hi all,

i'm in the process of organising my first few clients which is both nerve wracking but exciting and while i've been filtering through the time wasters it does seem like i have some genuine enquiries about appointments, which is a relief.

however, and part of the reason i've gone to escorting because i can't cope in a 'normal' job, i've been having a few bad days (i have quite severe mental health problems) and was wondering how other people cope with them while working.

for instance; i've had to stop myself replying to messages about bookings because i've been feeling so useless and shit that i just want to cancel everything (which i know later on when i'm feeling better i would regret doing), and self-esteem wise i've even been dreading appointments because i feel so horrible about myself right now.

obviously this is all relatively temporary, ie its just a bad patch and i'm hoping it won't last for more than a few days, but any advice/support from people who deal with similar things would be really appreciated. xxx

If you are not in good head space re replying re bookings perhaps a short message saying "will be in touch soon with reply" would suffice and when you are feeling up to it reply then.

I also have mental health issues  (don't like calling them a problem as a lot of the time its not a problem lol)

Not diagnosed but working on the theory that I might be bipolar too. This means sometimes I go a while before I make any money when I am feeling down but you know what, I recover much quicker then when I used to have a normal job (manager type) because I would not have my boss phoning me everyday seeing if I am going back to work. The only pressure I now get is the dreaded bills and sometimes they can just wait haha!

I cope pretty well in the job as I am quite a sexual person anyway and I love it!

What you should remember is that your health needs to come first. I give myself lots of options to allow money to come in. Camming, clips, escorting. That way if I feel I cannot face seeing someone in the flesh I have other things to do.

If I feel like I cannot speak on the phone just yet I often wait for the phonecall to finish then text them advising I am out in public at the moment and cannot chat is there anything I can do?

Remember health is wealth if you pressure yourself to work when you are not well you will not recover as quickly when you allow yourself to take a break.

I suffer from PTSD and depression and it makes it difficult for me to hold down a "normal" job.

I can usually make it in to work in this job, which is good, but it has taken time, because I have "trained" myself to keep myself safe, not to get riled by idiots and disrespectful types and know that their attitudes are their own and not mine. If a client is polite, clean and respectful of my boundaries then I don't mind the job and I be myself a bit, but if I encounter someone even slightly disrespectful then I just take their money and get into my work "persona" and I take no shit from them. I just see it as money. But it seems to take a good while to get to this point in your escorting career!

This job is good for the lack of pressure. Like someone else said, if I feel down and not up to work then I just switch my phone off and hide away. When I feel better I stick up "available today" and put up my ads and work. I  don't have a boss / demanding co-workers / deadlines or anything like that.

It can be good for money and flexible, but make sure you take care of your mental health too and if you start feeling any kind of horrible feeling about this work then make sure you get it addressed (speak to someone you trust, get counselling, go to a sex work project etc).

Another person here with mental health issues, including PTSD.  It can be very difficult to manage - but that's the same with any job, and at least as (currently) an independent I can't be fired if I'm not well enough to work on a given day if I have no bookings... It can be very hard going to a booking and being cheery and sociable when it's the last thing I'm feeling, though!

I guess it depends on what mental health problems.  For instance Bi polar or similar that is being treated as best it can be then yes why not.  A mental health problem that leaves you vulnerable or unable to properly stand up for yourself then I would say a big fat No.
Only you can guage whether your mental health will affect the way in which you can work safely.  That is the main concern with this job regardless of mental health issues.  If you are vulnerable and say  for instance, not able to say no and mean it or tend to be too submissive or scared to say no or even if you are volatile in your behaviour I would say this job is not for you.  However if you just have an issue or issues that wont affect you working safely then why not give it a go

The ones I mentioned are all instances where something bad could easily happen and the person is vulnerable.  Not being able to say no or being easily frightened into submission for instance will leave you wide open to those who like to push for more than you feel comfy with including bareback.  The person who is volatile however will feel they are strong enough to cope as they can say no however the fact they can lose their temper very quickly hence the term volatile means they are also likely to get hurt.  By losing ones temper one can accidently anger someone and the wrong man may well lash out.

If you have mental health issues that don't make you vulnerable in any of those ways and can happily say no and mean it and not explode in anger or cower in fear or just feel it is better to say yes then there is no reason whatsoever that you should not be able to do this job without any problems. 

I don't know what your issues are and I would never ask hence I only gave the examples of where this job would not be suitable for certain issues as otherwise I could list hundreds of issues that you could work with which seems a bit pointless. 

I know many ladies with mental health issues who do this job very well but I also know a couple who have some of the above issues that do this job but have found themselves in terrible situations quite a few times.  One who is very volatile and will snap for no reason and has on more than one occasion been hit by a client due to her own behaviour of losing it completely and attacking them for 'raping' her.  A term she uses whenever she loses the plot and decides after getting the money that the client who has paid her doesn't deserve to have sex but she should keep his money and if he tries to say anything he must be a rapist trying to rape her. 
That is why I never ask what the issue is but give ideas of when this job is not a good idea

I'm bipolar.
When I'm manic I could work 24 - no, 25 hours in a day  well, if there were that many hours and that many clients.
When I'm depressed I don't work at all. I don't get out of bed, I don't get all dressed up, I don't see people.
It balances itself out. We all find ways to make things work.
I hope you are okay