Mental health in the electrical industry

[Buzz1980]

Hi all
Just wanted to put this out there to see if there is any other sparks that struggle with this. I have suffered from OCD/anxiety for many years now since I was really young. Over the years it has got worse and worse it can jump from anything that I worry about . I don’t have OCD where I go around cleaning everything. But I have OCD where I can’t leave things without checking all the time that I have done it correctly, but the more times I check the less blurry and less sure I am that I have done it correctly. I can come away from a job and worry that I have left switches off, cables exposed and worry that someone is going to get hurt from my work. I then go over and over in my head yeah you did screw everything back and you did check before you left. But can’t convince myself that I have. Now through out my time as a spark, I studied more done more courses etc etc and this has made me become more knowledgeable but with the more knowledge and experience I get the worse my Anxiety gets as I think back to jobs I down years ago and think oh I’ve done that wrong, oh I should have done that, oh how did I do that instead of that. Now this is when I was in my final years of apprenticeship and when I just came out of my time. This is sometimes down to bad advice from other sparks and not really looking into things myself but when I do find out the advice is wrong and should be doing things the other way. Or just not knowing any better but over the years I have gained more knowledge which is making my anxiety worse as I go over every job I’ve done scrutinise it and start worrying that someone is going to get hurt or fire break out due to the works I have done. This worry will keep with me for a while until my anxiety starts to ease off. Until the next flare up. I just wish I could start my time over again and do things the way I want to do them but this is a OCD trait wanting everything to be perfect. Just wanted to see if there are any other sparks that suffer this way. Thanks in advance ?

 

[Tart83]

I think we may have digressed here from the OP’s questions

 

[telectrix]

Suppose what works & is good for you.

I've been working almost every weekend, for well over a year now, doing stuff at home. Generally, I also only eat in the evening at weekends. I lost over a stone. If I could only cut out the booze, I'd lose more. But then with only about 20 years left, why the hell should I. ?

slippry slope there, cut out the booze. next is stop smoking cannabis. then give up snorting coke. what's left? ???

 

[Spoon]

slippry slope there, cut out the booze. next is stop smoking cannabis. then give up snorting coke. what's left? ???

I'm not giving up cheesecake.

 

[Tart83]

Hi all
Just wanted to put this out there to see if there is any other sparks that struggle with this. I have suffered from OCD/anxiety for many years now since I was really young. Over the years it has got worse and worse it can jump from anything that I worry about . I don’t have OCD where I go around cleaning everything. But I have OCD where I can’t leave things without checking all the time that I have done it correctly, but the more times I check the less blurry and less sure I am that I have done it correctly. I can come away from a job and worry that I have left switches off, cables exposed and worry that someone is going to get hurt from my work. I then go over and over in my head yeah you did screw everything back and you did check before you left. But can’t convince myself that I have. Now through out my time as a spark, I studied more done more courses etc etc and this has made me become more knowledgeable but with the more knowledge and experience I get the worse my Anxiety gets as I think back to jobs I down years ago and think oh I’ve done that wrong, oh I should have done that, oh how did I do that instead of that. Now this is when I was in my final years of apprenticeship and when I just came out of my time. This is sometimes down to bad advice from other sparks and not really looking into things myself but when I do find out the advice is wrong and should be doing things the other way. Or just not knowing any better but over the years I have gained more knowledge which is making my anxiety worse as I go over every job I’ve done scrutinise it and start worrying that someone is going to get hurt or fire break out due to the works I have done. This worry will keep with me for a while until my anxiety starts to ease off. Until the next flare up. I just wish I could start my time over again and do things the way I want to do them but this is a OCD trait wanting everything to be perfect. Just wanted to see if there are any other sparks that suffer this way. Thanks in advance ?

Your post is actually very helpful to other people in the same boat as you

 

[Mccrory1701]

Hi all
Just recently joined forum.

I am a 58 year old Approved electrician / currently a site supervisor

I would like to find out if there would be a space to talk about and address Electricians mental health and awareness on this forum.
I personally have been through the wringer so to speak - and have experienced all the lows -UNFORTUNATELY electricians have the highest mental and emotional /divorce /suicidal / and financial problems recorded to date . That’s why your insurance is so high .

I have carried out talks and workshops on Crossrail/ Skanska /Boueges and others with great success with participation from all.- Remember men do have a hard day -and all too committed we do not communicate that to our loved ones and colleagues until it is too late !
Ps -Why did they let me go ! -Why was everyone getting on my case etc!

Sorry for long winded message -I have have helped others reach that point of no return PRESSING THE ---- OFF BUTTON
Ihope I can reach out
Dave McCrory

 

[OnlQQker]

Interesting read...

Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons - PMC

Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[DPG]

Interesting read...

Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons - PMC

Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The opening section seems to suggest that we have more illnesses because of modern living, eg. carpets, insulating shoes etc. But that doesn't quite stack up with life expectancy generally going up. And is certainly way higher than times when people walked around without shoes on!

And I'm not sure how sleeping whilst connected to an earth cable makes 'earth electrons' transfer into the body.

 

[OnlQQker]

The opening section seems to suggest that we have more illnesses because of modern living, eg. carpets, insulating shoes etc. But that doesn't quite stack up with life expectancy generally going up. And is certainly way higher than times when people walked around without shoes on!

And I'm not sure how sleeping whilst connected to an earth cable makes 'earth electrons' transfer into the body.

Life expectancy going up would be based on past statistics, depending on how old you are most people grew up with home cooked food, vegetables, more physical exercise like walking to school (not the walking they do now with a headset on which is currently going to a whole new level with the metaverse) and less pollution.
However when these figures are revisited again in 60 years from now I don't think they will be as high as they are now.

I'm not sure on this Earthing lark either, but what study I have done on just before the Bronze age and Archaeological finds, kind of suggests they had good teeth, no bone deficiency's and long lived lives.

Then Clarkes the shoe shop came along and everything changed.

I believe a lot of answers actually do lay in the past, when the fight and flight thing was a physical element, and not so much of a mental element that it has become today.

 

[DPG]

Life expectancy going up would be based on past statistics, depending on how old you are most people grew up with home cooked food, vegetables, more physical exercise like walking to school (not the walking they do now with a headset on which is currently going to a whole new level with the metaverse) and less pollution.
However when these figures are revisited again in 60 years from now I don't think they will be as high as they are now.

I'm not sure on this Earthing lark either, but what study I have done on just before the Bronze age and Archaeological finds, kind of suggests they had good teeth, no bone deficiency's and long lived lives.

Then Clarkes the shoe shop came along and everything changed.

I believe a lot of answers actually do lay in the past, when the fight and flight thing was a physical element, and not so much of a mental element that it has become today.

I agree, but it skews the results and their hypothesis somewhat.

 

[UNG]

Life expectancy going up would be based on past statistics, depending on how old you are most people grew up with home cooked food, vegetables, more physical exercise like walking to school (not the walking they do now with a headset on which is currently going to a whole new level with the metaverse) and less pollution.

Did we have less polution 50 -60 years ago I remember the choking smogs we used to get when every house had a coal fire and smokeless coal was an option, I've never seen that in the last 40 years or have we changed how we define polution with better analysis today than we had decades ago, although how much polution can be attributed to the internet when compared to what vehicles produce

However when these figures are revisited again in 60 years from now I don't think they will be as high as they are now.

Statistics can be twisted to suit the agenda of those publishing them, speak to any good statistician and they will tell you that

I'm not sure on this Earthing lark either, but what study I have done on just before the Bronze age and Archaeological finds, kind of suggests they had good teeth, no bone deficiency's and long lived lives.

I always remember a BBC Tomorrows World program back in the late 60's or early 70's where is was suggested as we ate more processed food we would probably need to eat a soil sandwich every so often to ensure we maintained the levels of trace elements that our bodies need to function properly

Then Clarkes the shoe shop came along and everything changed.

Ahhh the Clarkes shoe shop getting your feet measured so you got the right shoes so your feet grew properly, is it still a thing these days or has must have fashion taken over

I believe a lot of answers actually do lay in the past, when the fight and flight thing was a physical element, and not so much of a mental element that it has become today.

As the saying goes "What goes around comes around" the problem now is life is run far faster today with the I want it now culture than it was before the internet, 20 - 30 years ago you waited for the postman now documents and high quality pictures can be on the other side of the world in seconds

When I was installing radio data links 15 - 20 years ago one question that was often asked when we were doing pre installation survey's was how much radiation will this radio put out, the standard response from the radio engineer was a lot lees than you have blasted into your head taking that mobile phone call, so maybe after a day of taking mobile phone calls we need to sleep with an earth lead attached to discharge all EMR from the days phone calls

 

[OnlQQker]

Did we have less polution 50 -60 years ago I remember the choking smogs we used to get when every house had a coal fire and smokeless coal was an option, I've never seen that in the last 40 years or have we changed how we define polution with better analysis today than we had decades ago, although how much polution can be attributed to the internet when compared to what vehicles produce

You're most probably correct, we seem to be fed information (from birth, taught to walk and talk as quickly as possible, then told to sit down and shut up)
The part that alarms me most is how media can report what it likes, at times backed up by scientists I have never heard of, and everybody believes something 100%

Statistics can be twisted to suit the agenda of those publishing them, speak to any good statistician and they will tell you that

Somebody once told me that 87.56% of statistics are made up on the spot.

I always remember a BBC Tomorrows World program back in the late 60's or early 70's where is was suggested as we ate more processed food we would probably need to eat a soil sandwich every so often to ensure we maintained the levels of trace elements that our bodies need to function properly

Now that was a good show, I think they replaced that with The Teletubbies.

Ahhh the Clarkes shoe shop getting your feet measured so you got the right shoes so your feet grew properly, is it still a thing these days or has must have fashion taken over

If it wasn't for Clarkes I would of been walking like a pigeon!

As the saying goes "What goes around comes around" the problem now is life is run far faster today with the I want it now culture than it was before the internet, 20 - 30 years ago you waited for the postman now documents and high quality pictures can be on the other side of the world in seconds

Good point!

When I was installing radio data links 15 - 20 years ago one question that was often asked when we were doing pre installation survey's was how much radiation will this radio put out, the standard response from the radio engineer was a lot lees than you have blasted into your head taking that mobile phone call, so maybe after a day of taking mobile phone calls we need to sleep with an earth lead attached to discharge all EMR from the days phone calls

I don't have a mobile phone, I crushed the last one 5 months ago.
Not that I'm worried about anything frying my brain, (there's not much up there to fry) it's more so the annoying texts I would get like, 'what time are you coming back', and ' could you pick up milk and eggs on your way back' or, 'Mum's coming around tonight, please try and be nice to her, she's seen something on the TV and it's upset her'. And that's without the very few mates I actually have texting some rubbish like, 'hope you're ok mate, you couldn't just give me hand with this next time you're available' Though I don't mind helping mates out!

Or it would ring cuz i'd never texted back and then asked to pick up those things. Could be most irritating especially when building a well in 2 ft of water in the ground and it's raining.


I'm thinking of getting a CB.

 

[littlespark]

Mental health.

A couple of days ago, a neighbour of my parents, father of my wife’s oldest school friend and the fittest 75 year old I know apparently took his own life… Leaving a wife, 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

He had depression for the majority of his adult life, and I’m sure there were past incidents that we don’t know about. He disappeared one time just before our wedding, and we thought we would lose a bridesmaid.

A few weeks ago he participated in a sponsored cycle race for Doddy Weirs MND charity…
He ran, hiked, cycled, swam….

I say “apparently” as we don’t know what has happened yet, but it seems his demons have finally caught up with him.

RIP Mick.

 

[DPG]

Mental health.

A couple of days ago, a neighbour of my parents, father of my wife’s oldest school friend and the fittest 75 year old I know apparently took his own life… Leaving a wife, 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

He had depression for the majority of his adult life, and I’m sure there were past incidents that we don’t know about. He disappeared one time just before our wedding, and we thought we would lose a bridesmaid.

A few weeks ago he participated in a sponsored cycle race for Doddy Weirs MND charity…
He ran, hiked, cycled, swam….

I say “apparently” as we don’t know what has happened yet, but it seems his demons have finally caught up with him.

RIP Mick.

Very sad case. And very easy for this sort of thing to go under the radar. RIP

 

[telectrix]

I'm 75, retired now except for a few small jobs here and there. get bored easily sitting about the house, and so have decided not to give up beer and smokes, steak and chips. . depression. what's that?

 

[pirate]

Tel, that's a good attitude...and you are lucky to be able to make those choices.
sadly, some have demons and follow them...involuntarily.
Let all of us who can tame those demons be thankful.
On a slight slant, my friend's father lost his wife through natural causes a year ago. She had made him give up smoking and drinking 10 years ago...now, at 89, he has taken up both again...why not?