Poll Have You Worked Throughout Your Ptsd?

[Meadowsweet]

I've never lasted to the 2 year mark in all my working life.

But when I've been trying to get out of abusive situations in adulthood, one of my ideals is that, if I improve myself then I won't get hurt again.

So when I was last attacked, I was working part time because I had young children. My response to being attacked was to give up my job and go to university.

Recently I started back in work, working more hours than I have done in a long time. To be honest, I'm feeling like it doesn't give me enough time alone and like it's not a job I could do for a long time. That's not a good sign, but I'll wait and see.

I couldn't find an answer on the poll to really say that, so I havn't answered.

 

[Abstract]

I couldn't find an answer on the poll to really say that, so I haven't answered.

Hi meadowsweet,
I think i would put that down as "I have been unable to work at times" as it seems that your symptoms or the demands on you have caused you to have left jobs and stopped work intermittently. If you went straight to the next job or study each time then I can see there isn't the right option for you in the poll. There is a gap there regardless as I have not properly catered for those that have been fully symptomatic the whole time since adulthood.

 

[The Albatross]

Prolonged illness not withstanding I was full time but switched to part time. I've been building myself up and hope to return to full time work but want to find one that suits... not just the one that pays the bills. And I still want to be able to look after both my mom and mother in law. It can happen, eh? ;)

 

[Abstract]

It can happen, eh? ;)

I think it can! I used to always think that things weren't possible and I was trapped and then was encouraged to think differently. I found a way to earn what I was before but with a twentieth of the stress and part time. And I am unreliable and just plain useless is some respects. :notworthy: It's taught me a lot. Go Albatross!:singing:

 

[safenow]

In the early days I had times I couldn't work at all. Then, over time, I found a job that was less stressful, and people understood about my major triggers. i worked full time from that point on until I got physically ill and couldn't' stand. Went part time, then started working at home, then, in 2000 had to stop completely. I do miss it a lot.I think now the only reason I can't work is my age and physical health.

safenow

 

[NarcSis]

Well, you all give me hope. Still haven't decided whether or not to leave my employer - I'm technically still a fulltime employee since my incident but I haven't worked in 3 years while getting treatment. I like to hear that it's about self care, but I'm still bucking the idea of taking "just any job" to make ends meet. How did people go from a career to a job? Any practical advice on how to tackle the issues with feeling like a failure or that I 'deserve' more?

I don't know whether or not to ask for a medical retirement or to just quit and tackle things unemployed for a while......

 

[safenow]

Bless your heart. If you allow it, I'm sending you a gentle hug.(( Medic ))

Going from a career to a job is not easy. it's really a matter of pride. It's like going from a large home to a tent on the beach or only a sleeping bag under a tree. The good thing is, you don't stay in that sleeping bag or tent long. Only long enough to rest, pull yourself together and get back up.

I was a very prideful person for a while. I thought I had everything I wanted. But your sanity is much more important than a title or a career. Perhaps the career you've chosen is the wrong one. You can get a career back when you've grounded yourself enough to handle life. Life can be a real bitch, ya know? People do things unintentionally, and those are okay to work around. But when people do things to deliberately hurt you mentally or physically, then it's time to move on. It's important to earn enough money to support yourself and those you love, but what are your real needs? Do you "need" all those expensive things, like two cars, etc.? Can you be happy with only two pairs of shoes or one car? Peace for yourself is more important than any "thing" in the world.

If you enjoy reading, I recommend a book written by Carrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place. There is a spot in there where she talks about being grateful for fleas. The fact was, she and her family were in a concentration camp during WWII and the fleas kept the guards out of the quarters where she and her sister lived. She had smuggled in a few pages of a bible, and if they had been found - people would have been tortured or killed. I am grateful for indoor toilets because I didn't know what they were for until I was approximately 7 years old. It's all prospective.

This is all just my opinion. Many times I have felt like a failure, but you know what? In the long run, I am not a failure in whats important. I think each person needs to decide what is really important to them. We all have to live until we die, but how we live is what makes or breaks a person.

Growing up, I wanted an education. I had to fight to get one. But, I got one. In fact I got a few. Then I wanted to be a mother. I married and had two children. I felt I had conquered the world. Then my children were kidnapped and I realized I had lost the world. I have been fighting to keep my head above water since that time. But, here I am. My head is held high, as I'm doing the best I can.

Good luck to you, and stay safe.

safenow.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Reading all of your responses gives me hope. I am unemployed and plan to stay that way. I do not know what my future holds for me. I am hopeful. I am really happy for all of you. You have overcome so much. It gives me hope that it can be done.

 

[just me here]

If I didn't have to earn my current income to keep my home and health insurance I would be self employed. On days when I am in a full on PTSD anger mode I come home hating everyone and wanting to just lock the doors and stay here until I don't want to anymore.

The best thing I have found that helps me avoid my PTSD triggers is to stay occupied, but my career requires interaction with people and ironically people behaving badly and irresponsibly are my strongest triggers.

 

[71nothing]

Before I knew it was PTSD I was unable to work due to my symptoms. When my symptoms returned 15 years later I was the main bread winner in my family. I've continued to work full time during these past 6 years since the symptoms returned. It is very difficult to get through the day when symptoms are strong. I spend a lot of time in my office with the door closed staring blankly at my computer screen unless a crisis arises. Then I go into a hyperspeed mode that seems to get me through crises many times over.

 

[Abrasky]

I was unable to work for 12 years after I got PTSD. Except for one time I worked for 20 hours a week for a month, but it traumatised me so much I could not return to the same place after this. I wasn't ready to work until 13 years into therapy. When I was 13 years into therapy, I started addressing the work parts that were damaged in my trauma. I worked part time for 9 months. For the last 4 months 20 hours a week.

Privateer, I did the same thing, I worked in the same sort of job which caused my dad to give me PTSD. When I got PTSD, I worked with some friends on a cattle stud doing little boring jobs in a team with an inspirational supervisor. And now I work in a supermarket foods doing little boring jobs in a team with an inspirational supervisor. It has helped me recover from my PTSD in a way only councelling could not.

 

[Nighthawk]

I put that I have worked fulltime throughout, because I think that is closest although not entirely accurate.

I have been out for months at a time and wonder if I am actually capable of continuing to be functional. I am on the verge of trying to get disability/