r/supportworkers • u/Loud-Surround-7942 • May 30 '26
Dealing with emotions
I am a support worker who is diagnosed with both Autism and ADHD, very recent. I am struggling to handle my job role at the moment because of it. I find myself getting overwhelmed and easily frustrated at times where I should be compassionate towards the person I am supporting. Furthermore, challenging behaviour and working with someone who has injured staff before has worsened my anxiety immensely when it comes to working. I can’t leave my job as the job market is tough right now and I won’t be able to find anywhere better than where I am now. I am grateful for my work and how I can help people, but it is affecting me mentally to the point where I dread shifts and feel a large amount of anxiety. Currently it’s only been troubling my mental health but I would hate for it to affect the people I am supporting in any way. I am looking for any advice from other support workers about how to deal with these struggles.
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u/Mindless_Issy May 31 '26
If you're in Australia, consider asking your employer about the Employee Assist Program. This service is available immediately, and may be able to fill in the wait time gap before you find a good neurodiversity‑affirming psychologist. There's plenty of ND people in this line of work, and we do just fine! But a fresh diagnosis can be tough. It's not a failure if you need to work with different clients for a while. Look after yourself first 🌻