Unfortunately, as a society we often don’t talk about workplace injuries and the wide-ranging impacts they can have on individuals and families. The effects of a workplace injury can include mental health struggles, financial stress, and other challenges that can make it very difficult to heal fully.
If you’ve been injured at work, it’s important to secure all the resources you’re eligible for, so you can better deal with all the impacts your injury may have on your life. After a work injury, you can contact Flaxman Law Group for a consultation with a South Florida workers’ compensation claims attorney so you can discuss any benefits and compensation you may be eligible for.
The Most Common Worries After a South Florida Workplace Injury
After an injury on the job, it’s common to experience worries about:
- Your physical recovery. You may be worried how long your recovery will take, how much treatments will hurt, and whether you will have permanent pain or limitations as a result. Since your mobility can affect everything from your ability to work to your ability to care for yourself and perform everyday tasks, this is a very natural concern.
- The mental health impact of the injury. Many people who suffer a workplace slip and fall, machine accident, or other injury experience psychological distress, including sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and other conditions.
- Relationships. It’s normal for a serious injury to cause strain on relationships. The pain and worry of a work injury can cause grumpiness and stress that can harm any relationship.
- Loss of identity. Most adults closely link their sense of self with their career and work. After all, most of us spend most of the day at our jobs and feel pride in our accomplishments in the workplace. When that gets taken away from us by a serious injury, we may feel unrooted and unsure of who we are without our job title.
- Independence. Independence is crucial for most adults and a serious injury can mean you may not be able to care for yourself or may need to rely on others. You may not be able to drive or return to work, and this can make you feel powerless and may leave you wondering when you can take care of yourself.
- Socialization. When you’re seriously injured, you may miss out on movie nights, dates, vacations, and nights out. This can make you feel isolated and can make you worry you’re missing out on social connections. You may worry that life is passing you by.
- Finances. Finances are of the most common worries for anyone who has suffered a work injury. If you can’t work because of your injury, you may worry about your ability to pay your bills and you may also be concerned whether you can rebuild your career after your injury—or whether your finances will be affected long-term. This can make the future feel very uncertain.
What To Do If You’re Worried
While it’s normal to feel concerns after a workplace injury, if you find you can’t let go of stressors or if you have a hard time thinking of anything but your worries, talk to your doctor. Taking care of your mental health is as important as taking care of your physical health after an injury.
You can also address your worries by speaking with a South Florida work injury claims attorney soon after your injury. The father-son attorney team at Flaxman Law Group, for example, has worked with thousands of injured individuals and we understand the impact of a serious injury. Contact us after your workplace injury and we can review your rights to workers’ compensation and compensation, so you can get some peace of mind by finding out what protections and resources might be available to you.