Advice please for returning to work

[Bluepanda86]

Hello!

I'm due to return tomorrow after nearly 4 months off and shielding for the majority of it. Although I've been out for fresh air walks, assisted trips to take DD to nursery and on a few occasions on my own to get used to being outside, I am finding myself consumed by anxiety and lack of belief that I can handle not only walking to work but being back at work.

For the last few weeks I've struggled with anxiety on a high level which has left me with more physical symptoms. Although i do CBT and counselling, sometimes the anxious thoughts/ ocd doesn't calm down.

Is there anything I can do to help prepare for tomorrow? I do want to go back as it will help to regain some normality and confidence. My DH is desperate for me to go back so I can start to feel myself again.

Thanks!!

I hope you have a great day back at work catching up with colleagues, enjoying normal life. Some of us, me included, have worked throughout the pandemic, and it's really ok out there OP, and you will be fine, going to work is going to allay your anxiety and help.you feel like your old self. Go for it! Good luck!

I went back last week after a whole year of sheilding. Over the year I've suffered from anxiety and I'm on medication and having counselling /CBT.

I'm on phased return and I'm kept away from everyone else just until I get used to people. I have a review every Monday and Friday and management have made sure that all staff are aware of 2m distancing even with masks on. If I feel overwhelmed I'm allowed to have several breaks as long as management know where I'll be.

Last week after my second day I cried in the car after work and was ready to hand my notice in. The following day told my manager and he said that it's going to take time and take things slowly. His take was phased return is just so you get into a routine. If you have any worries speak to your employer. You're going to have good days and bad. It's also worth having a risk assessment before you return and seeing someone from occupational health.

Anxiety is horrible just remember you're coping strategies. I was fine going in on Monday but yesterday morning I felt physically sick walking from the car pack, I just felt like I was going to burst into tears but I got passed that feeling and nothing happened to me.

Oh and to top it off, I work in a covid lab!!!

Good luck x

'I'm on phased return and I'm kept away from everyone else just until I get used to people. I have a review every Monday and Friday and management have made sure that all staff are aware of 2m distancing even with masks on. If I feel overwhelmed I'm allowed to have several breaks as long as management know where I'll be.'

It's great that you're having a phased return. Isn't it of some reassurance that you'll have been vaccinated so risks are minimal? Please don't have several breaks though as colleagues who have been at work throughout may feel it isn't fair tbh.

I've heard that nhs staff who have been shielding for a year get to carry all of last year's holiday entitlement over to this year. Does anyone know if this is true?

Surely you’ve been vaccinated? What are you actually worried about?

@**JaniieJones The breaks are there if you need them. So far I haven't taken my usual breaks as I'm there for only half a day. As for my colleagues they know what my work ethic is like and have reiterated that if I need 5mins it's fine by them.

As for holidays being carried it's false, our trust made sure that we took our annual leave over the year. We weren't allowed to carry anything over. Which I had no issues with.

Yes I've been vaccinated but a lot of staff haven't taken the vaccine and at the moment from an anxiety point of view it was best to stay away from colleagues. The risks of working with samples that have generated aerosols is still high, even more so when my immune system is pretty crap. There is also concerns about how effective the vaccine is with people who are immunocompromised. My consultant deemed it safe to work away from the lab. All the assessments for my return were done with both HR and occupational health with input from my consultant.

OP the important thing is to take this at a pace that's right for you in order to prevent relapse/exacerbation. Have you been advised that you're ok to go back?

After a longer absence like this it's perfectly normal to have a phased return. Your GP should be able to help you with it at least in terms of writing a note for your employer. So the first thing to do is ask for an appointment with them.

Prior to the appointment try to think of the working pattern that would suit you best. Most people work reduced hours to start with although find it helpful to go in every morning in order to get used to the rhythm of working again.

You can also request an appointment with occupational health which should identify any points of particular difficulties in your duties and how these can be alleviated.

If that's not possible then do talk to your line manager so that you can come up with a plan.

I know you say that you're keen to get back to being your old self but the best way to make that happen is to do the things that your old self would do with the support you need right now then gradually move forward.

It’s pretty normal to feel anxious. I get anxious going into supermarket now, but I make myself do it and often come out with hardly anything. I think a phased return is best, if you can. My son started back 1 day a week, then 2 and is now back 4 days a week. My other son works in manufacturing and has his own area, he doesn’t use the kitchen. Both sons sit in their cars at lunchtime or go for a walk.

Good luck.

'The breaks are there if you need them. So far I haven't taken my usual breaks as I'm there for only half a day'

Yes and of course HR must be seen to be doing the right thing but please just take official breaks when back to normal hours. Your colleagues of course will be supportive they want staff back to full capacity but they will soon get cheesed off if after a few days you start nipping off for extra breaks.

You're vaccinated, in an area where ppe will be used so just take a deep breath and get back to it would be my advice. Dont drag out the rtw

Ignore @JaniieJones OP and @Begonias. You want info, not cloud cuckoo chat.

'You want info, not cloud cuckoo chat.'

It's a public forum. If all someome wants is encouragement fine. However my advice to anyone who has shielded for a year would be of course follow occ health and HR guidelines but also just to try and have perspective. Vaccinated and wearing ppe means risks are extremely low so my advice/cloud cuckoo chat would be not to take extra breaks.

Getting back to the normal routine is always helpful in managing anxiety

I went back to school after a January's,lockdown in March. I'd had my first vaccine 10 days before.

I found that I was really tired. I have been diagnosed with long covid, on top of other health issues which cause fatigue anyway. But the main thing was the overwhelming tiredness caused by being surrounded by people and noise. I'm in a school so there isn't any social distancing most of the time and young children want/need a lot of attention. So the constant stimulation was surprising after so many weeks off. I also felt quite emotional at times.

I didn't have any extra breaks but my work and colleagues know that I have ongoing health issues following covid, as well as arthritis flare ups due to covid messing with my medication and immune system. I could have told my head anytime that I was struggling and changes could have been made. My consultant and Gp were also aware and I knew if it was too hard I could have arranged for a phased return to be put in place, etc.

However, I enjoyed being back and being in an almost normal environment, seeing other people, having a chat with other adults other than dh, having something to talk to dh about at the end of a day, etc. And I much preferred working f2f than online.

Any concerns pretty quickly reduced once I was back in the swing of it.

So my advise was to not plan to do anything each evening and have some 'put in the oven and leave' type meals ready. And plan a quiet weekend to give yourself time to recover.

Don't estimate the tiredness you may feel.

I hadn't had a whole year off I should add. I was off March to September, and then January to March. I was off for 7 weeks in autumn term due to covid and covid-related complications. So a lot of time off.

I found returning in March 2021 much easier than September 2020 as felt more protected due to having had covid and having had a first vaccine.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences.

I have gone back to work twice but it has been stop start due to the vocation I work in and the lockdown restrictions coming into action. Also at one point last year I had two operations in a short amount of time which set me back and had more time off to get better.

Although I had some anxiety pre covid it did raise during the pandemic as I found myself with more time to over worry and sometimes catastrophes and panic about things that haven't happened. This is what is has contributed to ocd traits and led me to get more help.

I did consider medication but I am limited to what I could take as not to interfere with the current medication I take for my underlying health condition. I am aware that the medication I take for my health condition can make you anxious and tired. So I have tried hard over the last year to have "tools" to help me manage. Sometimes they work instantly, sometimes they take a bit longer.

I'm fortunate in my job - it is part time and managable with ppe/ shields in place and social distancing. If things get too much I have colleagues I can talk to.

You will be able to draw strength and support from your colleagues and hopefully really enjoy bring in their company again, sparking off one another's energy again, it's so healthy and people who haven't physically been in the workplace this last year have massively missed out on that shared energy flow in my opinion.