Anyone seeked professional help for stress/anxiety?

[nightcrawler]

As it says in the title, I am thinking of seeking professional help for stress & anxiety. I haven’t gone sick yet, but am close. I know somewhere fairly local that provides professional help for stress, but just the initial consultation is £65. I have no idea how many sessions it would take, or even if it would help. I know everyone is different, but is this worth considering or would I be throwing money down the drain?

[wazer]

See your doctor They can give you advice.MIND also really helpful ,just phone to make appointment. RM helpline is also good.They can set up sessions over phone. ALL the above have helped me ,all free

[fb1969]

I had telephone counselling for stress and anxiety through Feeling First Class paid for by RM. It was good in being able to talk about how I was feeling, but it was limited to six one hour sessions, RM won't pay for any more than that.

It has helped to get me through this year but I can still see the same issues happening again fairly soon. I am more likely to resign in the near future than I am to survive another Christmas. I have paid for sessions myself in the past, a lot of it is down to finding the right person. Depending on where you live your local NHS area may have free counselling available, but there may be a long wait

All the time I work for RM I cannot see my overall mental health improving.

[Chelseablue]

I thought supporting mental health issues etc were one of the parts of the agreement? Stress / anxiety has went through the roof , not good .

[fb1969]

The CEO's recent video telling people to "phone a helpline" perfectly summed up the company's attitude of not giving a f**k. And the CWU's silence and arse licking stance is beyond belief.

[tomtallis]

[ssdd]

Whatever forms of counselling or therapy you have available to you can all help. The advantage of going private is that you will be seen quicker and you may get a better quality service, in a more relaxed setting. That's my opinion. I haven't ever used private counselling services, but have experience of different services provided through either charities or the NHS.

I will add that whilst the different options that are available to you can and do help, they are not a permanent fix. I would liken it to physical training. If you spend six weeks at the gym, you will see results. But if after that time you don't continue to 'train', you will lose the gains, and be back to where you started.

The correlation between mental and physical health has been shown and is well understood. So it can be difficult to maintain mental health if the body is not getting proper exercise, rest and nutrition, or if there are other physical problems. The services can help, but lasting change requires using techniques to train and change your mind along with maintaining a healthy body.

I believe that's why hobbies are so important. They take your mind to a place where you can disengage from unhelpful thoughts, but you need to find something healthy you really enjoy doing, and make time to do it.

[POSTMAN]

Feeling First Class: Support

Our Feeling First Class Support service is a confidential and independent helpline for employees, and their direct family members, to turn to if they have any problems or need advice. The service is free and available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week on 0345 266 5060.

See the link for more info.

[nightcrawler]

Thanks for all your answers guys, appreciate it

[ssdd]

Hope you find the peace of mind that you need nightcrawler. You're half way there in actually recognising and acknowledging that your mental health needs addressing. Being aware of your thoughts is the first step needed in order to control them. And just like your body can affect your mind, you mind can affect your body.

Meditation is something else you could consider, as it can be very effective for controlling anxiety. Again, it requires time, and consistent practice just like physical training does, but 10 or 15 mins a day could produce noticeable results. If you've never done it before you will probably have difficulty maintaining concentration - with wandering thoughts - but the more you do it the easier it becomes.

If you decide you want to give it a try, you could start with a 'guided meditation'. There are plenty of these for free on YouTube. Just pick one based on your preference for the sound of the voice. Also try and make sure you are physically comfortable and in as quiet an environment as possible, without distractions.

This is just another tool you could try along with the other forms of help mentioned already.

[cheekyvimto78]

Hiya,
just to add to the above, you can use the NHS IAPT service, if you are in England. Which is self referral.
You wait for a telephone assessment then the person decides which help would benefit you.
You are then placed on a waiting list, which can take months just to warn you!
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find- ... s-service/

Good luck.

[janty]

Hi there, you are probably best to leave you current working environment or change roles within the business. I am currently working towards moving out of delivery to processing. Knowing this and been signed off sick for two months.I haven't felt this good in years. Almost back to me old self. Good luck mate.