Overwhelmed With Anxiety!

[Jeenniee17]

Hello,
I have no where else to go or someone to talk to. I was attacked on campus a few weeks ago and has turned my life upside down. I have an issue at work, and its getting too stressful to even go into work. I have told them that I cannot work nights or overnights because of what happened. However they keep scheduling me and I have began to call out and not go in. I have told them before, but some of my other co-managers are asking for a valid excuse to why I cannot. I cannot and will not tell them, it isnt their business, my supervisor and general manager know and that should be enough. But I cannot continue to fight with them and having to constantly remind my general manger why I cannot work those hours, especially because the college campus is so close to where I work. I do not want to go into HR and tell them that my general mananger isnt working with me. I am constantly feeling anxious and nervous when I go into work. Right now I have to work from 8pm to 6am and the only reason why I am going in is because I have no choice, but I am a nervous wreck, and I am scared of being out at night. (I am a shift manager at a fast food restaurant) I really want to quit at this point because they dont seem to care. What should I do? I need this job but its causing me to panic more and stress out.

 

[crazyhorse69]

Thank you for your sharing this situation, over the past couple of weeks I've also gone through this state of anxiety, in fact visiting a friend the other day I felt as if I was going to have a complete anxiety attack without any due reason or logic, can't explain it really. I was the same way for the past six months on the job I had, they truly don't give a crap, so why bother? Why stay in the position the money wasn't that great anyways. Maybe your not listening to yourself, all of this anxiety is really signs to change things, change your job, change your life,I hope you get threw this, it could be because you feel surrounded by people you can't trust and who don't give a crap, isolated rather than supported. Thanks for your sharing

 

[Justmehere]

It seems like the long term solution would be to have your workplace not schedule you for the nightshift anymore - which is a really reasonable request in light of the trauma you went through and the symptoms you have now.

Do you have a therapist or doctor you are working with?

In the US, if you have PTSD, you can ask for a "reasonable" accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act of not being scheduled for the night shift, and only being scheduled for the day shift. If you ask for this as an ADA accommodation, in writing, and back it up with a doctor or therapist letter that simply states you have a legit need (don't even need to reveal the diagnosis) for this accommodation. HR departments usually then do all they can to make sure the accommodation is provided. In some cases, crap organizations will retaliate, but your place doesn't sound like that kind of place. it seems like they are just dropping the ball on scheduling. That gives a lot of reason to hope that gently stepping up the request to not be scheduled at night to make it an ADA issue may be enough motivation for HR to make sure you are not scheduled at night in the first place, thus avoiding all the problems that come up with the various managers when you do keep getting scheduled at night.

For more advice on how to make this an ADA accommodations request, and what specific documentation would be needed, you can google "ADA technical assistance center" and call the one in your area. They usually have good resources to find advocates and other resources to help with situations like this.

If you are not yet working with a doctor or therapist about the attack and really understandable anxiety now, that is probably your first step.

Maybe it's also time to begin the search for a different day-shift only job?

All of this is easy to say, but takes time and work to do. Hang in there. :hug:s to you if you accept them.

 

[Friday]

Do you have PTSD? If not -yet- then this was such a recent thing that getting into trauma therapy is something that can help to possibly prevent it developing, even if you may well have ASD (acute stress disorder).

https://www.myptsd.com/threads/traumatic-resilience-avoiding-ptsd.83668/

If you already have PTSD, though, new trauma tends to bring on a resurgence of symptoms. While working 2 jobs whilst going to school (if I'm reading hints right) may be something you're totally capable of under normal circumstance, the stress of them plus coping with new trauma may well be too much. You might consider rearranging things temporarily if this is proving to be the case. But of a balancing act, I know. It's just something I've learned the hard way that gutting through the temporary often means I'm f*cked up for months & years longer than I needed to be. The whole "if I'd taken a few months of reduced schedule back then, I wouldn't have needed to take a few years off now" lesson.