Talked me down from throwing up with anxiety, absolutely amazing support for HR Professionals
Hi Rachel
Just wanted to get in contact to provide you with that anonymous review. This way I can be totally honest.
I'm in a networking group and was having a panic attack, the first I have had in a long time. I'm an HR professional with work trauma, since I came back from maternity leave I have had a lot of jobs, the first was great until the HRD I was reporting into left, the day she told me the Finance Director had already decided to outsource half my job, I then began to report into the FD and that's when the micro management started until I literally felt paralysed by my job. I've left a few jobs now with similar experiences and when you are coming back from maternity leave, for me, it was hard to feel confident. Fast forward 3 or 4 jobs and I'm in a new job (nearly didn't go back into HR) and I'm loving the people but I was literally thrown into advising a panel for a long standing case. It's been going on for years, very complex, has already indicated that a move to a tribunal and with a good dose of discrimination chucked in for good measure.
The day before the hearing, I had done so much prep but had had a splitting headache all night, had a panic attack that morning and I started throwing up.
In enters @Rachel Woods in her superhero costume (well she was on the phone but I imagine she has one tucked away somewhere!).
She literally talked me down off the ceiling.
She listened.... but so much more than that, she got it. She's been there, she understands the terminology, the concerns, cultural issues of organisations, management styles, acronyms, politics, employment law, she can empathise, she can feed back if there are gaps, she knows where to find information but she's also got an amazing knowledge of wellbeing, anxiety and had some very entertaining turns of phrase.
She also taught me some great tools for calming down.
Thank you Rachel, honestly it doesn't seem enough.
I'm sorry it had to be anonymous but I'm happy for you to pass anyone on to me as a reference. X



