Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Warning signs

At my annual physical yesterday, I was given a checklist of signs of depression to fill out.  There were 9 statements, and I was asked to tell how often each statement applied in the past 2 weeks.  With that time frame, I had eight "nevers" and one "occasionally" during the past two weeks.  But it struck me that if I had filled out the same questions during the past school year, I would have been diagnosed with depression.

Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?  Check.

Feeling tired or without energy?  Check.

Lack of interest in activities I once found pleasurable?  Check.

Overeating?  Check.

Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or that what I do doesn't matter?  Check.

I need to remember that when I feel guilty for departing my school.  I'm not saying that working in that environment is the only thing to blame; I just wasn't well-equipped to deal with what was in front of me and I personally couldn't find a healthy balance.  I'd like to think that after a few more years of teaching and building my skills, I could step back into the same type of school I left and do a better job.  Check with me in a few years and we'll see how that goes.

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