that she can help you to process/manage the feelings you have around what happened.

You've had a frightening experience and, today, you haven't slept, you're experiencing a high level of anxiety and you "know you're not ok to go to work". Personally, I would trust how I'm feeling - if you don't feel you can cope with going in then, yes, I'd say don't go in today. Spend the day at home, resting and looking after yourself.

However, on saying that - you know how your work/manager will be about not going in...are you worried that they will make it difficult for you if you take a day off sick?

I guess another thing to be mindful of...it's possible that come Monday (or tomorrow if you work weekends), you'll feel the same. So there's always a chance your one day off may not feel enough...

Take care.

 

[barefoot]

Welcome to the forum, btw - there are lots of supportive people here :-)

 

[The Albatross]

Welcome... I had that happen when I was a kid (an attempted kidnapping). As you run through the emotions... play the incident all the way to where you when you are/were safe. That helps a lot.

 

[Jeenniee17]

Sorry to hear that you had this experience - it sounds totally understandable that you're having the ki...

I am worried that Im letting them down. I was transfered there to help them out and with school and this, it's been stressful and hard to manage everything. I just don't want to let people down. They need me to do certain things and I am in no place to do those and just have been avoiding them instead of telling why I cannot do it.

 

[The Albatross]

Straight up telling them is better than avoidance Jeenniee. It happened to you, it is not a character flaw.

 

[Jeenniee17]

Welcome to the forum, btw - there are lots of supportive people here :)

Thank you.
At this moment trying to sleep is not happening. The moment I shut my eyes I relive it...I thought I was okay but I guess not. Although that sounds like it will help right now I jusy don't want to even think about it.

 

[The Albatross]

The way you lay down the memory is important. If you're gonna relive it anyways... go/lay it down all the way through to the part where you were safe. No kidding.

 

[barefoot]

I've just posted on your other thread so will get back on this one to save splitting the conversation across threads :-)

With your manager you have options. Most obvious ones:
1) Tell them what happened. As @The Albatross says, it gets it out there and it's not like this is your fault/a problem with you.
2) Tell them whatever's easiest for you at the moment to just get a day off. Food poisoning, migraine, whatever. They don't have to know your personal circumstances around this if you don't want to share it.

Personally, I'd opt for option 2 but that's just me - I'm not saying option 1 would be wrong. And if this ends up taking more time/you needing a little more adjustment at work, you may end up having to tell them more anyway. But, for now, if you just feel you need a day off, I'd do whatever's easiest - and working out how to tell my boss when I still felt so raw about it myself wouldn't feel like the easiest thing, it would feel like an added pressure.

 

[barefoot]

Even if sleep isn't happening for you at the moment, try to get some rest. You can rest (physically and mentally) without sleeping - even if just for short periods.

Something that will feel easy, gently, soothing...listening to music? Laying under a throw on the sofa and watching a trashy tv programme? Soaking in a bath?

 

[Jeenniee17]

Straight up telling them is better than avoidance Jeenniee. It happened to you, it is not a charac...

I just did. I feel horrible telling them. Like their going to be mad at me.

 

[barefoot]

How did they respond?