You'll get it back soon. I felt the same coming back to my military job after being off for a "vacation". Which is how it was handled at my job. People still knew but I had the patina of cover with that lie. You'll get it just ease back into the job and don't get stressed out. You'll catch up.

Tell us how it goes.

Just take it easy. And slow. Have a good day.

It takes me a goodly while to fully recover from heightened anxiety episodes. The adrenaline surges, etc., don't turn off as easy as they turn on, especially if I've had to fight them for the sake of keeping the ship afloat. Equally, it takes my healthier parts a while to recover from the sustained abuse.

Easy does it, Brockster.. Be gentle with yourself and patient with the process. Itsy bitsy baby steps. Don't rush the recovery.

Gentle support while you work it through. Keep us posted.

Thanks everyone.

I totally plan on easing back into things... breaks when I need them, lowered expectations for myself. The team I work with is awesome and are all expressing that they're glad I'm back, and my boss just wants to know what he can do to help, so I feel super fortunate in that regard.

You have a fantastic company. I had none of that returning from my hospital stays. You are fortunate.

Hang tight. Do your best. Try not to get overwhelmed. Make a list and put in order of priority. You’ve got this

I can understand why you would be anxious--its another change in your routine...but don't beat yourself up if you can--its like you are recovering from the flu--you just need to get through the day, you need to take it easy, take breaks and rest.

You also might find it helps your anxiety----when I completely cracked up years ago I was terrified to go back to work--this was the place that caused me so much stress---but the minute I got there work took over...It was a distraction from my thoughts.

Best wishes and so glad to know you have support!

Good luck as you start working again.
I'm petrified to go back. I was only there for 3 months when I left in a hurry hospitalized with acute anxiety... been out 2 months already.
Let us know how it goes

First day down and it went pretty well. I was able to talk to my co-workers, think about some work problems and generally try and engage with what was going on. I was also able to give myself some time to lay down and rest for a bit when I got tired. All in all, I'd say it was good to be back. I set the bar pretty low in terms of what I expected from myself. Even got out for a bit of a bike ride despite the air quality being crap because of all the fires here and in California.

Glad your first day went well

How do you know if you're ready to work again? My anxiety is medium to bad to ok depending on the moment. Work is my biggest anxiety because of the salary and benefits (and demands that come along with it) plus I disappeared one day and haven't been back. I have to start again by 9/18 or I lose my job (end of STD)...that feels like a ticking time bomb. I'm so bored and restless but still don't know if I can actually think to work/contribute.
Are you EVER ready to go back to work? Asking for me...

For me it was largely a question of having something to do... something to focus on. I'm fortunate in that right now I'm working from home. I mean, there is a down side in that I'm not really getting to socialize, but it also means I'm able to take breaks and relax if I need to.

Things got bad for me again on Tuesday and I ended up having to take Wednesday afternoon off. But then I started feeling good again on Thursday so I was back at it.

As far as when or if you are ready... I don't know that I can answer that. For me, my responsibility to my family means that not working can create anxiety just as much as working can. And, when my brain is working (as in, I'm relatively calm and can think rationally), having something other than my own thoughts to focus on helps me from ruminating.

Hope that helps