Work and burning out again... (trigger warning)

[Greenartywitch]

I am working in a senior role for a really chaotic, disorganised and inefficient charity with a lot of politics and back-stabbing.

I had a really bad episode of depression/complete mental breakdown about a year and a half ago and some of it was definitely caused by work.

I managed to get back to work after a month and half off. The charity was really unsupportive, although I had declared my long term issues with depression and my autism to HR/my manager, but I managed to carry on.

Fast forward and I can feel myself slowly heading the same way due to ever increasing workload and tricky colleagues.

I am starting to get physically and mentally exhausted again and I am worried I am heading for another burnout. The last one was so bad that I was suicidal so I never want to find myself in that place again.

I have worked to put better boundaries in place but there is little I can do to change the organisation culture and of course me being more assertive is ruffling some feathers.

I also already do everything I can to eat well and exercise to keep myself as healthy as I can and work on my mental health with things like meditation and I had trauma counselling already.

I have been job hunting for a while but as the job market isn't great and I am the only breadwinner I am still stuck in this role which I have grown to hate...

It would be really helpful to hear about others who found themselves in the same situation and suggestions on what to do.

Sending uNMN hugs. I am currently stuck in bed worrying about work tmw.

''@usernotfound21 · 05/05/2025 09:47
Sending uNMN hugs. I am currently stuck in bed worrying about work tmw.''

I can relate to that. I am finding myself worrying about work even on my day off and dreading going back.

I took a day off to think this week and I have two job interviews coming up. I am so exhausted though and stressed out that I have decided to take some sick leave too before I get even worse.

I found myself looking at a bottle of alcohol (I never drink...) earlier this week when I popped out to the supermarket at lunch time after a morning at work full of the usual passive-aggressive bitchiness and overwhelming workload.

I thought to myself 'If I am now at the point where I am considering getting drunk in the middle of a working day just to try to cope then that's it, it has gone too far and I need a break'.

I left but u had ME by then because if it all. Over a decade on it still has a daily effect on me. I’ve never returned to full time employment. I can go out and hillwalk or anything I used to do. My current employer is great. If I couod go back I’d never have taken that shite job. It’s changed my life.

Just go OP. It won’t get better. I know you lack the energy to do anything like job search and update your cv etc, but there ARE good jobs out there. Go before you do yourself permanent damage like I did. It’s not worth it.

And if they mess around with protected characteristics or you OH stuff look at constructive dismissal in acas website and see if it’s relevant. You could be doing the next post incumbent a favour if you can have the charity done for their poor treatment if staff. Good luck in your new job. Whenever you find it. Dont stop til you do.