Job anxiety Community Group
For people who suffer anxiety at the work place and fear co-workers, bosses, and who assume the worst will happen
i'm new to this board, but realize it isn't jumping, so i don't expect an immediate response.
a little background. i'm a 55yo female. i have bipolar and the only work i have been successfully able to do is crew at mcdonalds. i've been there almost 2 years and finally made it to crew trainer and a princely salary of $7.70 an hour. i used to work retail management and was an insurance underwriter for 8 years, but there's no way i could do those jobs now. i am divorced and support myself, although my sister pays my rent for me...for another 3 years until her hubbie retires.
i am so stressed by just going to work every day. while some of the people i work with are wonderful, there is a certain subset (that i refer to as the spanish mafia) who make my life a living hell. my manager is trying to work with me and get me onto a different shift, but apparently i will need to remain on "their" shift 2 days a week because they are unwilling to learn the position i do on those 2 days. i take xanax just to get into work without throwing up in the parking lot, this is how much it affects me.
i know i need to find another job, but i am so overwhelmed by the prospect of even looking, let alone interviewing, that i can't do it. how do i explain to a prospective employer why a woman who was very successful and earned good money, has spent the last 5 years going from job to job with lowered expectations every time? how do i possibly get back into a position of responsibility where i can support myself? yeah, i know how to work around the jobs i was fired from...it's the pattern i don't know how to deal with.
i'm a good worker, a hard worker, a smart worker. but, i am also an emotional worker. people say or do things and i tear up or outright cry. any suggestions would be much appreciated.
a little background. i'm a 55yo female. i have bipolar and the only work i have been successfully able to do is crew at mcdonalds. i've been there almost 2 years and finally made it to crew trainer and a princely salary of $7.70 an hour. i used to work retail management and was an insurance underwriter for 8 years, but there's no way i could do those jobs now. i am divorced and support myself, although my sister pays my rent for me...for another 3 years until her hubbie retires.
i am so stressed by just going to work every day. while some of the people i work with are wonderful, there is a certain subset (that i refer to as the spanish mafia) who make my life a living hell. my manager is trying to work with me and get me onto a different shift, but apparently i will need to remain on "their" shift 2 days a week because they are unwilling to learn the position i do on those 2 days. i take xanax just to get into work without throwing up in the parking lot, this is how much it affects me.
i know i need to find another job, but i am so overwhelmed by the prospect of even looking, let alone interviewing, that i can't do it. how do i explain to a prospective employer why a woman who was very successful and earned good money, has spent the last 5 years going from job to job with lowered expectations every time? how do i possibly get back into a position of responsibility where i can support myself? yeah, i know how to work around the jobs i was fired from...it's the pattern i don't know how to deal with.
i'm a good worker, a hard worker, a smart worker. but, i am also an emotional worker. people say or do things and i tear up or outright cry. any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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Mom and I have errands to run this morning. She said we can get sushi for lunch though. I go back to work today. What are you looking forward to this weekend?
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Quick, before the evil MONday gets here! Let's climb those mountains, dance in the meadows, dip our feet in the ocean....Okay, so most of us won't be doing any of That. Sadly. But today can still be a great day!The area behind our back fence is on an incline, with less than two feet on even ground at the top. I don't balance well enough for the incline, but our mower guy mows that...
In today's workplace, it is not uncommon for people to change jobs frequently. Also, as we go through economic peaks and valleys, it is also not unusual for people to wind up in positions where they are deemed "underemployed," whether or not it is by choice. It's a much more fluid job market.
I think in this case, believe it or not, age is on your side. I have read that companies are now looking at older, people who have experience in the workplace. Sure, it's quicker and cheaper to hire somebody right out of college. Frankly, I think this is because of the attitude and work ethic of young people nowadays. I don't mean to generalize or stereotype, but I have both worked with an supervised the "Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, or whatever they are called) and it is not pleasant. Not only are they immature, but they have a strong sense of entitlement and if they spent half the time working as they do staring at their cell phones...
Anyway, I digress, but you get the picture. You have already demonstrated that you can accept more responsibility by moving up at McDonald's. I don't know if they have CVS in your area, but several years ago, when I was between jobs, I worked there for about five months. I worked both in the pharmacy and on the floor. It wasn't ideal, but not as horrible as I imagined. It seemed to me that if you stuck around long enough, there were some opportunities for advancement. With your retail and customer service experience, it was just a thought.
I'm a little unclear as to what you are aspiring for. When you mentioned retail management and insurance underwriting, it sounded like you didn't want to get into anything with a high level of responsibility and stress. However, you then mentioned that you'd like to "get back into a position of responsibility.
Another thought, can you get disability for your bipolar condition?
Well, I hope this helped some. Would love to chat more.
(((HUGS!!!)))
to get disability my doctors would have to agree that i can't work. since i have been at mcdonalds for almost 2 years, they are not willing to say that i am unable to work.
thanks for your comments
hugs and puppy kisses
When I did have Full Time work, I couldn't hack it due to my depression and poor attitude. But I had to be taught a lesson.