I cannot cope...

[QuietBatPeople1]

I am so scared of Covid and struggle with anxiety- have been working in trying to reduce this by taking measured steps.
Then came the vaccine confusion- should I take it now should I wait etc...which I’m still battling with
Today we have been asked to return to the office- I’m sitting here having a massive panic attack which I haven’t had for a while....all my work in trying to control my anxiety gone down the drain in one email...

If you're eligible for the vaccine then I'd encourage you to have it, it might help you to feel a bit more protected. Hope you're ok.

Breathe deeply! Have you been offered the vaccine? If so, why did you refuse - benefits will outweigh any risk if you're in a group currently being jabbed. Are you seeing anyone about your anxiety? Maybe seeing your GP would be a good first step if you haven't already?

Thank you. I want to have it but really scared

Have the vaccine definitely it will give you the best protection when you go back to the office.

See your gp about your anxiety?

@gnushoes offered yes- not refused. Just haven’t booked yet.

I am having cbt - but the email to get back to work, mounting pressure to decide on vaccine has sent me over the edge.

and a big unmumsnetty hug op

Thank you. I cannot seem to stop crying and shaking- I need to lie down

As you are frightened of the possibility of catching covid, you should really be vaccinated as soon as you can, and that will probably make you a bit less anxious.
Numbers are falling and the vaccination programme is going well, so these two things combined are lessening the possibility of people catching it
As you sound to be quite young (otherwise you would probably have been vaccinated by now), even if you did catch it you are likely to recover from it.
Concentrate on the positive as much as you can, and I hope you will feel less anxious as time goes by.
When you go back to work, then take sanitizer with you to clean your desk, your computer, etc and wash your hands regularly. You can't do any more than that. I hope you feel better soon.

Have the vaccine.
Please see your GP.
Do you leave the house much at all, or are you still only going out when absolutely essential? If you aren't leaving the house much, try to ease yourself into normality slowly. Would your work let you have a staggered return?

I think you're extremely lucky to have been out of the office all this time. Compare yourself to teaching staff who had to go back to schools in early January to support the children of key workers/vulnerables or people like frontline NHS staff, bus drivers, supermarket staff etc who had to work all the way through the pandemic even when numbers were sky high.
Cases are very low now and we need to go back to normal. Just stop overthinking it, get the vaccine and go back to work.

Sounds like a struggle op, sorry you feel like this.

Get jabbed. It will help with the fear of Covid.

Re returning to work in an office, can you do a gradual return? A few people in my office have requested to do this.

Maybe see if you can take some time off work or work from home until you are further into you CBT

Then realistically it is much safer for you to have the vaccine than not. What exactly are you afraid about? Can you tell us?

This is going to be a massive problem, people off work with anxiety & depression. I had to shield for the first 12 weeks & my mental health was awful. The moment I went back to work, I felt like a different person. It was a welcome distraction. I work in a school so I was worried. I caught Covid in February this year & although it wasn’t pleasant, I have had worse chest infections. Carry on with your CBT & get your vaccine & once you see your work colleagues you will feel a whole lot better

Oh sweetie, that is a lot to be stressed about but if you break it down it will become more manageable.

Talk to work, ask them for more time. Explain to them that you're not ready and would feel safer back in the office when you've had at least the first vaccine.

Please make an appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns over the vaccine. It's easy to drive yourself crazy reading things online, a proper chat with someone qualified will help settle your fears. It scares me too but honestly I think it's better than the alternative, truly.

Hi op, I just saw the vaccine as not being a choice. It's much easier. You have to live and work in the world and need to be vaccinated. Also for here immunity and to protect others.

People have been like you returning to the office. You might not believe me, but it's not that bad, and it's nice to mix again. People open windows, wear masks, lft twice a week, wipe down their desks and equipment every day. Hand sanitiser is everywhere. It will feel normal very quickly.

If you are so worried about catching covid, getting vaccine would help ease your anxiety.
Extremely rare side effect of vaccine is very rare, as it states. And now we know what sort of side effects we need to look out for. So I think getting vaccinated is even safer now compared to earlier.
Speak to GP about your anxiety, and I hope you feel better soon.

@Twiglets1

I think you're extremely lucky to have been out of the office all this time. Compare yourself to teaching staff who had to go back to schools in early January to support the children of key workers/vulnerables or people like frontline NHS staff, bus drivers, supermarket staff etc who had to work all the way through the pandemic even when numbers were sky high. Cases are very low now and we need to go back to normal. Just stop overthinking it, get the vaccine and go back to work.

That is really not helpful. There is no need to make it a race for the bottom, and does nothing at all to reduce the OP's anxiety for herself.

@QuietBatPeople1 You've had some very good advice on here already. If you have anxiety, then no amount of "reasons" will convince you overnight. If it wasn't anxiety about Coivid or vaccines, it would be anxiety about something else, because that is the way you are currently "hard-wired". So you do need to speak to your medical practitioner about your anxiety; and I would also suggest that if it is possible you speak to your employer, especially if they have an occupational health department that might be able to support you.

I could tell you that the risk of developing a serious case of Covid is extremely low and was even very unlikely at the height of the previous waves. That is true. It is also true that the risk of the vaccines is very very small and even smaller than the Covid risk. That is also true. I could make you a list of much riskier things that you do every day normally that are far riskier than either of those things - but you'd probably worry about those instead!

This anxiety is an illness, and there is nothing at all wrong with having an illness. You do need help with it though. Things would be so much worse if you give up your job because of the fear of something that almost certainly won't happen. And that is the reality - all the bad things you are thinking about almost certainly won't happen. So I can't prove this, but you will be absolutely fine. It's taking that first step that is always hardest. Think about the positives - getting back to a chat with your friends at work, getting out of the house - whatever makes you look forward to it rather than being overwhelmed by the fear.

Good luck - you can do it, you just have to believe that you can.

Get your vaccine - it's there to protect you.

@Twiglets1 wow what a helpful response. After seeing numerous doctors and psychiatrists who knew that it was as simple as 'stop overthinking'.

This has been a hard more than year now. What you feel is what lots of us feel,I hope you have some support for talking through these feelings. I've had the AZ vaccine and part of my why was the emerging evidence about how well it also will help protect those around me,my loved ones etc as the vaccines reduce the chance of me passing it on. This has helped me see just how great the benefits are even besides the excellent benefits to myself of reducing my risks,when compared against the tiny risks. I hope this might help you too.

I really feel for you.

All I can say was that I was at home last year and was a wreck when I went back into the office.

Now, I feel a lot better about being there.

If anything, it’s improved my mental health.

I have had one dose of the vaccine, I also do twice weekly testing (lateral flow)

Have you spoken to work to see what measures are in place? Would this help?

[quote whataballbag]@Twiglets1 wow what a helpful response. After seeing numerous doctors and psychiatrists who knew that it was as simple as 'stop overthinking'. [/quote]
I just wonder at people who are so obsessed with their own safety but think it's ok for everyone else to go back to work/school. But yeah, I'm sure I'm the selfish one

@Twiglets1 I'm teaching staff and we've all been working through the pandemic, not just since January!

[quote ScabbyHorse]@Twiglets1 I'm teaching staff and we've all been working through the pandemic, not just since January! [/quote]
Well yes so have I but tbh I was particularly upset to be expected back in work from 4th January when the Kent variant was raging and we had just had our Christmas with family cancelled due to it.

School staff were very anxious about going back to work then and the same is no doubt true of all key workers - they all have my upmost respect. But I have less respect for people worrying about going back now when cases are so low, unless they have a genuine medical reason to need to carry on self isolating. This does not appear to be the case with OP - not to mention their vaccine hesitancy when taking the vaccine would protect others.