Kelly
How does a professional in an office job deal with anxiety attacks or major depressive days?
I am a university student dealing with a General Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression. I have had to take a reduced course load this semester in order to take care of my mental health. I am worried about oversleeping or having panic attacks at work once I graduate and start an entry-level job. #human-resources #mental-health #linguistics
5 answers
Daniela Silva
Daniela’s Answer
Hi Kelly,
Keep these ideas in mind to keep your work life manageable:
- Work! In addition to financial reasons, working can be important for your self-esteem and it adds to your social identity.
Tell a trusted coworker. Knowing that someone accepts your condition can be comforting and it may reduce any anticipatory anxiety about having a panic attack at work. - Educate yourself. Learn to recognize the symptoms of your disorder and how to handle them if you experience any at work.
- Practice time management. Make to-do lists and prioritize your work. Schedule enough time to complete each task or project.
- Plan and prepare. Get started on major projects as early as possible. Set mini-deadlines for yourself. Anticipate problems and work to prevent them.
- Do it right the first time. Spend the extra time at the outset and save yourself a headache later when you have to redo your work.
- Be realistic. Don’t overcommit or offer to take on projects if you don’t realistically have enough time.
- Ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask a coworker for help. Later you can return the favor.
- Communicate. Speak up calmly and diplomatically if you have too much to handle. Your supervisor may not realize you’re overextended.
- Stay organized. Filing and clearing your desk and computer desktop may rank low on your priority list, but they can save you time in the long run and may prevent a crisis later.
- Avoid toxic coworkers. Try to ignore negativity and gossip in your workplace.
- Take breaks. A walk around the block or a few minutes of deep breathing can help clear your head.
- Set boundaries. Try not to bring work home with you. Don’t check your work e-mail or voice mail after hours.
- Savor success. Take a moment to celebrate your good work before moving on to the next project. Thank everyone who helped you.
- Plan a vacation. You’ll be rejuvenated and ready to work when you come back.
- Take advantage of employer resources and benefits. Your workplace may offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), discounts to gyms, or skill-building courses. Learn what’s available to you.
- Be healthy. Eat healthfully, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and limit caffeine and alcohol. Try to keep your body and mind in shape to handle challenging.situations.
Getting Help
It’s important to find help for anxiety, stress, and related disorders. Find a therapist near you.
With treatment, most people find significant improvement. Several standard approaches have proved effective. Your health care professional will use one or a combination of these treatments:
Therapy
Medication
Complementary and alternative treatment
More information in:
https://www.adaa.org/managing-stress-anxiety-in-workplace/anxiety-disorders-in-workplace
Good luck!
Kristen Erban
Kristen’s Answer
There are a few options for dealing with this in the office. Most companies have an Employee Assistance Program with counselors available to talk. Some offices have a nurse or a quiet wellness room for you to rest and relax in during an attack or times where you need some quiet space. There are also personal sick days and/or leave time to make use of. If you are comfortable enough, you could also discuss the need for additional flexibility and/or work from home days with your supervisor. Hope this helps!
Sen MP, Ph.D
Sen’s Answer
Katherine Deutsch
Katherine’s Answer
I think that you have taken a first great step in taking a reduced course load and caring for your mental health now as a student. I'm sure that was a hard decision and I hope you are benefiting from your choice. I hope that your current way of caring for your mental health involves access to one or several mental healthcare practitioners, and if it does not, please ask your university for help in obtaining these services. There are also online counselors available and many affordable apps that can be useful, including Sanvello, Headspace, and many apps that just help you take deep breaths. If you have access to a mental health professional, I would highly suggest you address your specific concerns with them regarding the fear of oversleeping or having panic attacks while at work.
When you becoming a working professional, you can continue to keep your mental health a priority, just like you are doing now. I'll refrain from giving you a to-do list (other contributors have done a very good job of this already) and will try to stick to things relevant to the professional world.
First, using your vacation and personal days rather than letting them sit there is a good habit to get into, as many people just let them accumulate. Second, every company benefits package for mental health varies, whether you stay in Montreal, work abroad, go to the States, etc. So before applying for jobs, do some digging on company websites or through trusted friends or professional colleagues to see what the company benefit package is like and what the company culture is like in general in terms of supporting a work-life balance. Third, from both my professional perspective as a nurse practitioner and my personal experience, the type of job you choose can also have a significant influence over your anxiety and depression. Many times people like to pick the highest paid, most challenging job out there, but this can often lead to an increase in symptoms, especially if you work extremely long hours or do not have a supportive team or supervisor. However, I do understand that it is often less of a choice about the type of job you pick, either from lack of availability due to an economic downturn or because your financial situation requires you to pick the highest paying job you can find. Finally, and I would certainly consult others on this, but it may benefit you to disclose these diagnoses when you are in the application or hiring process. Some companies will just list it as a chronic illness, some a disability, but many companies are far more understanding if you disclose this upfront and will accommodate you more than if you appear to have suddenly developed these conditions and they may attribute it to you not being a right fit for the job. This is a very personal decision and I would seek further guidance regarding it.
I will provide a personal example and say that I suffered for months in my first job working night shift, which led to a huge exacerbation of anxiety, which was previously under very good control. After months of therapy and me insisting that an appeal to get on day shift would not work (as I was too low in seniority), my psychologist put her foot down and wrote a letter appealing to my supervisor and HR to get me onto day shift, which worked. The positive effects were instantaneous and my supervisor realized that I was a completely different person on day shift. It was a good lesson in accepting the advocacy that was being offered to me and the importance of using the resources that are available. My employer was far more understanding than I thought they would be and I became a far better employee because of the accommodation they provided me. I also learned to never work night shift again.
There are many people that also struggle with GAD and major depression that are content professionals, so while it can/will take a bit of trial and error, there are many ways to succeed as a working professional with the tools you're developing now and will obtain in the future.
My sincere wishes for a good finish to your university career, healing during this time, and for the smooth start of your life as a working professional.
Katherine recommends the following next steps:
Candace Switzer, SHRM-SCP
Candace’s Answer
The ideas Daniela gave above are excellent. Managing your anxiety and depressive episodes can be a challenge so learning more about your triggers and how to manage those are key. Taking advantage of counseling and other options available through your employee benefits plan will be of great importance as well.
Another thing I would mention is getting your physician involved to specifically discuss the duties of your job and how those things might be affected by your medical condition. Family Medical Leave will not apply to you until you have been employed for at least 12 months (and meet other basic qualifications), but the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does cover mental illness and mental related medical conditions. There may be accommodations your employer can provide to assist you in performing your duties, but you must first be clear on what your duties are.
Since you are still a job seeker, talk to your physician about the type of job you are interested in and the typical requirements of this type of job. You stated it was an entry level office job you were seeking, but didn't mention a specific field. Some fields are more high stress than others so you might consider avoiding jobs like that. As you begin to narrow your job search you should be able to work with your physician (either general practitioner or mental health provider) to determine what type of job is best for you and what, if any, accommodations you might require.