To call in sick tomorrow?

[namechangeeeeeee]

I work for the NHS in a high pressure and understaffed environment. Have spent the past year working my arse off, at one point on my own and just got on with it.

For various personal reasons I'm struggling to cope, not just with work but with everything. I feel like I have nothing left to give. Truth be told I think I've put a mask on things since my son was born 3 years ago, had a traumatic year and have never been quite right since. I'm going through intense stress and worry in my personal life, work is getting worse and worse each day and I just feel like SOMETHING has got to give before I do. I spend each day at work tense and stressed and miserable and just feel like I need to breathe. I'm just not coping with day to day life.

Would I be unreasonable to ring tomorrow and say I'm not going in and take myself off to the doctors and have a breather to work out what to do next?

Absolutely 100% look after yourself!!!
Make that call
Book that appointment.
Be totally honest with the GP.

You're quite right that Something has to give. Make that the job, not your health.

Of course YANBU. You have reached your limit. Look after yourself!

Yanbu. If you don't you could get worse and take longer to recover.

YANBU. Take the day, see the doctor, get signed off for a bit and recharge. Hope you feel more yourself soon

Absolutely do it. YOU are the most important thing.

Absolutely do it especially because you plan to use that time to see your GP. BlackeyedGruesome is spot-on about it getting worse.

Good luck 💐

It's just hard because I feel terrible and like I'm letting the team down. But the workload is increasing daily and the staff numbers aren't increasing with it, the extra work load is falling to me. I have so much on my mind outside of work I just can't focus. Other staff are off sick and I'm not surprised and then they say staff morale is low and sickness is too high etc I'm not surprised. I'm treated like a work horse and not like a person.

Also, I'm wary of saying I'm taking time off to take care of my mental health, there's still such a stigma and I feel like I'll be seen as purely unable to cope

See your doctor and get signed off work for a few weeks, you have to look after yourself

YANBU
Take care of yourself OP, your mental health is super important.

Are you me OP? I could have written your exact post down to every detail. Absolutely don't go in, work won't appreciate the effort you made. You need to look after yourself so you can get back to it when you're ready x

I would definitely call in sick. Could you ask you manager to refer you to occupational health? They have been great with me and other colleagues. I hope you feel stronger soon

Do you work in an operating theatre?

@WeShouldBeFriends seems like many people are feeling this way at the moment!

@Username19 I could ask about occupational health I guess, I just feel like I cant talk about this in real life

@OhioOhioOhio No i don't work in an operating theatre

Absolutely dreading doing this in the morning!

See your own GP but do approach OH.
I found them very helpful and one of the consultants at my trust is a UK expert on physician burnout.