Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
My husband suffered a broken leg about 6 years ago. Never one to exercise or get up and do physical activity. he did even less. Two years ago he had chest pain (heavy drinker and smoker) and had two stents placed. Since that time he has done NO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF ANY KIND> he was told that exercise was an important part of recovery for the heart, but he refused, continued to drink and smoke. So in AUGUST, he started not wanting to go to work on Sept 7 he refused called in an said he was on short term disability. HAD not seen a dr. Tried to get in and no appts for over 7 days in town. Took him to urgent care, and they gave him 2 psych meds. They made him puke and sleep. Finally got him into dr, and they told him his physical shape was poor due to his failure to follow his diet, and EXCERCISE> He came home, stopped eating, and refused to eat or sleep Actually sat on our stairs, with his legs hanging down, till they swelled to 5 times normal size. Refused to bathe, or brush teeth, etc. Would not change clothes, wore them 24 hrs. a day, He developed so much fluid that his legs leaked making his pants wet, and could no longer get on his boots. I finally called my GP, and he said to take him to ER. He spend the next 6-7 weeks in hospital Had taken such poor care of himself that his EF was 15% DOWN FROM 45 when he had the stent placed. The drs said he did it to himself. HE was in the hospital 24 hours and then they called and said he had to be intubated, and he was in ICU. I told them he had been making himself hyperventilate for weeks. The dr said she noticed he did that in front of people but not when alone in the room. HE spend all that time in a gown, would not get dressed, did not do anything for himself.Eventually he was to come home, and ended up in ICU the next day again. IMAGINE THAT Then he went to skilled and they said he would not get up to walk. So the dr ordered walks 4 times a day, even that did not get accomplished. Came home, and has done absolutely nothing. Up until Friday, He was eating me out of house and home, and esp. sweets. He was on 24 meds, many over the counter different vitamins, etc. On Friday he was told he coud go back to work on Mon 1/7/2013. Imagine this, after being told Friday his lungs were clear and labs normal, HE WAS SICK, could not breathe, would not sleep or EAT has not since then. If he can use his mind to make himself so bad in a short time why not use it to make yourself better. IF he loses his job, he willhave no insurance, no money and no way to buh the meds. He just does not get it. Has refused to walk or exercise in any way for months. I do not know what to do. This loses insurance for our entire family. HE iS NOT SICK, just has some psych thing about work and does not want to go back, but will not admit it. I told the dr this is what caused the thing in the first place but they never got any psych eval either. Please help.
Returning to work after illness involves a step-by-step process just like the recovery from an illness does. The above questions and others are answered in this easy step-by-step process to make the recovery process of a return to work after illness easier.
Consider your situation
Make sure you can answer the following questions confidently:
Does my illness mean I need to think about a new line of work?
Do I want to attempt a career change?
Do I want to update my skills to get back into my previous line of work?
Do I need to boost my confidence?
Based on your answers decide whether or not youre ready to go back to work at all, ready to go back to your old job, or if you do in fact need to look into a career change.
Identify new career opportunities if you cant return to your old job
Think about the qualifications and skills your old job gave you and see how you can bring those to a new position. Also, if you were in a qualified position think of becoming someone who trains or educates others in your field.
Make a fresh start in a new line of work
Identify which skills you already have, which you want to improve upon and what type of new skills you want to gain. There are multiple skills and interest assessments to help with the process.
Update your skills and knowledge
If you want to be an on-ramper and return to your old line of work after an illness, make sure you talk to old co-workers to see what has changed. Look over trade web sites or sign up for a college class in your chosen field.
Give your confidence a boost
If youre recovered, dont just sit there! Go out, do something that makes you happy. Join a club or sports group. Accomplishing things after an illness will give you confidence to accomplish activities in the work place.
Be positive about your time off
Kind of the same deals here as above; join groups, clubs in the community, tackle tasks at home, etc. Enjoy the time you have.
Get some experience
Start with a part-time or temp job to get experience in your field. This helps make it so you dont push yourself too hard too fast. Creating a nice work-life balance is essential when trying to get back on the work horse.These kinds of jobs are also excellent resources for a reference to put on your resume.
Find out which training schemes you can access
If youre receiving health-related or disability benefits you can access the New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP). There might also be the possibility that programs like Work Trials are available to you.
Get advice on benefits and other legal matters
Your job should have a professional center that provides information and counseling on your rights regarding benefits and pay while being away on illness. In addition, the center should also provide information on returning to work after illness.
Get further help and advice
Learning how to create a cover letter and resume again, as well as brushing up on interviewing skills can really be make it or break it skills.
http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/file/downloads/pdf/file_95.pdf