Hey Ben,

Mate, to be honest, you might find it is the PTSD itself causing this. PTSD is not just a mental illness, as it attempts to control our minds, thus our mind controls our body. For example, our body itself does not really feel pain, it is the mind that registers this and tells us to feel pain, and it provides the data back and forth between the pain and itself (brain). For example, if you read Stress on Your Body you will find so many physical aspects all caused by PTSD.

As for the work, it is possible to have a full-time job for some, others it may never be possible again. I have tried to work with my PTSD, and even now being healed as such from my traumas, tried again, and I have failed to do it each time because my symptoms simply over-power me. Regardless how much I expose myself to any form of work, my stress and anxiety still overcomes me. Now this isn't to say that this won't change in the future, because it may. So I guess I am saying, it is really a continual effort to try new things, expose yourself, push yourself past any initial anxiety and stressors, and if your mind and body fail to cope, then you must withdraw and try something differently.

Every person is vastly different in regards to the severity of their PTSD itself, being the symptoms, in that some may suffer the anxiety worse, some the depression. So for some, they can work full-time and only fight having to push themselves out of bed and the house, and once going for the day, they are fine. Others can get up and out without issue, but within a couple of hours into the day, anxiety begins building in them, then by midday, their bodies begin shutting down and are quite irritable, and if they make it to the end of the day, they basically fall over when they get home. Now whilst you can do this for maybe a few weeks / two months, your body will eventually wear out so bad, that it will just fail you because the constant daily stress upon it is so much it physically cannot and will not cope.

Even though my shrink told me I would never work again bar maybe a couple of hours a day, or non-profit type work that exerts no stress what so ever, I still continue to push myself at times and try. Sure, everytime I have done so thus far I have fallen over, but that won't stop me continually trying, because as I heal more and more each day, each month, each year, my mind and body at some time must become more available to me for the ability to work. If I don't continue to try, then I will never know, but if I do, atleast I continue knowing my limitations. Each time I generally get a bit further... which says more time will maybe allow me to get back into a work routine. I have personally tried all the alternatives of low stress work, been my own boss, worked for others, gone to low stress roles with no public interaction, still didn't work for me personally. Saying that though, another it may work for and help them, because their symptom range is vastly different to mine.

I think it comes down to simply, the more you heal, the more chance you have off getting yourself back into a daily work routine, whether it be part-time or full-time. I do work as such now, with other interests, though I only work approximately 1 - 2 hours a day, then my mind shuts down, and so begins my body also, so I must back off and recover. This here I do also, but this is more therapeudic opposed to work oriented I guess.