Agoraphobia & Social Anxiety Support Group
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this "safe place."
Hi there,
I need advise on whether to discontinue my work as a therapist due to the fact that my anxiety has become out of control when my mother became sick and passed away almost three months ago.
The anxiety means that I can not be fully present with clients that need me to be, and physically my voice has become raspy and I often feel chocked.
My social anxiety has returned and I get panic attacks on a regular basis, now even in front of some adult clients, staff and colleagues.
The job is close to home, pays well, okay hours, and I have the experience and training... However I do not get adequate supervision but I do and I have been doing 'all the right things' including my own personal counselling and support and self care...
The issue of persisting anxiety is not disappearing and I need to know whether it's time to change my career to something less emotionally based and with less responsibility and focus on mental health.
I'm known to change things up every few years, it's part of my personality.. but because this is such a MASSIVE investment 3.5 years in and kind of a job in some ways I am good at, I am careful about the decision but my work is just not up to scratch because in all plain truth - I am not up to scratch for it at this time!
What I don't want is to see my mental and physical health further decline due to remaining in this industry and I realise pushing through anxiety takes time... but at what cost...?
Help me decide!
I need advise on whether to discontinue my work as a therapist due to the fact that my anxiety has become out of control when my mother became sick and passed away almost three months ago.
The anxiety means that I can not be fully present with clients that need me to be, and physically my voice has become raspy and I often feel chocked.
My social anxiety has returned and I get panic attacks on a regular basis, now even in front of some adult clients, staff and colleagues.
The job is close to home, pays well, okay hours, and I have the experience and training... However I do not get adequate supervision but I do and I have been doing 'all the right things' including my own personal counselling and support and self care...
The issue of persisting anxiety is not disappearing and I need to know whether it's time to change my career to something less emotionally based and with less responsibility and focus on mental health.
I'm known to change things up every few years, it's part of my personality.. but because this is such a MASSIVE investment 3.5 years in and kind of a job in some ways I am good at, I am careful about the decision but my work is just not up to scratch because in all plain truth - I am not up to scratch for it at this time!
What I don't want is to see my mental and physical health further decline due to remaining in this industry and I realise pushing through anxiety takes time... but at what cost...?
Help me decide!
honestly, i think self-preservation and peace of mind infinitely trumps occupation- any occupation- when it comes to mental health and well-being.
i think the best thing to do is request a few weeks off, away from the stressors and obligations. i have had some wonderful therapists and counselors, and have often wondered how they can maintain in the midst of so much pain and misery.
so i guess what i'm trying to say is i don't think it has to be black-and-white quit/leave/stay. i think time off to grieve is a reasonable request, and if after the time off you feel in your heart you need more time off...well...take it.
If I had it to do all over again, i would have sought a therapist who specializes in grief, taken some Klonopin and then picked up where I left off instead of floating around in some unknown space without direction.
When you can understand what others are going through because you have been there or are there, would that not be beneficial?
Other than that, I have never known a cold hearted person to get this so it seems to me that because you are caring, you tend to take things to heart. Maybe you can learn to separate work and home.