Worst Jobs For Ptsd?

[Amanda M]

I find it fascinating to see everyone talking about how self-employment is the way to go. It's been my dream for a very long time to ultimately be self-employed. Good to know I had good instincts!

Currently I work at a university. I find that some days are better than others. When the students are stressed out (like during finals), I empathize with them so strongly that it's almost as bad as if I was doing finals myself. Reading about the folks who do massage therapy....that sounds like a dream come true!

 

[Core]

Kindergarten/day care assistant. Even though the children are lovely, constantly being exposed to loud noise as well as startling all the time isn't much fun.

 

[The Albatross]

Heh Core, I did child care on base as a young woman... evening shifts. I took away all the toys that made noise after 7 pm. My shift was 5 - midnight. We still played and I had a great time with the kids (my group was 2-3 year olds). But I had a hard time with the noises the toys made, even then... many years before diagnosis.

 

[The Albatross]

For me personally, security guard would be in the list of "worst jobs for PTSD".

 

[nomedic1]

Emergency services

 

[Don't trip]

After growing up in an abusive environment, where every authority figure was either molesting me or physically/verbally abusing me, well...I have trouble with authority figures. I don't work, but was in school working toward a Master's in Psych. before I was sideswiped by two autoimmune within a year and yes, PTSD dx. In this same year, last year, my neck began to hurt and I began having some WEIRD symptoms. After an x ray ordered by Rheumy, then an MRI when there was concern, I was found to have severe spinal stenosis and cord impingement in my neck, and now am in need of a spinal fusion. My lower back is now involved with beginning DDD, a herniated disc, annular tear and my first acute flare of sciatica that has not taken three weeks to recover from. Yet, I am functional. Always active, I'm back at it when I should not be. I'm so very hyper and HATE sitting still for long, even though I was told to CHANGE MY ACTIVITIES.

Just prior to the sciatica, I was exploring vocational rehab in order to go back to work, as I made lifestyle changes in the last two years and my autoimmune is under control. I just forgot about my spine. My PTSD has been set off by unbelievable stress being poor and on medicaid, doctors don't like me and insurance companies don't either because I stand up for myself, research all my illnesses and recommended medications before I try them. I'm into mindfulness, meditation, and want to try yoga, but my back doesn't want to cooperate. Anyway, so fighting these 'authority' figures for care, has been a nightmare and a full time job on its own. I"m having to face the reality of limitations at a time that I can little afford it.

I can't go back to school either, as my loans are atrocious.

I want to work. I'm frustrated by these limitations and my PTSD, and I keep telling myself I don't have them. I'm a writer and find great meaning, catharsis and love for my work, but it won't make me a living.

I read these stories and they are triggering. I can feel my body in a hyper vigilant state, barely breathing. What you all put up with, I simply could not. Much of the abuse out of your employers is so common now, as to be something you understand you will deal with when you step into the work force. The tactics are the same as my psychopathic abusers and I do believe that he business world is full of narcissists/psychopaths.

What do you do when you know you will decompensate. Am I just being a chicken S*** when I say I can't do it? Just thinking about it, triggers the hell out of me. My therapist and I talked about it and I became VERY angry with her.

What's wrong with me here? Am I being a big baby about this? I cannot have contact with authority figures who are disrespectful or abusive without reacting. I've done this over and over and it's like flipping a switch for me. With all I know of mindfulness and even techniques to use spontaneously, it's like taking childbirth classes and then forgetting how to breathe during labor because the pain is too much, then asking for an epidural!

I have filed for SSI. I know I will not get it. I hated filing for it. I fall between the cracks and screwed myself with my denial about how bad this is for me.

I'm faced with a surgery in May and FINALLY a visit with a neurosurgeon that I've been fighting for, for a year now.

Have any of you been through voc rehab and/or experienced this?

A friend of mine, having suffered at the hands of a psychopath in two of her romantic relationships, told me, "I would rather be a bag lady, then compromise myself to another abuser".

My son is taking care of me right now, financially. I feel so guilt ridden. I have worked so hard to become independent after a liftime of emotional dependence and financial dependence on abusers, as well as a stay at home mom to six and a part time student. I was a straight A'er.

Ugh. I'm so sorry. I don't mean to hog your thread....these posts are very triggering for me. I don't know how you all do it with your PTSD and abusive employers. To me it wouldn't be worth it, to my health or for my family...but we have to live too..I do with VERY little...I have nothing, except the roof over my head and food in our mouths. My son busts his butt off as a chef for very little. I would rather have little, barely surviving unemployed or under employed then have a lots of stuff and compromise. I don't know how you guys do it....

 

[Amanda M]

What's wrong with me here? Am I being a big baby about this?

I think you're missing a key point that makes your case a bit different from perhaps a lot of us. You have a dual diagnosis of a physical, chronic injury/pain on top of the PTSD. The back/spine problems alone would affect a lot of people's ability to work, let alone adding PTSD on top of it. Be gentler on yourself. It's easy when you have PTSD to take on the voice of your abuser(s) and yell at yourself with it in your own head. Try not to let the PTSD do that to you.

On the job front, do you think you could handle something part-time in a quiet environment? I'm thinking maybe like working a few nights a week as a security guard (who mostly watch cameras and then call for back-up if there's a problem with minimum supervision). Or maybe you could figure out something to do working from home? When I was younger I had a job where I could assemble some parts from home. I'd pick them up, assemble them, then return them all assembled to the distributor. I think perhaps having any income coming in from your own work might help you have a stronger sense of self and feel like less of a burden on your son (which I doubt he perceives you as anyway).

 

[desiderata310]

I would have to say that my field of work is probably not really conducive to my diagnosis. I work in a "road house" theater so we are constantly loading shows in and out. It's loud, high stress, people invade your space and the hours are stupid long( and that's on the weekends). The only thing that makes it work for me is that when I get overwhelmed I know I have a private office that I can go and shut the door for a few minutes… usually. I've not had a ton of issues on the job until recently since there's a Vet on crew who wants to talk about his PTSD and heaven knows why, but it freaks me the hell out. One of my lead team members has seen me kind of change, get up and leave and he's taken to asking this guy to cool it.

The other not so fun part of my job is when we have to do night of show settlement and I have to sit in a small room, at an hour when I am already tired and sleep deprived and argue with someone over a labor bill. Last time I had to do that it was all I could do to keep my shit together - I had to argue with this guy for 45 minutes over 300 dollars on a bill where they had made over 300,000. I CAN deal with high stress and it helps that I have to bike home. Usually the next day I am not worth crap.

 

[The Albatross]

Telemarketer would be a really bad job for me and PTSD too I think.

 

[BLHutch]

I'm an adjunct history professor for 3 local community colleges now. It works pretty well with PTSD. I can more or less set my schedule for each semester as to what days of the week I want to teach. Plus, the schools all teach on a MW and TR schedule and so I get three day weekends. Plenty of time off in between semesters too. However, the downside is that it doesn't pay all that great. I have to teach 8 classes a semester between 3 different schools just to get close to what I made as a detective.

 

[Zef]

I know we all have to get a certain amount of money to pay our bills and live our lives a certain way, but one thing that it has taken me years to work out is that work is just work, not life. If your work is killing you either emotionally or physically, to the point where you can't enjoy living - then seriously - what's the point in it all?

Cherryblossom. . .Thank You for this. I constantly need to be reminded of this. . .maybe, someday, I'll actually find the stones to get up, leave the office and never come back. My wife and kids would love it, too. . .at least, they would until they started starving. :)