How do you know if you should get signed off work

[SantaTeresa]

Overwhelmed by personal family issues, crying can't breathe, can't focus. Anxiety and general feeling of can't see a way out / can't cope

How can I justify the work side though as it's personal things happening to my family (child)

I name changed as posted about the trigger and stress under another user name. So apologies but would like some perspective as to when it's OK to just say incant cope and work needs to be the one I step away from.

You can self cert from work for 7 days I think. Any longer has to be gp? Have you seen them yet?

I have told work I won't be in rest of week
I have not yet been to GP as all this came to a head yesterday about 4pm and had been bubbling for some time (october)
I think I'll go to GP Monday/ Tuesday.

I just don't know what to say/ do I just need space to figure everything out get help, breathe, not cry...

I don't know if that's enough

You don't need to give a hell of a lot of detail around what's caused how you feel. If you're up to it, you can explain in your return to work meeting so that your employer can work with you to help with accommodations in the long term should you need them. For now you can just say you're very overwhelmed and you're having episodes of crying which you would not be able to handle in work.

You can self certify for 7 days as PP has said but do see a GP and explore getting a sick note.

See how you feel, sometimes being at work is better as it's a distraction from what's going on in your head.

You asked how you can justify going off work when it is personal things that have caused your struggles - the simple answer is that you're overwhelmed and have to put something aside, and that can't be your family or your health. So it has to be work.

Life is not neat. You can't keep work separate from family and separate from health, as much as society would like to think you can. You're one person juggling work and family and health, and sometimes one has to give. Normally that should be work, as it is far less important than the other two, though I bet there are times that you've let family or health suffer to benefit work too. It is all a juggle.

Yes you are correct. I have prioritised work over my health and family plenty in the past.

Appreciate your responses and perspectives and I know I would dish out same advice... !

I'll leave now but again thank you

"the simple answer is that you're overwhelmed and have to put something aside, and that can't be your family or your health. So it has to be work."

This. I was signed off about 6 months after my DF attempted suicide. At the time I supported him and my DM, carried on with work, suppressed it all etc, but much later after it had all calmed down, one day I started shaking and crying and couldn't stop. The GP diagnosed PTSD and signed me off for 4 weeks to recover, saying "you can't switch off anything but work, so let that be the thing that takes a back seat."

Don't let it get to that stage; go and see the GP.