What Do You Do And For How Long? Do You Work From Home At All?

[QuietNow]

This thread is more to see what others who have PTSD and are working are doing. It may show some patterns in types of work that are more PTSD friendly.

I realize that many with PTSD are really having trouble coping with everyday life to the point where they can't work. But many of us are working, too. And I have a hunch that many of us working are on meds to help us cope.

So, here's my answers:

What do you do and for how long?
I'm a computer systems administrator and have been for 25 years. I've been in my current job 11 years. Haven't had a PTSD flare-up (until this past year) for 13 years.

Do you work at home at all?
My job allows me to have one day a week working from home. I'm losing my office at work, and if the new working-quarters arrangement doesn't work out, I may press for more work-at-home days. Doing this job totally from home, though would cut me off so severely from the interactions that I need to do my job that I don't think that I can.

Are you on any medications and do they help you with your job performance?
Yes, I am. The meds I'm on help somewhat, but I still have open panic attacks.

 

[Artista]

I am a certified Art Teacher and artist. I have had my degree for 20 years and been some form of a working artist for about 25.

I do have my studio in my home now, since I had kids. I used to have an outside studio/retail shop for 8 years and sometimes miss the daily interaction, but I was becoming burned out artistically. Now I teach now and then at a local community college just a few days a week and that helps get me out there. It's enrichment programs with kids from 5-16. The kids keep me hopeful and love them! Makes me smile and laugh.

I do not take any meds yet. I am newly into this and wouldn't discount it if it helped. I certainly have had unproductive days! I tend to go natural ways and exhaust them first.

 

[TLight]

I am a Biologist/Wetland Ecologist in the Pacific Northwest.

I used to work as the principal scientist at a wetland mitigation bank, but that went sour. My CPTSD was not interfering too much for an entire year, but then major stress happened with my project clients and I had to quit.

I did work mostly from home with occasional meetings and field work.

I had to take a tranquilizer in order to attend my meetings.

 

[Deleted member 5760]

I have a law degree. However, I knew by my 3rd year of law school that being a lawyer just wasn't for me (though ocassionally I'll read a John Grisham novel and remember why I was there in the first place). After law school I wrote a book. That was published though I didn't enjoy writing it because I didn't feel it creative enough. Following that I fumbled around from 'meaningless job' to 'meaningless job'. Then moved to London where I was what I suppose you could call 'damage control' from an automobile company. Problem was these cars were so good they rarely had problems - which left me fairly bored. Now I'm trying to start my own business (which will afford me the luxury of working from home while I sort myself out). We'll see how it goes.

As I've already stated - my real dream job is to be a screenwriter. I suppose time will tell on that one.

 

[Jade-]

I work part time and I don't make much money but I'm grateful that I've been able to keep this job for 3 years.

This is the first time I've been able to hold down a job at all and I'm proud of myself.

 

[Deleted member 5760]

Forgot to answer the Q regarding medication - a few years back my doc tried me on about 4 medications, all of which she had no choice but to stop me using as I happen to be one of those lunlucky people where the side effects are devastating - far worse than the illness. Ever since I've not been game to try meds ever again. I do use valium though. However, I try to avoid using it unless Im in code orange distress because I know it is addictive, and the more you use the it the worse you cope without it. I've learned over the years to try to 'talk myself down' when my thoughts start to spiral out of control and into thorough panic territory. Most of the time I can do this. When I can't - it's valium time.

 

[AthenaErdmann]

What do you do and for how long?

Do you work at home at all?

Are you on any medications and do they help you with your job performance?

Short answers:

I work part time, and also study part time. The work part is mainly translating, some proofreading and editing; I'm also a wannabe teacher/trainer, but most of my (few) lectures have thus far been pro bono.

I work at home, as I am self-employed.

I take Concerta during the work week for my ADHD (though it helps immensely with my anxieties, too). Weekends I take Ritalin, 'cause I can sleep later that way. I am sure I work better on meds than I would without.


Longer answer:

A few years back I got kicked out from my previous (also part-time) job for whistle-blowing (long story, which I will need to add to my trauma diary - thankfully the jerk I reported got the boot first, so my sacrifice at least helped some 30 people: he was a horrible boss). After that I spent half a year as on a roller coaster - between intense anger, panic, sadness, and numbness, trying to get a grip. Was not a good time for my hubby and kids...

Then a friend was offered a translation project of several tens of pages from her job, to do as overtime, but she wisely realized that it would drive her nuts (she has kids, too). So she asked me if I could do it. I said "Why not, I'm fluent in both of those languages" (both source and target); also it was not a rush job, so I could take time to learn about the area and about translating. Her employer looked at my resume and a test translation I had done of one page, and said: "OK, you're on for this project. If you do good, there maybe will be more in the future." Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity and did as good a job as I possibly could. They were pleased, and I was in business: small time, but still.

It's been real scary. All my "ghosts" just SCREAM against me being independent, deciding myself what jobs I try to get, being a boss (temporarily, but still: some projects are rush projects so good subcontractors are needed from time to time), having real money of my own...

I have a home office: one small corner of the house is MINE (also a "ghost" issue :-/ ). I go to local customers for negotiations, if it is a big or unusual project, but most of the time my client and subcontractor contacts rely on the Net. Email, translation related websites, various online dictionaries, project topic related websites, and OmegaT (an open source translation engine) are my most important tools. I'm becoming quite computer literate and really fast at finding information on the topics I specialize in translating about. Not surprisingly, one of them is mental health. My customers don't know about my anxiety, but I have told about my ADHD and my medication, if something related has naturally come up during a discussion. I have also lectured about ADHD and the autism spectrum more generally, and use myself as an example of someone with good luck regarding medication.

When I started to translate I was not on medication, but the newness of the task and the feeling of hope from being employed again, if only for one project, helped me through. I am sure that today a big part of why I can concentrate also on boring tasks (VAT reporting = big YUCK!) is thanks to Concerta.

Working from home is an absolute blessing when my anxiety flares up bad. I can spend an hour just rocking back and forth, or writing furiously for my diary, or screaming, and nobody will be disturbed. I could not break apart like that at any "standard" office job. My studies force me out of the house 1-3 days a week during the school year, and to do face-to-face group work from time to time, so I'm not turning into a complete hermit. Sometimes I worry. Will I ever be able to go back to 9to5, 5 days a week? Will I want to? This job is mobile - by timing projects I can adabt to my kids' needs and my hubby's vacations. I've even worked at a ski lodge once, in the evenings, and even though it was not my best vacation, at least everyone else got a good break from their routines, and I did get out and moving during the daytime.

Athena

 

[gdf]

What do you do and for how long?

For the past 27 years I have worked in the human services field. My specialty is rehabilitation counseling, which is not mental health counseling--it deals with vocational placement of people who have disabilities. I do a lot of work with mental health issues (PTSD included--surprise, surprise) as well as work with people who have physical issues (or combinations of physical and mental health issues).

Do you work at home at all?

Only if I can't make it to the office. My philosophy is that I like to keep my work and home separated so they don't merge and become one giant, stressful lifestyle...I tend to bring my work home with me if I don't do this.

Are you on any medications and do they help you with your job performance?

In the past I have used anitdepressant medication but began using clonodine last fall for high blood pressure but I find it knocks down the hypervigilence, helps with the panic attacks and flight/fight responses associated with PTSD so I basically got a "two-fer." Which in retrospect, the PTSD symptoms probably keep my blood pressure up there so I get benefit all the way around.

Gina