Crying (sad) wolf

I’d like to begin this post with a disclaimer, I am not pointing a finger at anyone in particular. If you’re annoyed by what I’ve said then you need to think about why and maybe reconsider the way you conduct yourself.

In the four years that I have been working I have noticed a very casual attitude to the concepts of stress and depression. It seems perfectly acceptable to threaten to get signed off by a doctor if you don’t get your way and I have issues with that.

I’ve suffered with bouts of depression for over a decade and know it is not a subject to be taken lightly. I am therefore disgusted that anyone would have the audacity to cry wolf on such grounds. Getting signed off from work with stress or depression is not a get out of jail free card, it is not an extra holiday, it is a serious matter that people clearly aren’t educated about properly. The idea of someone threatening to get signed off seriously upsets me, because it makes the very poison that curdles inside me when i trough seem like it is a joke.

The fact of the matter is that it’s something that I am working through, and will continue to work through. I was offered to be signed off and didn’t take the bait because that just means what I’m fighting has won an extra bit of ground, it’s interrupted my flow. Although when it is bad I can spend days in bed I try to hold these off to weekends if necessary, the thought of being off work due to my problems is not an idea I would entertain. I have also been offered (and refused) anti-depressants. My reason for never doping myself up in this way is exactly the same, it means you can’t handle it on your own, and want all of your senses closed off. From what I know of anti-d’s they can be more dangerous than the depression itself. I’d much rather slowly face my demons than hide from them.

Thank you for reading.