Discussion Do you work and is this positive or negative for you?

[DeniedPeace]

I've voluntarily stopped working about 2 years ago when depression kicked in. I can choose to stay this way for several more years or get a job a few weeks from now.
Of course all jobs are not equal when it comes to their impact on your mental health, but right now I have very little interactions with IRL human beings which makes me wonder if going back to work could help.
I'm curious which situation you members of the site are in and whether you believe work can help or not.

 

[Gravand]

I work, it helps more than not working.. but I don't like my work and I want to change workplace.

 

[Arvayn]

I don't work, but I am currently studying thanatology (the science of death). Death has essentially consumed my life, as everybody around me has either died or actively wishes to die. I am the sole exception. Going through all of it really motivated me to go into deathcare, because then I can collaborate with death and manipulate it to my benefit instead of having to fight or avoid it.

Who knows, maybe after I die my soul will be abducted and I'll get a job offer over at Grim Inc. for my work while alive! (/j)

 

[DeniedPeace]

I don't work, but I am currently studying thanatology (the science of death). Death has essentially consumed my life, as everybody around me has either died or actively wishes to die. I am the sole exception. Going through all of it really motivated me to go into deathcare, because then I can collaborate with death and manipulate it to my benefit instead of having to fight or avoid it.

Who knows, maybe after I die my soul will be abducted and I'll get a job offer over at Grim Inc. for my work while alive! (/j)

Very interesting story. Is it a career change or the study path you've chosen because of early life death ideation?

 

[Arvayn]

Very interesting story. Is it a career change or the study path you've chosen because of early life death ideation?

It's a career change. Initially, I wanted to be a historian or an anthropologist; writing and philosophy also interested me greatly from since when I was a preteen, but they were only hobbies. Funnily enough, I think the fact that I studied these subjects so obsessively is what saved me from becoming suicidal in my own right. There's a source of pride for me in essentially wading through Hell and having the stubbornness to turn it into a weapon to fuel me.

 

[SunriseParabellum]

I work and it's kinda a mixed bag, hence not answering the poll. It's long days but I'm effectively doing nothing for 40-45 of my 50 hours a week so it really depends on the day and if I'm sober, sometimes I just watch movies and everything's cool and some days it's bad feeling trapped for 10-11 hours. Guess in that sense it's not much different than being home all day except once in a while I actually have to do something

 

[DeniedPeace]

I work and it's kinda a mixed bag, hence not answering the poll. It's long days but I'm effectively doing nothing for 40-45 of my 50 hours a week so it really depends on the day and if I'm sober, sometimes I just watch movies and everything's cool and some days it's bad feeling trapped for 10-11 hours. Guess in that sense it's not much different than being home all day except once in a while I actually have to do something

That's kind of my fear of going back to work. I've had two very different jobs, one where I would actually work very little compared to the time I spent in office, so essentially I would have less distractions than what I have at home, and the other was in consulting and I worked too hard (might have contributed to my depression although it's only a small part of it).
The only positive I'm looking for is to actually meet people with the work pretext. But most interactions I've had at work in the past were fake, small talk and forced by HR, I never really felt good in these interactions.

 

[SunriseParabellum]

That's kind of my fear of going back to work. I've had two very different jobs, one where I would actually work very little compared to the time I spent in office, so essentially I would have less distractions than what I have at home, and the other was in consulting and I worked too hard (might have contributed to my depression although it's only a small part of it).
The only positive I'm looking for is to actually meet people with the work pretext. But most interactions I've had at work in the past were fake, small talk and forced by HR, I never really felt good in these interactions.

Yeah I get exactly what you mean. I work in sales so usually people down at the grunt level are great because there's no BS company culture pretext we're all in it to make money and go home so everybody just talks to each other like people and not coworkers. My last job was a lot more fast paced, especially since I was dumb enough to take a salaried management position where my required 45 hours turned into 55 at the whim of upper management, I think that was a lot worse for me than where I am today. It's not a bad gig, just like I said 10-11 hours by yourself in effectively a giant box can get kinda grating after a while.
All that to say, if you do get back into it I hope you land in a spot where you can do some good and meet good people. I'm still friends with people from a couple prior jobs, it can definitely make things a lot more bearable

 

[torturedmind]

I work in food service/customer service and although it does help with my mental health situation, it's also very hard. I'm expected to be super friendly with customers and interested in talking to them, and I'm just not. I feel like no one likes me and I'm constantly comparing myself and my personality to the other people that I work with. I've been working this job for nearly seven years due to never earning a degree in college. I feel like I can't do this job for much longer, but I feel hopeless in trying to find a better paying job unless I'm somehow able to go to college and make something more of myself. Even if I did earn a degree, my ability to secure a job that's worthwhile is doubtful. I just hate myself so much which is probably why I'm so unlikeable.

 

[Pale_Rider]

I wish I could work, but I've given up on that. Work wasn't a cure all, but at least I had something to occupy a large block of time. The truth is work made things worse for me in some respects. I just can't handle the stress like I used to be able to. Before I had knowledge of DID I could rambo through things. I Suspect I still could if nessasary, but things meaning we aren't like we used to be. Granted we have taken a lot of flak over the years. I don't even care these days is the jist of it. Ecclesiastics talked about the futility of life. I find that more true these days.