She’s 30, has never quite known what she wants to do and has struggled with depression and anxiety. She did a degree in drama age 24, has had unrelated jobs since but flits from job to job. She’s not passed two probation periods, probably because she takes a lot of sick leave with her MH.
Shes in the probation period of her most recent job and has been off sick the last 3 weeks. I’ve gone to hers in the morning and travelled in to work with her to support her (this is very hard as I have two small kids to get to school) but on the third day I couldn’t go she didn’t go in. She cannot afford to be off sick long term- she lives alone in a mortgaged flat and cannot manage on sick pay. I’ve encouraged her, gone with her, talked her down when anxious. She has ended up not telling me things and instead speaking to her housemate and boyfriend who are supportive but facilitate her behaviour. They encourage her to stay off or tell her to ‘take all the time she needs’ which she cannot afford to do.
Shes seen the GP and she’s on anti depressants and had had counselling lots in the past.
Part of the issue is we have a middle class upbringing and she gets frustrated that most people her age are doing well in their careers and starting to earn well while she bounces from low paid job to low paid job. I’ve encouraged her to stay in a role to progress within it but she’s always looking for the next thing or something happens and she spirals down, goes off sick and loses the job.
How can I support her? I’ll admit in private I feel exasperated but I’ve never had A&D and I know it can be crippling. Do I push her to go out? accept she can’t work? She’s young for healthy and she can’t sit around in her flat feeling anxious wasting her life away it makes me so sad for her.