So in a nutshell, I'm having a pretty hard time coping with my parents' deaths. I guess after they each died I just went right back to work and life and tried to move on like life was just fine. I'm kind of realizing lately that I'm really not all that ok. I am usually so strong and on top of everything that admitting that my mind is just not in the right place is really hard for me. I want to be able to handle it all and I just feel like I can't. Some days I can barely get out of bed, don't want to go to work, just don't have the energy and drive like I think I should. When I have time off of work, well, I just want to sleep. I think I can pretty safely say I'm depressed.
I want and think that I need some significant time off of work. I work in a high stress job and can't afford to make any mistakes. I won't be specific about what I do, but let's just say a mistake can mean life or death for someone, so I really don't want to take any chances. I can feel myself being less sharp and I'm worried that if I don't take time away things at work could deteriorate. At least I think my abilities will deteriorate. We are very short staffed, as in there is literally nobody that can cover for me and work my shifts. And as I say that I think well, if I was dead, SOMEBODY would work for me, right?
So my question is, can anyone offer advice on how to get time off without losing my job, making my co-workers hate me and without telling everyone at work about my damn business? I mean I understand how to tell my boss, hey I need time off. But how do I get the message across that this isn't negotiable. I need to be away. If not I may just quit. Has anyone been in this spot before? I need a doctor's note after 3 days...3 days is not enough. Has anyone gone to the doctor and said look I'm depressed, I can't function at work, write me a note! How I do this and not screw everything up?
Thanks for reading, I appreciate any advice anyone has to offer.