Advice please re new job

[Fretful]

I feel awful and would really appreciate some advice on this situation please.

I was self employed from 2018 until earlier this year. I was recently offered a full time job (better money and regular pay) and started work on 8 July.

Trouble is, my mental health has been terrible for the last few years, owing to continued trouble with abusive ex (nothing physical) and other past traumas that I have been waiting since 2021 to get nhs therapy for. The work I did while self employed was flexible enough that I could work around my health problems.

I thought that if I took this new job that everything would be fine and that a routine would suit me and help with my mental health. That hasn't happened and I am really struggling. The job is fully remote, which is fine, but I am simply not managing to get the work done. I feel stuck in freeze mode I think.

On what is only my 4th week in, should I try to get signed off work or should I just resign? I really don't feel capable and feel awful for having accepted the job in the first place. I know it's really unprofessional, but I don't know what else to do.

You poor thing. It's so daunting starting a new job. I really feel for you. Do you get paid if you are signed off? If so, I'd do that and use that time to do little things to improve mental wellbeing.

I would see your GP and look into medication, perhaps beta blockers to help with panic and some kind of anti anxiety medication.

You can also try therapy, see if that helps. If you don't have much money try anxiety UK, they have a range of reasonable options.

When you freeze can you call Sane or the Samaritans to talk it through? That might help release the tension. You can also put in better routines and organisation techniques such as writing lists and timing tasks for example.

Sorry to hear this. Starting a new job is always tricky so well done for trying a new role.

Are your mental health issues severe enough to be classed as a disability?
Is your new employer aware of your condition?
Could you ask for referral to Occ health to get advice on reasonable adjustments on disability grounds? Maybe going part time would help you

If you are only 4 weeks in and struggling to do the job could it be that the initial support and training has been inadequate?

So you're not progressing through your to do list because you're paralysed by inertia, by the overwhelming amount of decisions to make, not knowing where to start or how you'll get it all done? You can do the job, you just need to look at different ways of approaching it before you throw the towel in. Can you let someone know you're not coping? Can they help you prioritise?

Go and talk with them and see what they say. If you are not keeping up with the work I guess they will fail your probationary period anyway, so a discussion is the right way forward for both parties to agree what is best.

Hope you are feeling better soon - nag your GP for a referral.

Thanks so much for your replies everyone. I took today off and managed to speak to a GP. He's told me to self-certify for a week then see how everything feels then.

The training/induction definitely didn't help as it was done via Teams and involved watching a colleague go through the system for 3 hours.

I don't know how to go about seeing if my problems are enough to be classed a disability, but I think it's possible. I've been having fortnightly GP visits for the past 4 years, waiting for therapy, have self harmed with increasing frequency and severity and am on increasingly high doses of antidepressants. Something needs to change!

Thanks again x