Calling in sick, should I be honest?

[Jumblebee]

I'm meant to be at work for 9am today for a 10 hour shift, my alarm is due to go off at 6am and I haven't been to sleep yet.

The past few months I've had issues falling asleep due to depression and anxiety, my manager is aware of how I've been feeling after I broke down in tears at work one day, and she was so kind to me. But I've always had the impression she doesn't really like me and I'm worried if I do call in sick and be honest about the reason why people won't believe me or thibk I'm pathetic. I don't want to lie but it doesn't feel like a good enough reason to call in sick.

I'm still struggling whether to call in sick at all or if I just need to put my big girl pants on and suck it up. I usually get the Monday morning panic and feel teary going in, but after 10 minutes of work I'm ok, but I'm worried what I'm going to be like going in on zero hours sleep. Last week I made quite a few stupid errors that knocked my confidence and I'm dreading doing the same thing again.

I only work 2 days per week so I hate calling in sick, I feel so bloody pathetic.

Should I call in and be honest about it being due to anxiety and lack of sleep, feign a stomach bug (i'm an awful liar) or suck it up and go in?

Whatever you have decided to do, go and speak to your doctor. Sounds as if you are probably depressed - one symptom is not being able to sleep. It is a vicious circle, and as well as the other suggestions above, I would recommend considering medication as a means of breaking it. (If this conjures up images of dozy drugged up people and addiction, do some research on the subject as that is a common misconception.)

At the same time, if you have not done so yet, research into all the things you can do to counter depression and improve sleep, and start doing them religiously. If you can jog, an hour before bedtime might help knock you out, for example - and you get fresh air, sunlight, and greater physical strength. Improve your diet, meditate, try out all the stuff that you think is probably stupid or not your kind of thing because who knows.

I would probably go in (I know the decision has probably been made now one way or the other anyway).

As pp have said we can survive and function on surprisingly little sleep (of course there are some jobs where we shouldn't try to e.g pharmacist, pilot etc).

The day might not be as bad as you think, and even if it sucks, you will survive and your brain will register that you survived and some of the anxiety about insomnia will be reduced, helping longer term.

I also second sleep-aid (doxylamine succinate) They're antihistamines. One night I had a full sleepless night and I asked on here and someone recommended them. I have never had a full sleepless night since 2017. Just knowing they're there helps me to sleep.

Call for some mental health support too. I hope today goes OK for you and you get a lovely deep night sleep tonight.

Did you go in?
About once a year (luckily not a lot) I have a night where I just cannot get to sleep for no reason at all, just lay in bed watching the clock go round and round. Sometimes I'm lucky and it's on a Friday or Saturday night
I always go into work though like a previous poster said the morning will be a struggle but once it gets to the afternoon you feel a bit better

Do you actually need some time away from work to address your issues?

You may need some time off sick spent getting on antidepressants, starting counselling, doing some self care and then returning to work as a functional human being. There are a lot of self help things you can do on line while waiting for appointments to kick in as well.

As a PP said, you may just think she doesn't like you as you are depressed/anxious and not thinking straight.

When I came back from time off for depression, I was amazed how much nicer everyone in my workplace was! Of course they hadn't changed at all, I just wasn't looking at them through the lens of depression anymore. And I was a much better colleague too.

I'd seriously consider getting signed off work if you're not sleeping at all and feeling tearful at work. From past experience, ten hour shifts in call centres are pretty brutal at the best of times. It's not like a regular office job where you can take 5 minutes to make a drink if you need a breather. The managers are quick to be on your back and put you on performance plans for the slightest mistake and imply you're about to get sacked. We'd regularly get told off for going to the toilet outside our designated three breaks a day.

Hopefully times have changed, but 10 years ago, they were probably one of the worst places you can imagine working if you suffer from anxiety and depression. I hope you manage to get some sleep and start to feel better soon OP .

I realised that you have been in my thoughts all morning, and I wondered how you were getting on.

Either: go in and somehow get through the day, or phone in and take a week off with low mood. Don't use an excuse or you'll feel worse for lying. Your employers are there to help, it's not really about whether they like you!

I feel the same but I don't work. Lockdown has made me weak, anxious, lathargic, unmotivated and sometimes drained to the point I doss in bed whilst my partner looks after the kids.

I would fake a sicky if you can. You need to look after yourself and ten Hours is a long working day! I know it's not the right thing to do. But lockdown has made things really hard for us all. Where's the support to tell us all how to be "normal" functioning people again. I honestly don't know how to get out of this rut.

Hope you're ok OP, let us know how you got on.

I spend most Sunday nights tossing and turning unable to sleep, colleague is the same. Have never been able to pin down why and tried so many things to stop it.

I would be off most Mondays if I called in sick because of it. If you are ok once you get there I would have gone in.

I work 12 hours shifts and often don't sleep or get one hour or so. I've had twenty years of Periods of insomnia. I just get on with it. I usually sleep ok within a couple of days: however weeks of it would be have an impact on health.

I find I deal fine once I'm in work. My insomnia is often my over thinking.

If Your insomnia is causing problems regularly see a GP and seek advice on something that may help regulate your sleep.