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Looking after ourselves

catladybookworm
Contributor

Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Sometimes I think about jobs I might apply for in the future and think, "But what if my boss doesn't like me taking time off regularly to see my psychiatrist?" or "But what if my insomnia affects my ability to do my job effectively?" and other things like that.

There are some jobs I would never attempt to even begin training in because of my illness, such as airline pilot.

 

Am I being too hard on myself? Is it wise to hold yourself back from doing certain jobs? Do you ever have similar thoughts?  Anyone here got a job that they are doing despite their initial doubts?

20 REPLIES 20

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hi @catladybookworm 

I've never been able to get full time employment.

Right now I work 3 days a week and get $500 a week, which I think is really good for me.

I reapplied for a full time job with the local main employer in my town because they said they needed people, but as always they never respond to my applications.

 

I have always had doubts on every job I ever done. Even my current job, I didn't think they'd employ me. Initially I was doing 5 days a week but then asked for 4 days a week, but even that was too much for me, so I asked for 3 days a week and they so 'no problem.' 

 

I sometimes want to quit my job but I feel guilty about all the girls here, who do similar to what I do, if I quit, I think it would be unfare on them.

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Thanks for replying NNY!

 

I think it's great that you have a job.  When I was in paid work I often had doubts about my abilities and yet my job was an important source of self-identity and pride.  It also got me out of the house, interacting with people which was ultimately good for me.  I only quit because my dad needed someone to care for him as he has Parkinson's disease and my mum, who had been caring for him, passed away.

 

Thanks again for your comments.

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hey, literally just signed up to reply to this. I have just as of 2 days ago been dissmissed due to serve misconduct, after an almost 2 years striaght of 81 hours a fortnight. No way in hell could I manage that and all my never ending crisis moments. I had no life, I achieved my own life goal to obtain a full time position and never have i felt less secure in a workplace, and fulltimes ment to provide security. Anyway, if you love it  go own at it, if its a temporary fling with an idea hell give it a go at least. Im a, farm hand, aged care, kitchen, laundry, abittor, small goods factory, dairy, cafe all rounder, and I wouldnt change a thing. Btw diagnosis BPD undiagnosed until 18months ago, around an abortion, and still got that full time title, add in the workplace harassment, and trauma carried from the last 8 jobs in 6 months and moved between 4 towns

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hi @Kottafly 

 

Welcome to the SANE forums!

 

It's great to have you here and thanks for telling the community a bit about what brought you here.  I'm sure the forum members will be able to offer you support, information and connection Smiley Happy  

 

I'm the moderator this afternoon. Feel free to ask the SANE forum team or the members if you need help with how to use the forum. You might like to check out the Guidelines as they can be a pretty useful doc Smiley Happy https://saneforums.org/t5/help/faqpage#community-guidelines.  

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hey @catladybookworm just following up to see how you've been travelling since posting? Any further thoughts around this job issue? We are always here to listen as a community 🙂

 

@Kottafly Welcome to you!

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Thanks for asking, @nashy !  I am not giving work/jobs a lot of thought at the moment, because I am looking after Dad full time.  However, I do anticipate that when the time comes, if Dad passes away before I qualify for the aged pension, then I will look for a job again.  I am a worrier and I tend to anticipate problems before they occur.  Sometimes this allows me to nipp them in the bud but at other times, it just extends the amount of time I spend worrying on things that I cannot think of solutions for.  I am 45 so I won't qualify for the aged pension any time soon.  However, apart from having Parkinson's disease, Dad is as fit as a fiddle so he could live another 22 years for all I know.  He is 78.  I'm not sure I want to live on the aged pension, though.  Carers pension is pretty bad as it is.  So, yes, I am anticipating looking for a job one day, just not any time soon.

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hi @Kottafly ,

 

Sounds like you've had it rough these past couple of years.  I hope you manage to convince the powers that be that it was an unfair dismissal.  It can be so hard to get people to understand that MI can make you do things that aren't really your fault.

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hi @catladybookworm @Kottafly @NNY  I've walked away from so many jobs I've lost count. I had an unfair dismissal thing 10 years ago, they let me go to their psych, was pointless, not what it was cracked up to be. then they stopped talking after initially offering that I was being bullied, it hadnt even occurred to me. Eventually I applied for centrelink, so they rang employer I guess, then magically I had no job (?) Found out later you have to start a claim within 2 weeks of leaving. I keep patching things over, blocking things out, going to jobs with fluctuating confidence, sometimes little, sometimes more.

Recently am seeing work as means of paying bills only, so I avoid it , but thats not helping either. I am on newstart again and have pension healthcare card, but still have 10 years to pension age, would just work less, less often I guess

So, anyway not getting any help from centrelink in any guise atm, will have to jump up and down a bit more, retraining and doing something that is a bit more sustainable longer term. 

Anyway sorry for going on, this is a bit 'real' for me, about to do a few days work for first time in months tomorrow. 

Re: Can I do that job and still get the care I need?

Hi @TAB 

Is the new work interesting?

 

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