- Username
- coolghoul44
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I am so sorry. I work at a college too and we are going to have to go in soon as well. I feel your fear and I dont know how to help because I'm also in that situation. I'm hoping a doctor can wrote me a note for mental health purposes.
* UPDATE * Had my first day back at work yesterday. I started having obsessive thoughts about everything being contaminated. I did a lot of cleaning and tbh cried a lot. I wound up leaving early because I felt so physically sick, but I did it. I spent 6 hours at my office so I'm counting it as a "win". I still don't think any colleges should be in-person right now and I still have INTENSE anxiety about going back, but I'm doing everything I can to stay safe and keep my job.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 🌟🌟🌟 💜💜💜 Seriously, so proud of you! Continuing to send you strength.
@ARTnotOCD Thank you so much, I appreciate it! 💖
@coolghoul44 Also, my puppers is cuddled up asleep in my arm, so naturally I’m just stuck here. He’s dreaming real hard to send you extra lovins anytime you need them, especially at work. 💜🐶🧡
That's so wonderful! Does your management know that you suffer with this?
No, they don't. I don't have an official diagnosis yet. I've been expressing my severe anxiety about going back to campus for months to HR and my supervisor. I called HR on Friday and explained to them that I experience a lot of the symptoms listed under COVID daily (headaches, GI upset, muscle pain). I said that I've been experiencing it before COVID and how I'm working with my doctors to figure out the underlying cause/problem. Do whatever is safest for you.
And they still had you come back? I'm an administrator at a college and they are keeping us at home to keep the staff who NEED to be on campus safe. They need us to go in and pack up for a move but that's all for now. Are you essential on campus?
@catattak Yes, I'm considered an essential worker as of last week. I work in sexual violence prevention and we had students return to campus last Friday. But it doesn't make sense because I don't have the space to meet with students in my office and I can't do any in-person programming. I specifically had HR clarify that everything should continue to be on Zoom. For your move, maybe try going at an off-time? Either super early or super late. That way you'll interact with the least amount of people possible.
@coolghoul44 We will be scheduled but I have a biopsy in a few weeks I cant get sick before. So I'm going to try and reason with my ED and say I cant come in before then but will go in on a weekend when no one is there. I'm sorry you're back but I am glad for zoom as opposed to in person meetings. This is probably some amazing ERP as much as you can handle and I think your anxiety will lessen as you are out
Going in on the weekend sounds like a great idea! I did that 3 weeks before I returned to work to grab something from my office. It was very helpful because I went on my own terms and I was able to handle the anxiety by myself without people being around! Def ask for that! And yes, I agree with you! It'll be good ERP haha I wish you luck on your biopsy!
I wish I had some real suggestions. I don’t know if you’d wanna try any accommodations through ADA. (I usually disclose my OCD as a student, but not as an employee.). Keep doing what you know are the suggested precautions in the meantime. If you like dogs, can I send you some puppy snuggles to ease your anxiety at all? Best wishes!
I don't know if I can get accommodations through the ADA because I don't have an ~official diagnosis yet. I bought cute masks to help me feel better and I have other supplies too. It's the physical anxiety and obsessive thoughts that I'm struggling with. Following the precautions may be the only thing I can do right now to keep my job. I love dogs! I would love to see pictures! 🐶
@coolghoul44 Is there a way to share pics here? I’ll describe him: he’s a rescue, so we’re not sure of anything, but he seems like a Jack Russell and Brittany mix. He’s mostly white with orange spots. The Russell in him makes him have a large rib cage and that full-body wag. It also means he sometimes just walks across the room on only his hind legs or do other circus tricks for no reason. The Brittany in him keeps his hair so soft and his tail very floofy. He has one brown eye and one half-brown, half-blue eye. He’s also very good for helping me through anxiety and is learning to even respond to help me stop picking or do other compulsions.
@ARTnotOCD He sends snuggles whenever you need them!
@ARTnotOCD HE SOUNDS SO CUTE!! Thank you!! ♡
Really need some support/advice right now. I’ve had multiple panic attacksbecause of everything that’s going on right now with this pandemic. I just really need some help but I know I’m not supposed to ask for reassurance. Everyone is panicking, even people w/out OCD which makes me panic even more. I honestly feel like I need to go to a psychiatric hospital or something, I’m just afraid of having a complete meltdown. I haven’t really been able to go anywhere such as grocery store, gas station, etc. bc I don’t want to touch anything.
Hi everyone. First time here. I suffer from Contamination OCD. I have a good support group in friends, family, and my boyfriend, but I have not met anyone else with OCD and I needed to reach out to others to find help. I first got OCD when I was 17 (I am now 33) and was able to go into remission, but COVID brought it back. I was struggling at work (which was outside with the public). I found a therapist and she wrote me a doctor’s note suggesting I be allowed to work from home. My work was not accommodating at all and only offered me FMLA leave, so I took it as my only option and eventually got on Short Term Disability. The whole process took forever and was incredibly stressful. My leave was supposed to be a time of healing and it just made my OCD symptoms worse. My employer basically treated me as though I was trying to get out of work and proved to me that though they talk about the importance of mental health, they don’t take mental health seriously. I ended up having to leave my job “involuntarily due to health reasons” as they would not grant an extension nor let me return with any restrictions/accommodations. My therapist seemed good at first, but it became clear that she wasn’t really helping me. She would often use our sessions to vent about the insurance company and in one session, she basically called me a hopeless case and kept saying “I don’t know. I am concerned. I don’t know how you are going to be able to function” and threw out the word hospitalization, though she did backtrack on that one. I struggle everyday. I am worried that something from outside of the home touched something clean and is now contaminated. I need help working through this. I am constantly looking for reassurance, question if things are clean, wash my hands, use too many disinfectant wipes, and take showers upwards of 50-60 mins. I feel like my mind is being taken over by my OCD, I’m losing time, and it’s straining my relationship. For anyone who is struggling with contamination OCD brought on by COVID - any tips? My therapist never gave me anything specific to work on with this - to help me focus on something else. I am in the process of finding another therapist, but until then - any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
how do you all deal with going to work while having ocd? i have to go to work tomorrow for the first time in a while and i’ve been obsessing really bad the past couple of weeks. i’m scared i won’t actually be able to function or anything because all i’ve been doing every day all day has been obsessing. i’m really nervous. any advice will be appreciated.
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