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This happened to me recently at a contract job I had about 6 months ago during a phone call to introduce myself to the team. In the middle of my sentence, I jus

by bpchaps 11y ago

This happened to me recently at a contract job I had about 6 months ago during a phone call to introduce myself to the team. In the middle of my sentence, I just lost every ounce of thought and suddenly became hyper aware of my exact scenario. It was one of the more frightening things I've experienced in recent times. Thankfully, one of my coworkers killed the silence after ten seconds with a few questions. I think the biggest problem for me is that the field I'm in, despite being in technology, seems to favor outward personality types and views social phobia as a strong weakness. Even mentioning issue feels like it has potential enormous career growth impact. The most recent job I worked for, it got to the point where I actually went to HR and talked to them about it, including the ADD/hypomania comorbids. Absolutely nothing came from it, which only furthered my thoughts on others' appreciation for mental health. I saw a comment yesterday saying that we're going through a positive mental health phase shift now, but I'm seeing the exact opposite. I see a large amount of "othering" towards those with mental health issues. For what it's worth, a majority of the HN type personalities I've met over the years are just as guilty of this.

samcodes 11y ago
I don't want to sound insensitive... But aren't phobias a "strong weakness" by definition? Not that a job should treat you badly as a result - I just mean, everyone has weaknesses, and some people's involve mental illness. So in my mind, it's a weakness to be worked on. Viewing it that way works for me, as someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression for my entire adult life.
- bpchaps 11y ago
  Yes, but when that "strong weakness" impacts others' thoughts of your validity, it becomes a problem. As in, "You don't seem comfortable in what you're saying, so you're probably wrong." It's definitely something to work on, but the problem's always in regression. It's incredibly easy to fall into the pit of going the easy route of isolation, etc. That said, the biggest help for myself is to be actively aware of my own emotional state as a pseudo third party. It's a strange meta way of thinking about yourself, but it's incredibly effective in managing the mostly daily issues. Good luck!

by bpchaps 11y ago

samcodes 11y ago

I don't want to sound insensitive... But aren't phobias a "strong weakness" by definition? Not that a job should treat you badly as a result - I just mean, everyone has weaknesses, and some people's involve mental illness. So in my mind, it's a weakness to be worked on. Viewing it that way works for me, as someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression for my entire adult life.

bpchaps 11y ago
Yes, but when that "strong weakness" impacts others' thoughts of your validity, it becomes a problem. As in, "You don't seem comfortable in what you're saying, so you're probably wrong." It's definitely something to work on, but the problem's always in regression. It's incredibly easy to fall into the pit of going the easy route of isolation, etc. That said, the biggest help for myself is to be actively aware of my own emotional state as a pseudo third party. It's a strange meta way of thinking about yourself, but it's incredibly effective in managing the mostly daily issues. Good luck!