Need Some Input

Post Reply New Topic

So, I had a melt down for most of the day yesterday (which I had off) and I'm supposed to work tonight. I tried to call in to say I won't make it today, I am close to having a meltdown and anything can set it off. I could burst out sobbing or bite peoples heads off. The manager pretty much replied with "are you sick?" (I told him "no, it's a mental health thing"), "are you sure you can't work? You still have several hours before work", "you already called out a couple times so it would be an unexcused absence" (whatever that means, I couldn't get him to answer) and told me to call closer to time if I really can't because they have no one to call to replace me (which they never do it seems). I haven't had the energy or the means (no printer and my materials are packed away) to explain as thoroughly about my disability as I did at the store I worked at before I transferring here (I'm a cashier at Walgreens), though I have explained as much as I can from memory. It's a 6 hour shift in the afternoon/evening and boring as heck (I'm pretty much stuck behind the counter, rooted in place all night). What should I do? I've tried to work through previous meltdowns (or close to meltdowns) and nearly started biting customers heads off because every little thing was starting to aggravate and overwhelm me. It's miserable, and certainly not good for me or the people around me. Suggestions? I'm due to call back in a couple hours.

I'd imagine a lot of us on the spectrum have to do jobs we don't like at all. I can't stand my job. For 8/9 hours I'm constantly on the run - no bathroom breaks, no meal breaks, no breaks period, just constant work. I also get it from all sides - the management, the patients, the families, the lights, the call bell, the incessant sensory stimuli, etc. I'm a nurse in a nursing home. I once actually attempted suicide over seeing my future stuck as a nurse, that's how bad I despise it.

The bottom line, though, is I need the money to pay the rent. Who'd volunteer for this ultra-stressful nonsense? Go to Walgreens with the strength of knowing that there are others like you in the same predicament. That's what keeps me from going insane.

true, dealing with the public is one of the worst jobs u can have. i've been in service jobs for many years. i just don't have skills for anything else. it took a long time to get comfortable to dealing with so many people and i still get really stressed sometimes. i'll never be the robot that they want but i'm ok mostly (at least i haven't been fired yet). that said i absolutely could not work in a nursing home! i know people who do this and i cannot even imagine it

That sucks. Next time you have to call in, say you are sick. It is like being sick because a meltdown is neurological and that way you don't have to explain yourself or feel defensive. I also especially when I was younger tended to be over specific and go into too much detail.

To an NT saying "mental health day" or "personal day" sounds like it's something you could give more notice about. But a meltdown is more like a physical illness in that you have no warning. So best to just say to an NT that you're sick.

That's basically what my mom told me, too. Like she said, saying it's a "mental health thing" makes it sound like it's all in my head when it really stems from a physical, neurological issue in the brain.

I've printed out some information about Asperger's that I am going to bring in next time I have work. If anyone has a good resource that I can print that explains meltdowns, though, that would be great. I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that these papers may just be put straight in my file and not be read.

I haven't been impressed with the people here after transferring from Portland to Phoenix. My old coworkers were actually very accepting and helpful when it came to my AS and would try their best to accommodate me, even if they did not know much about AS itself. The people here seem clueless and resistant. I'm probably going to try to find a different job at some point; hopefully something more enjoyable or at least without as much stranger interaction, though I'm not sure what jobs are out there. As it is I'll probably be moving again within a year (I'm stuck moving at least once a year, for the past five to seven years @_@ it's hard).



I've *always* had this problem. I hope it fades with age. XD

Anyway, thank you for your input.