When is it acceptable to go on stress leave?

[Iwishiwerefromtheshire]

I am having a really stressful time in my job. I work with children. We've seen violence towards the children and the adults. Some of the things I've seen, like deliberate, close attempts of hurting children, are stuck in my head and replay constantly. I think what could have happened, what will happen next. The environment we work in is extremely tense and stressful. I've been doing this 10 years now and have never experienced anything like this.

My workplace 'thinks' they are supportive. But they are not. Think, constant blaming any time a child dysregulates, think scowling annoyed faces every time they are called to help. Not once told us we are doing a good job.

I am resilient, I really think I am, but all this for months has been hard to cope with. I'm only part time but it has still been so hard.

So at what point is it acceptable, if ever, to take some stress leave and just recover a bit? It feels very unacceptable to me.

you can self certify for illness for the first week and then see your GP if you need to be signed off further.
only you know when you have reached your limit and are unable to function.
sorry OP

Hi op I couldn’t read and run, it sounds awful for many reasons. I think if you need to take time off to look after yourself because of stress that is always acceptable, especially in the circumstances you describe above. (You may also want to look for a different role it sounds a horrible place to work) sending hugs & strength x

I think that if you know you are not coping then you need to take some time away. Is the stress impacting other areas of your life? Do you have any symptoms of depression or anxiety?

working with kids that dysregulate often is tough. I have a friend who saw a kid almost die in a train situation and she went off on leave from around june- end of summer holidays. It happens and your workplace should have the correct procedures in place, but needless to say many don’t. Sorry you’re experiencing this op

Nit a doctor, but it sounds like PTSD if you re reliving it. Absolutely see the GP for help

My own personal line is crying at work (not in the way you would cry after say a particularly hard phone call or confrontation but like, frustration while locked in the toilets crying). Only been there once but I quit and had another job by the end of the month.

If you feel unwell, if it is affecting your day to day life, if you feel you are unable to meaningfully do your job role. It's hard, particularly in caring professions to put yourself first as we know the impact of our absence, but ultimately it's just a job - if it's making you unwell taking some time away is the right thing to do and maybe use that time to reflect on whether it's the right job for you and/or what you need to be different to enable you to do the job safely moving forward.

For me, it started with me waking at 3am every morning and being unable to get back to sleep. I didn’t realise at the time but it was the start of my mental health crisis.

The day I actually started sick leave I started work and began crying and I just couldn’t stop. I got a GP appointment that morning and was off work for around four months. I had to have CBT which was a huge help and I was eventually able to get back to work.

I've been sick with stress. All I can recommend is take it, take the leave now, don't wait.

Your body keeps score.

Take stress leave now while you are in a position to make that choice. It's far more difficult to recover if you wait until you have complete burnout or if you body reacts in a way that forces you off work.

I would say take the time off. Initially self certify as pp said , while making a GP appointment ( if your GP is like mine , you will have a wait)

If you can while you are off, get out in nature , or if you have something which helps you decompress, do that.

Ask your GP to refer you to counselling, again there may be a wait.

Don’t wait until it becomes a crisis Op, protect yourself.

Thank you for the replies. I feel like I could cry, but I also feel very numb. I think most of all I just scared of all the judgement I will get. "Mental health" is such a buzz word these days. I actually have diagnosed anxiety and depression but I can usually manage my job. It's just so stressful and tense at the moment.