Past trauma came back and bit my productivity

[Anonymous]

I'm a domestic violence victim. I left 12/2016, finally divorced in 2019, and it was a long road between 2020 and 2024 to put it all back together. I went through five years of therapy and 2024 was an awesome year. Everything came at me in 2025 and I fell apart in August. I'm just now pulling myself out of a rut. In a series of horrible work situations last years, I was fired by the administration (HUD), then severely injured by a student while teaching, and, finally, most of my programs were cut (think FEMA-related). I have spent the past 6 weeks working my way back out of a good hole. I'm taking some language classes for fun and experience. I am starting back in some group therapy in a week or so. I have a good routine to get myself back on track.

I'm looking for work, which is daunting in the current state of things. My main concern is that I will put myself into another bad situation and end up falling back down in that hole. I'm still disassociating sometimes, my short and long term memory can be cagey, and I go through some periods of a little depression and some anxiety. For those who have some sort of complex PTSD, how do you cope with a new job, new people, new environment? What do you find that works for you?

[Anonymous]

My friend who has treatment-resistant depression relies heavily on her dogs and cats. She fosters older dogs for a rescue.

Might not be a solution for you but that is her best coping strategy.

[Anonymous]

Consider HRT if you’re at that age. It has worked wonders for me.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? How is your overall health? Are you taking care of yourself?

[Anonymous]

I wish I could help more since I have some past trauma that has definitely affected me deeply, but the truth is that I don’t deal with those things (new job, commute) easily. I really need a lot of sleep and time at home. I went through menopause early and with HRT the silver lining is I am less anxious. But still anxious.

[Anonymous]

Are you looking for jobs that can be done remotely?
Maybe consider something like FlexProfessionals, so you can do part-time or contract work as you assess the qualities of a particular job environment while still having the flexibility to maintain the self-care supports that you’ve arranged.