Struggling with MH and work

[Happycat74]

Just looking for some advice please. I have a 30 year history of Depression and anxiety and work 30 hours a week in a stressful job. I need to earn more to help pay the bills but I just can’t cope with anymore hours as 30 hours is my absolute limit.
I am currently signed off work for 2 weeks due to my MH as I just can’t cope with work and life in general (this is the 2nd time this year) and I am going change my antidepressants.
My question is how do I cope with a change in job when I feel like this? If 30 hours a week is the absolute maximum I can cope with am I entitled to any benefits?

I just don’t know what to do and feel like I’m going round in circles.

sorry for the long post. Any advice is very much appreciated x

Entitledto is a benefits calculator thats really accurate. You could be entitled to universal credit if your pay isn't high.

Im sorry you're struggling so much, im a real low and its awful, you have my sympathy

Sorry that it sounds like a difficult time. Are you also including exercise and talk therapy in your life?

Financial worries are very stressful.

Is your job inherently stressful eg first responder or social work? If yes then speak to your manager about how to manage the stress.

If no, then can you pinpoint what about your job makes it stressful… is it colleagues or customers, the deadlines, the complexity of the work, the volume of work etc. If you are carrying your depression to the work that can make it hard to be effective. Are you struggling to complete the work?

Presumably at some point you worked full time. When did you go part-time? Thinking back, has reducing your hours helped? What do you “do” with the additional ten hours you freed up - do you use that time to exercise or attend therapy?

Focus on getting your mental health as good as it can possibly be before looking for a job that pays more.

Getting medication right is step one, in my opinion. Obviously this takes some time. Once you are able make sure you’re doing all the things that help to keep mood and energy more stable - namely exercise, sleep and not drinking much alcohol.

I also struggle and this is how I’ve gotten through these times before. Like you, I’m limited in how many hours I can work. My biggest improvements have come with getting medication right, followed by lifestyle changes.

Could you change how you work the 30 hours? I had severe depression After having my daughter and found that I couldn't work more than 2 days in a row. I was able to work 32h a week by taking Wednesdays off.

What time frame has this built over? If there's a plan that might give you reprieve over the next month or two could you get a sick note to reduce your hours over the next month and, if you have any spare, annual leave to do a day less a week whilst you can put a plan in place or look at affordable options.

From a practical point of view, I'm currently claiming ESA as I'm too unwell to work due to depression and persistent life limiting fatigue. It's £95 a week. It is contributions based so house hold income and savings aren't factored in - you need NI contributions in the last 2y to qualify and to be not receiving sick pay. PIP can be another option, I've not applied for it but my cpn has suggested I might qualify I'm on the fence about applying as I don't have the energy to make the claim currently.

My partners income and our savings mean I don't qualify for universal credit.