YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Guys, can we reserve a spot in hell for the bosses who leave a voicemail saying, "We need to talk....."

I totally have this problem, in fact I was just sat now thinking about how a complaint has come in and I am guessing its about me . Could be to do with another 1000 things but I am already preparing to leave the job. I might actually need to leave it, as the constant emails and msgs make me feel sick and encourages the process of thinking anxiously about work 24/7.
Even a simple email scheduling a meeting has me guessing "Whats this about?" "What have I done wrong" etc . Unfortunately my work doesn't seem to have good boundaries on communication times/methods either. I can receive a text msg to my mobile it would seem anytime!! . The worst time was at 5.45am - someone phoning in sick. I would turn off the phone but then my anxiety is high over people contacting me in a genuine emergency.

Am going to start job hunting

I think anyone dealing with anxiety is used to this kind of self-sabotage. I am not diminishing your fears, just letting you know I've been there. I've been in jobs where it is paramount to respond to emails immediately and still shirked things for a variety of fears I now know to be irrational. All I can say is I still experience it, but I"m hoping with therapy, and starting to find a group, I can work on these issues. I definitely understand.

I always wondered if I was the only one who experienced the stress or anxiety from a phone call or email from work but it seems a lot of us experience this. I will get that nervous and worried feeling that bad news or something that will set me into a bad mood will present itself and make me feel so much worse. The person writing about social media and not answering voice mails is something I totally relate to. Sometimes I will embrace the fear and listen or check the email instantly just so I am able to get it over with. The waiting around is always a problem for me. I think I would like to get some help in these areas and work through it.

Bumping this up...

Work emails don't scare me, but they do cause anxiety...

Many contain requests for information or design ideas on scenarios that aren't too clear. And the senders more often than not add some sort of deadline....
This means I'll need to spend time thinking about the various possibilities and issues they haven't thought of....

A phone call usually helps, but I don't always have the time to call when the email pops into the in-box, so they start to pile up....

On anxious days I need to consciously stop myself from picking up the cell phone first thing in the morning. Several motivations are involved, but it's a compulsion that the tech companies have knowingly cultivated with these devices...

"Urgent- ", the Subject Line says...
Are you kidding me....?

Is this for real, or is it spam?
Wait... it's for real!

But are *you* for real?
C'mon, get real....!

Imposter syndrome on top of an empty adrenalin tank maybe, as an ex-switch b@#$%^ i know guess that's why people are always mega stressing! Now I can't even stand the sound of my phone or emails and have to have no sound. I had not heard misophonia prior to visiting the site, at present I can't listen to the pods as I'm too stressed atm, but reading transcripts is ok, a year ago I was too stressed to do that. I've replaced Coke with Chamomile tea as it's Winter and it feels better

PS Am mega burnt out after GFC redundancy a decade ago, trying to cope with a few jobs on the go since but depression is a full-time job man

Yes, the big D certainly is exhausting. Fortunately for me, the anxiety often kicks in to give me a break...

I think misophonia and sound sensitivity are related to depression and anxiety... I've noticed clear linkage with me. Sometimes I want to jump out of my skin, but other times, no problem at all. Depends on my mood.

BTW - What's "GFC redundancy" ?