*UPDATE* I asked for the FMLA at work last Monday

[XanaDUer2]

Again, thank you DU fam for reading my posts and all your input, advice, thoughts, and kindness.

I was going to ask for it this past Tuesday, but I was so stressed out I decided to move it up to past Monday to get it over with. I was shaking so badly. It went well. My doctor wanted me out asap, but I didn't want to do that to the scheduler lady, who just lost a baby and is very nice. So, we chose June 8th. Which is great because I miss Staff Day, too.

My boss accepted it and was great. I was pleasantly surprised. We did the paperwork yesterday. I will bring my doctor his part to fill out Tuesday. It is supposed to be for a month, but I think it will be longer. My doctor said to say a month at this point, since he is very concerned about me. But he is going to do what is best for me in any case.

I have no idea what is being thought of me, vis a vis the director, etc. I kinda don't care. My co-workers don't know, minus the scheduler lady, and I told her about my disability so she knew, and I am fine with her knowing. The others don't , and it is none of their business. I will tell the guy I supervise. I asked my boss about the evaluations, etc, and she made it sound like it would be okay, so I am going with that. I feel like I can finally breathe a bit. There may be bumps in the road I don't know about, but I don't want to think of them. I just see a path out for a while. Taking a few days off and going to the mountains. It's been two years since I was on a vacation. I miss a lot of time at work due to stress.

Some asked me to keep them up to speed on what happened, so here I am. Feeling a bit hopeful!

[BigmanPigman]

1. Good for you!

Take care of yourself and who cares what others think. You know YOU better than anyone and you are caring for yourself...relax and go back when YOU are ready, deep down inside you will know.

[XanaDUer2]

4. Thanks. Appreciate it

[SheltieLover]

2. So glad it's all working out.

[XanaDUer2]

5. thank you so much. I'll see how the chips fall

[SheltieLover]

7. YW! 👍

I wish you all the best!

[liberalmuse]

3. I'll bet you feel so relieved!

Take care of yourself first and foremost. I've been out on leave twice and did not go back to the stressful job the 2nd time. There is nothing wrong with you that separating yourself from a highly stressful environment won't fix. It's not you, it's the job. I found this out as soon as I quit my stressful job and oddly found out I didn't need all the medications I was on for stress, anxiety and I stopped drinking alcohol to unwind at the end of the day. Some days I'd come home shaking so bad I would down a beer just to relax.

Stress can really take a toll on your mental and eventually physical health. I feel bad that you were scared to ask for time off. There is something horribly wrong with the work culture in this country when most people feel guilty and afraid to ask for greatly needed time off to care for themselves. Sadly, most employers don't care about you as a human being. It's all about the bottom line and bonuses at the top of the food chain. They treat people like they were machines, and they treat machines much better. I've worked in places where a couple of people dropped dead - one right at their desk. It's not worth it. I wish for the best for you for SSDI.

[XanaDUer2]

6. thank you for your kind words

they are also true in my case. It's been years. I work at a non-prifit government job, but it's toxic and we're short staffed. But I needed a break. It'll prob be more than a month, but so it goes. I'm so glad you escaped that situation.