To think if you are considering ways to injure yourself to avoid work then maybe it's time for a change?

[Emotional101]

If someone (with no history of depression or another other MH issues) said to you they had been thinking of a way they could be injured enough to be signed off work, what would you say to them? (Examples given such as broken bone - not cutting or anything similar).

She is in very stressful and constant, high pressure environment but as the sole bread winner with a mortgage dependent on the money it's not as easy as 'just resign'.
It's not the type of job she can leave at work either, it's hours and hours of work outside of her working day.

Would you advise her to go to the gp?

That was my apparently silly and unhelpful advice - she won't as she is being assessed as an adopter and is worried this would go against her (plus the fact she wouldn't have a way to support the child).

She feels she can keep going for another few weeks and she will have a little bit of time off. Due to her job and it being privately run there is no HR or similar to get advice from.

(This is my SIL. I spoke to MIL (her mum) and she was rather unsupportive).

Where is the next step from here?

In two weeks time I leave the job I've done for 8 years. I've been so unhappy there for so long I can't remember a time I liked it. We will definitely feel the pinch but I can't go on there.

I feel tremendous empathy for your SIL, it's a horrible place to be.

Speaking from experience, she definitely needs a new job. I had the minor injury and got driven in for meetings and had work taken home to me, while I was immobile.

It took a pig of a pregnancy, a birth that nearly killed me and a high needs baby (turned out to have SN) to force me to resign.

I have a friend who this happened to. She was in an awful job, her ML had just ended and she was hating being back. We had several conversations about how she wished for a small accident to get some time off to spend with her baby. Then, whilst I was with her, she fell down the stairs and broke her foot! I didn't push her though... She got an extra few weeks off work. But then she had to go back. And it was still awful, and it still is. And she still talks about wanting another accident.

I also 'manifested' an accident once. I was on holiday, and reallllllllllllly didn't want to go home. On my very last evening I fell, and broke my leg! Couldn't fly for 8 weeks. It was the most painful experience ever, but man was I happy to extend my holiday!

In all seriousness though, yes it sounds like your SIL needs some love,support and outside help. Being signed off with stress for a few weeks might give her some clarity and reassess her situation, so she can decide if pursuing a different job is worth while.

Sarah Millican talked about this in her stand up. I remember wishing a bus would hit me on the way to work in a job I hated. I think it's quite common but definitely an indicator you need a change asap.

I think you silly needs to wait till she is in a new job before adopting.

I remember one terrible job I had the only thing that made me keep going was looking for another job.

I am going to see her today so will try and have a chat with her :).

Oh op I know the feeling. I wish every day I could catch something contagious off the children I work with, just for some time off. But then I cry every day in the loos, stay up all night crying, sometimes wish I would just pass away in my sleep :(