anyone else struggle with anxiety looking at careers advice and job listings?

Stellar

so in short, i find the information on careers advice to be extremely overwhelming and triggering for me and i'm not sure how to deal with it.

it just reminds me how careers advice and the world of work is not aimed at disabled people, that the world of work is a battlefield for disabled people to navigate (especially when it comes to social situations), and that i don't have the money, time or energy to challenge the injustices I'll inevitably come across at some point. so realistically any employer can do what they want to me and i won't be able to do anything about it. And that the law and systems/ideas/the usual stuff careers advice regurgitate regarding disabled people support in work like reasonable adjustments, access to work aren't effective and at times useless. so i'm on my own.

it ends up triggering all sorts of other overthinking patterns that forces me to step away from job searching or seeking advice altogether, and at this point the only way i can cope with it is to stick to my course of finding something desk based from home that is part time. and ignore any and all other input.

i know i can work. i know in the right environment i'll be able to prosper and thrive. i have a lot of experience and skills. these aren't the issue. the issue is other people. the balancing act i have to do is to deal with what's expected of me in a way that's acceptable to others while protecting my own needs and saving up money to protect myself for when things go wrong and to help me leave.

i know a lot of people will think i should sign off as unfit. however, signing off as unfit is not an option as much as i'd like to consider it because i need to leave the UK long term for my mental health. this country makes me miserable on a daily basis and if i'm forced to be stuck here for life my mental health will not recover. there is no future for anyone living here who isnt rich.

i do think i need therapy for this but realistically unless I can pay for it privately (which at the moment i can't), i won't be able to access it.

obviously i'm gonna need to find a way to deal with it in terms of looking at job applications. it really does feel i like i wont know how truly inclusive they are till it's too late.

anyone been in a simlar position? how did you manage to deal with job applications so you can sieve through the junk and apply for whats suitable? and coping with the mental process of it all?

Hannah_Alumni

Stellar said:

so in short, i find the information on careers advice to be extremely overwhelming and triggering for me and i'm not sure how to deal with it.

it just reminds me how careers advice and the world of work is not aimed at disabled people, that the world of work is a battlefield for disabled people to navigate (especially when it comes to social situations), and that i don't have the money, time or energy to challenge the injustices I'll inevitably come across at some point. so realistically any employer can do what they want to me and i won't be able to do anything about it. And that the law and systems/ideas/the usual stuff careers advice regurgitate regarding disabled people support in work like reasonable adjustments, access to work aren't effective and at times useless. so i'm on my own.

it ends up triggering all sorts of other overthinking patterns that forces me to step away from job searching or seeking advice altogether, and at this point the only way i can cope with it is to stick to my course of finding something desk based from home that is part time. and ignore any and all other input.

i know i can work. i know in the right environment i'll be able to prosper and thrive. i have a lot of experience and skills. these aren't the issue. the issue is other people. the balancing act i have to do is to deal with what's expected of me in a way that's acceptable to others while protecting my own needs and saving up money to protect myself for when things go wrong and to help me leave.

i know a lot of people will think i should sign off as unfit. however, signing off as unfit is not an option as much as i'd like to consider it because i need to leave the UK long term for my mental health. this country makes me miserable on a daily basis and if i'm forced to be stuck here for life my mental health will not recover. there is no future for anyone living here who isnt rich.

i do think i need therapy for this but realistically unless I can pay for it privately (which at the moment i can't), i won't be able to access it.

obviously i'm gonna need to find a way to deal with it in terms of looking at job applications. it really does feel i like i wont know how truly inclusive they are till it's too late.

anyone been in a simlar position? how did you manage to deal with job applications so you can sieve through the junk and apply for whats suitable? and coping with the mental process of it all?

Hello @Stellar

It sounds like you are going through such a stressful time. I'm so sorry

I wanted to first start this comment with some mental health resources. You mentioned about needing to leave the UK, but I was unsure if that meant you were in the UK temporarily? These are UK based and you can always be referred through your GP, if you are a resident here. Find an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) - NHS (www.nhs.uk) and What are talking therapies and counselling? - Mind

I completely understand the frustration, of trying to find a job when you know you can work. I know you've mentioned the difficulties of all the stuff systems, advisors...etc. go through. Can I ask, are you under Universal Credit at all? I ask in case you have a work coach, they will be able to provide a list of disability confident employers and that honestly, takes the edge off a little when applying for jobs. It was the route I took when looking for jobs and although it isn't a fix it all, it helped me focus and I was able to pick up patterns for jobs that would and wouldn't suit my needs.

You can also find disability confident employers on the government jobs webpage. Once you've typed in either or both the What? and Where? boxes, the column on the left-hand side will have a heading that says Disability Confident. That will give you all the results of employers who are a part of that system. 

I agree that not everyone will understand trying to find something that fits into the "what's expected of me" category but also protect your own needs. There are so many lovely people here to talk to, if you ever wish to

I really hope you are able to find something, and I hope my comment also bumps your post in case others in the community has any additional advice. 

Stellar

Hannah_Scope said:

I wanted to first start this comment with some mental health resources. You mentioned about needing to leave the UK, but I was unsure if that meant you were in the UK temporarily? These are UK based and you can always be referred through your GP, if you are a resident here. Find an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) - NHS (www.nhs.uk) and What are talking therapies and counselling? - Mind

I completely understand the frustration, of trying to find a job when you know you can work. I know you've mentioned the difficulties of all the stuff systems, advisors...etc. go through. Can I ask, are you under Universal Credit at all? I ask in case you have a work coach, they will be able to provide a list of disability confident employers and that honestly, takes the edge off a little when applying for jobs. It was the route I took when looking for jobs and although it isn't a fix it all, it helped me focus and I was able to pick up patterns for jobs that would and wouldn't suit my needs.

You can also find disability confident employers on the government jobs webpage. Once you've typed in either or both the What? and Where? boxes, the column on the left-hand side will have a heading that says Disability Confident. That will give you all the results of employers who are a part of that system. 

i know you mean well, but all of the advice I've quoted is exactly the kind of rote learned advice that triggers my anxiety looking for work as i mentioned in the very post you've replied to.

i know disability confident exists, the only thing its good for is indicating what companies know that being seen as disability friendly is good, not whether they actually are disability friendly, and there's virtually no oversight or accountability for employers that claim to be but aren't. its unfit for purpose as an indicator.

this is why i don't like asking for help and why i'm needing therapy privately (not via a GP, cause mental healthcare does not exist in this country unless you pay for it, plus mental health services have failed me before).

i'm unfortunately trapped on this island for the forseeable future because i don't have the money or resources to emigrate. that said, it is my lifetime goal and i will work towards it. you can either live in the uk or have a good, fulfilling life. you cannot have both.

apologies if this is rude or too strong, i don't need a welfare email or anything like that, i just needed to make this clear.

L_Volunteer

I can hear how you needed to make this clear @Stellar. I think you have done an amazing job at making this clear.

Unfortunately, I am going through a very similar thing - if not the same thing - at the moment. Whilst that hurts, it also means I can hear you clearly. 

It is sad that not all organisations that have disability confidence status practice what they say they do. One link I have found personally helpful is Scope's link about disability confidence employers.

In particular, I found the different levels helpful. Most of the employers who do not practice it are self-assessed. Level 3 disability confident leader organisations are independently assessed, which removes their own bias. I have since been keeping an eye out for these organisations, though they are rarer. 

Another thing I have found helpful is contacting the recruitment manager - typically there is an email address for someone at the end of the job description. Within my contact, I have asked about how they define certain supports and what support would likely be available for me should I apply to them and be successful.

That tends to give me an insight into if they currently have employees with similar needs, their support structures and their general level of insight and awareness/prejudice. Another point, but broader, that I like to bring up is what training looks like. That gives me an insight into their patience, tolerance and understanding as well as their training style. 

Do you think any of this, or anything else, might help make it more manageable for you at the moment @Stellar? We are all here for you and listening to you. Unfortunately, I don't have expertise in this area to offer. I only have my own, recent, experiences to share with you and the lessons I have learned along the way. 

I can only empathise with how difficult this is. I wish I had the answers but I am definitely listening. How are you finding accessing private therapy at the moment - Have you managed to reach out to anyone, such as charities to see if they might be able to offer therapy or funding for therapy? 

I have noticed you have mentioned the cost of therapy. I agree that it is, unfortunately, costly and I am just thinking of some potential options for making the cost more manageable for you. You have also mentioned mental health services failing you before. Is this something you would like to share more with us about?

You are not alone in this or anything else if you don't want to be. Sending you hugs 

Adrian_Scope

Hi @Stellar. It sounds like you've probably had some pretty bad experiences with job-seeking in the past. Hopefully some of the suggestions above have been useful. I just wanted to chime in and ask if you've thought about trying Scope's free employment services? Depending on where you live, we have a range of options available to support disabled people into work.