side affects
 

Hi guys

A good friend of mine who worked as a Cathay Pacific F/A recently took leave from her position as she has developed some type of depression. She has never been depressed before and was such a energetic positive and funloving person. She left her job saying that it has made her depressed.

My friend made it quite clear that it has not been anything to do with fellow staff but more because of the changing timezones/places/shiftwork. She said she would often avoid socialising with close friends and although she was working with people all the time she was always feeling lonely and tiered. She is now getting help because she really wants to return to her job.

Is this simply a case of choosing a job that doesn't suit you or is it a something that can occur amongst flight attendants? If so what are some ways of making sure you dont suffer?

Keep occupied
 

My suggestion is to keep occupied while away to avoid getting down and lonely. Changing a lot of timezones and having a disrupted sleeping pattern can cause depression - you can buy a supplement from Boots (or any chemist I think) called Melatonin which helps regulate the body clock and mood. Its legal and from various studies apparently quite safe. I've used it to get my body clock reset and I've always felt better after a good night asleep.