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Original poster

Struggling to get through the work day

2 replies

Megathon · 09/12/2025 09:11

I am really finding it hard to concentrate and get through the day.

I work in the NHS in a stressful role dealing with bereavement primarily due to suicide. DH works nights.

Dd 14 is autistic and has been out of school for 2 years, she is just about starting to be okay and is now in tutoring, counselling etc but we have been through hell to get to this point.

She has recently started antidepressants which have been great but I'm on edge due to suicide risk (think im over sensitive due to work). Ive had 3 family deaths in the last 4 months. I am already on antidepressants.

I just want to lie on my sofa all day. I am working from home right now and doing 1 task exhausts me. I have time off at Christmas and am trying to get there but am struggling to get through the working day. If you've experienced similar feelings, how do you get through the day??

OP posts:
Egglio · 09/12/2025 09:20

I have been where you are, right down to the autistic high risk teenager and working with suicide in the NHS at the same time. And I became depressed myself.

Do you have a supportive manager? Honestly, what helped me was being signed off for a couple of weeks (on top of annual leave) so that I could do what you are craving and rest on the sofa as much as possible (and cry a lot, but away from everyone else). I think that if I hadn't done that I would have broken completely. It just gave me enough reserve to go back and start getting through the working day.

Then getting through each working day was a case of hour by hour. I would only get through one bit at a time. And I had support to take the less triggering cases for a while, so I could manage working with some client groups, but not those impacted by teenagers.

It does get better. Slowly. In the end I did move out of mental health/suicide support, because I had nothing left to give in that area. That also helped me build my reserves. My DC now lives away at Uni. Take it slowly and don't force yourself through. Best of luck OP.

Original poster
Megathon · 09/12/2025 10:28

Egglio · 09/12/2025 09:20

I have been where you are, right down to the autistic high risk teenager and working with suicide in the NHS at the same time. And I became depressed myself.

Do you have a supportive manager? Honestly, what helped me was being signed off for a couple of weeks (on top of annual leave) so that I could do what you are craving and rest on the sofa as much as possible (and cry a lot, but away from everyone else). I think that if I hadn't done that I would have broken completely. It just gave me enough reserve to go back and start getting through the working day.

Then getting through each working day was a case of hour by hour. I would only get through one bit at a time. And I had support to take the less triggering cases for a while, so I could manage working with some client groups, but not those impacted by teenagers.

It does get better. Slowly. In the end I did move out of mental health/suicide support, because I had nothing left to give in that area. That also helped me build my reserves. My DC now lives away at Uni. Take it slowly and don't force yourself through. Best of luck OP.

Thank you so much. Reading your kind message made me cry my eyes out, sometimes it is hard to admit how you're feeling with so much going on.

Its comforting to know someone else has gone through something so similar. I'm glad your DC is doing better now.

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