I am back at work 3 days I am director and whilst not returning in the and Same role I am?still a director however the new role is nothing like they said it’s all admin work ! I hated that before the stoke and still go now I feel like they think poor Jake had a stroke let’s just give him simple admin work , they have been sportive in the last months but back I feel written off ! I have lost confidence post stroke normally I would have spoken up straight away ! Now I haven’t said anything as feel lucky to have a job and I need the income , mentally this is killing me anxiety and depression wise , post stoke so have really bad A&D which I never had before ! Anons else had this at work , so I just quick and start again where I am known as Jake and not Jake who had stroke so young in age !!
@Jakemilnes-green well done on getting back to work. Thats a big achievement.
Since i returned my employer is treating me with kid gloves & just giving me simpler work & a lot less of it to break me in gently. They have said i should let them know if it is too little or too simple. I’m grateful for their support as I definitely couldn’t go back to the very busy role I did previously.
I wonder if you should speak with your employer & tell them that you feel ready to take on more challenging tasks & see what they say. Tell them you appreciate their support but are ready to take the next step. They might not realise how you are feeling & may be thinking they are helping you out.
Good luck.
Ann
Then it’s down to you to prove them wrong isn’t it. They have no real idea what a stroke entails; neither did you or I before we had one. Maybe you are just looking at this from the wrong angle.
This is the next level in your rehab to recovery and these people know what you were capable of and will spur you on to getting some more of yourself back if you let them.
And don’t forget, most employees who are back to work after extended sick leave/maternity leave/whatever are eased back in gradually until they know themselves what they are capable of going forward; and that’s on you not them.
So maybe you should do as @Mrs5K suggested and speak with your employer. You could also speak with your GP about your anxiety and depression if haven’t done so already.
Probably worth you giving ACAS a call to check out t he situation. Then at least you’ll know the correct position legal wise.
Hi @Jakemilnes-green
This is a good place to express your frustrations 
and you’ll get a sympathetic and knowledgeable ear.
I don’t know if the 70 odd posts you’ve already read have given you a feel for the forum and especially the sorts of norms and extremes that can encompass one person’s stroke journey? If not you might find the welcome post useful.
I suggest a large part of your journey is recalibrating what you are capable of and as emerald says neither you nor your workplace is likely to have had a good idea of what a stroke survivors range of abilities might be.
You also have to benchmark now what is the right level for you. For example do you get fatigued? Are complex chains of reasoning still easy to grapple with? is multitasking something that comes naturally and easily, are all your physical capabilities intact?
As others have said it would be worth having conversations about whether your capacity and your role continue to be matched. With a week or a month’s worth of experience of doing a work role perhaps you have evidence to justify increasing or decreasing some of the aspects of the complexity or load?
With respect to the anxiety and depression there are several routes forwards. Medication eg an SSRI may be called for. Many of us don’t like the idea of antidepressants but they do have an effective role for many strokes survivors. Also understanding the vicious circle between anxiety’s physical and mental cause and effects can help to position one for mindfulness techniques such as breathing and meditating. You’ll find there is a fair amount of background on the how and why in the posts already in the forum.
Use the magnifying glass at the top of the page to search the forum for posts. I certainly posted a graphic of anxieties effects and many people have posted about their experiences and strategies to cope .
Good luck on your journey
Ciao
Simon