Ruth from Glasgow had previously been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and during the pandemic her symptoms worsened – owing to Covid concerns and feelings of isolation when working from home during the national lockdown.
Her anxiety began to spiral, affecting her energy levels and productivity.
“I was struggling at work and didn’t want to go off sick, so I needed to find additional support.”
Through her employer, Ruth became aware of the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service and applied in March 2020. She received support which helped her to understand her stressors and was given a range of tools and approaches to effectively deal with these, including apps and breathing exercises.
Ruth explained: “With this support I was able to structure my working day to stay productive, and cope when I felt anxious. It also helped me to adjust to working from home during a difficult time. Because of this, I avoided mental health-related absence.”
Regular sessions with her caseworker also built her confidence to initiate conversations about reasonable adjustments at work, and established ways to confidently approach these discussions.
“The fact that MHSS was long-term support was highly reassuring. The support was flexible, too – when I needed them, they were there for me, and I’ve recommended MHSS to colleagues.”
