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 ?

 

[Phil L]

I think we all can be guilty of over thinking things at times, the key is to have as much confidence in your work as possible, if you have been through rigorous training and do not cut corners you should be fine,

we all know the dangers of our industry and the consequences that could materialise should things go wrong, there is no harm in double checking the work you have done, anxiety will always be high when starting out but as time goes on and your confidence builds the second guessing will reduce

Good luck

 

[Spoon]

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.

A good practice is to take lots of pics of the work you have done that day, before you leave.
Then if you have any thoughts that you have missed something you can then go through the pics to see, rather than racking your brain, thinking what you have done and what you haven't.
It's also good if another service alters your work to suit theirs, then you have proof of what work you did.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and everyone would love to have it. We have all done something that we may have done differently, with hindsight. Just work to the best of your abilities, make sure things are safe and don't let any high ranking muppet try and tell you do do something that you know is against the regs.

 

[Deleted account]

Not to your extent, but yes I do sometimes overthink and worry about what I’ve done.

sometimes I don’t do things by the book because it’s absolutely impossible to do some jobs and adhere to every reg going, or I leave an installation knowing there are issues that need addressing. In these circumstances I inform the customer and document it. i cannot walk away from a job unless I have.

this is a serious business, with consequences if you get it wrong. A lot of sparks don’t see it that way. But those that do tent to stress to a greater or lesser amount.

I would rather have you work for me than someone who is maybe=more experienced but doesn’t give a ......

Saying that if you really do suffer to this extent maybe this job isn’t for you. All jobs have a certain amount of responsibility, but not all can result in serious injury or death. If you had a job where if you got it wrong or made a mistake it would cause inconvenience at the worste you would stress less.

I genuinely am not saying don’t continue this job, but you have to ask yourself if your health is more important.

 

[Buzz1980]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah totally agree with all points but when you go through your time and with more studying you find out the advice given is wrong. Anxiety shoots through the roof as it’s not like you can go back to job and fix it years later. This is the issue with my OCD it latches onto things like this as I worry that my work could harm someone, this was mainly when I was in my apprenticeship or just out my time. The company I worked for was all go go go get the work done as quick as possible. I don’t like to work like that anymore I like to take my time and do a job properly now even if it takes longer. Totally easy in hindsight.

 

[Moley]

I think in this industry we all suffer in one way or another. I'm in a different field (mainly HV transformer maintenance at power stations) and once the permit has been canceled that's it. You can't go back into the TX compound to check. Luckily we usually work in teams so we can all check that the job is finished but I still worry about things some days. I find my main OCD is in the hotel. I have to line up the TV remote and assorted other things. When I leave I check everything twice to make sure I haven't left anything. I can't leave a room for the final time without looking under the bed - twice!

 

[Deleted account]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah totally agree with all points but when you go through your time and with more studying you find out the advice given is wrong. Anxiety shoots through the roof as it’s not like you can go back to job and fix it years later. This is the issue with my OCD it latches onto things like this as I worry that my work could harm someone, this was mainly when I was in my apprenticeship or just out my time. The company I worked for was all go go go get the work done as quick as possible. I don’t like to work like that anymore I like to take my time and do a job properly now even if it takes longer. Totally easy in hindsight.

I hear you.

my time working for company after I finished training was not good. I was rushed, given incorrect materials. Everything seemed a bodge, cheap and quick fix. I hated it which is why I went on my own.
Since then stress levels dropped as I would spend as much time as I needed to to the job. if it took 2 days instead of one. Fine it’s my time, my peace of mind. I now do quotes so I am able to allow more time and I know exactly what materials I need etc... so every job is easy. Well nearly every job.

also I got in with a couple of like minded sparks who I team up with on bigger jobs. We are always a phone call away for reassurance on queries we have.

 

[7029 dave]

IMO routine and process will help you, I would fill out a process tick sheet, you could make up some for different tasks, and tick them off one by one, so at the end of the day you can fall back on them and say its covered, after a while you wont need any references.

 

[pc1966]

The use of a written check list, as @7029 dave suggests, is a good idea. Yes, it is kind of hard to generate the list for every job, etc, but it allows you to know you really have ticked off each main point. And with photos to back it up, you have some means or knowing all was done well.

I once had the privilege of being in the observer's chair in a aircraft when it was taking off and getting up the its cruising level of 18,000 feet, and I was impressed by the fact they really do have a check-list for each of the key stages. The co-pilot would go down each point and the pilot did the steps required. At one point when in stable flight they both independently hand-calculated fuel use and range to check the flight was able to get to its destination with a safe margin.

While it was not done for any anxiety reason, it is normal in that area for safety which is often the underlying worry. I think the same approach has been successfully trialled in operating theatres as well, greatly reducing the rate of mistakes that are made.

 

[Spoon]

I once had the privilege of being in the observer's chair in a aircraft when it was taking off and getting up the its cruising level of 18,000 feet, and I was impressed by the fact they really do have a check-list for each of the key stages. The co-pilot would go down each point and the pilot did the steps requiered. At one point when in stable flight they both independently hand-calculated fusel use and range to check the flight was able to get to its destination with a safe margin.

Was you a young boy, and the conversation when something like this???

 

[OnlQQker]

I use to have major problems.
Until I started making a conscious effort to actually say each thing I did was ok.

The electricity in the brain is what fascinates me most!

 

[freddo]

The more you learn the more you are likely to stress about things and it can knock your confidence the Dunning Kruger curve is a good visual explanation of this. Hopefully as you keep working at it your confidence will rise and you will become less stressed. I do have similar issues as you mention but not too extreme, checking things several times, worrying if I've forgotten something and so on.

 

[Deleted account]

The more you learn the more you are likely to stress about things and it can knock your confidence the Dunning Kruger curve is a good visual explanation of this. Hopefully as you keep working at it your confidence will rise and you will become less stressed. I do have similar issues as you mention but not too extreme, checking things several times, worrying if I've forgotten something and so on.
View attachment 64545

Really like that. I think a lot of sparks and others will relate to that.

 

[Midwest]

Everyone has feelings of aniety, like for example at a job interview. It’s when you can’t control these feelings, and they become constant and start taking over your daily life, it becomes not the norm. I get slightly obsessed with checking I’ve locked doors, going back to check after I’ve just locked it. But then I remonstrate with myself, for being foolish.

I had a friend, who in his early years, became obsessed with turing on and off lights and the gas stove. He would make his sister watch him tun them on and off, to confirm they were actually turned off; that’s on and that’s off, he would say. His anxieties became worse. He won‘t drive now, as it causes him too much stress; he used drive around and around and around a roundabout, thinking he may knocked over a cyclist, he’d passed. And he used to be a traffic cop.

Perhaps you should discuss your feelings with your GP.

 

[Dustydazzler]

This is an interesting thread and one I can certainly relate to. I have a bit of ocd , had it for years now. Things like checking doors twice when I leave home etc
I certainly have experienced this with work as well stressing about tricky jobs before they have even started, worrying if it will go to plan, double checking if I did things right etc.
A certain amount of stress / ocd is not too bad and keeps you alert, but if you start doing things 4 or 5 or 6 times it’s probably time to speak to somebod.

 

[telectrix]

I saw my psychiatrist yesterday.

He said "What's the problem?"

" I keep thinking I'm a dog". I replied.

"OK, just lie on the couch"

"I;m not allowed on the couch".

 

[Lister1987]

The more you learn the more you are likely to stress about things and it can knock your confidence the Dunning Kruger curve is a good visual explanation of this. Hopefully as you keep working at it your confidence will rise and you will become less stressed. I do have similar issues as you mention but not too extreme, checking things several times, worrying if I've forgotten something and so on.
View attachment 64545

Like the 4 levels of competence

Unconsciously Incompetent - I don't know that I don't know

Conscioisly Incompetent - I know that I don't know, and I want to do something about it

Unconsciously Competent -i don't know that I know that I know what I'm doing.

Consciously Competent - I know that I know what I'm doing

 

[Mike Johnson]

And there is also the Peter principle.

 

[Deleted account]

View attachment 64551
And there is also the Peter principle.

True

 

[Doomed]

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 ?

We have a chap in our team just like you. He used to have his own business, but as he got older he worried more to a point where he couldn't function. He is an old school friend, so we took him on as effectively a electricians mate - he has no responsibility and he knows we will check and test everything for him.
He is now a lot happier and we have someone we know is 100% reliable and who is most excellent at marking out the spacings for downlights etc. (although some plasterers recently thought he was spying on them because he popped back to a site multiple times to check that they were not moving his cables etc)