Wow, has it really been 3 months to the day since I last posted here? I’ll be curious to see if I even have any readers left after that kind of absence…<\/p>\n
So, what have I been up to, one might ask? Well, let’s see. My work has been slowly but surely creeping into my personal time and is now up to around my ears maybe? Yeah, that sounds about right. My stress level has increased at an even greater pace and has now completely enveloped my entire being. I have gone through several bouts of stress-related health incidents. I had a sudden, severe onset of restless leg syndrome that left me unable to sleep until after 6 AM on the worst nights. That persisted for several weeks and was resistant to any of the medications that multiple doctors tried. It slowly subsided on its own and is thankfully completely gone now. Right as the RLS was starting to subside, we went through a 24\/7 practice run of our software go-live plan for work and I experienced 3 major migraines (requiring my maximum strength prescription to kill) in a period of a week and a half.<\/p>\n
I very nearly lost my mind during that time. Seriously. I’m still not sure how I managed not to snap like a twig. But I came really close. I guess my little mind isn’t quite as fragile as I thought.<\/p>\n
I am extremely grateful for my network of caring and understanding coworkers and friends who have helped me to cling to what shred of sanity I actually have left. I was pretty upfront about my health issues while they were occurring and I was given a lot of latitude around what hours of the day I worked and from where. Meaning that since I didn’t get to sleep until 6 AM, I ended up working odd hours and from home. I am lucky that my job position afforded me to do such without causing any issues. I am even more grateful for a wonderful husband who has truly been sticking by me through thick and thin. He really picked up my slack around the house and continues to do so when my work hours get particularly out of control.<\/p>\n
So, where does that leave me right now? Well, to be honest, I’m still clinging by my fingernails to a tiny little log in a tumultuous river of stress. But the rapids haven’t pulled me under yet. And I don’t intend to let them.<\/p>\n
I made a very difficult decision this week. After the class I’m currently taking ends in the middle of next week, I am officially withdrawing from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division for several months. This massive project at work that is eating into my personal time so heavily will be implemented by the end of July (fingers cross that the timeline doesn’t slip). Terry and I are planning to spend our 10th wedding anniversary at Walt Disney World in late September. After that, I should be good to go back to school.<\/p>\n
I think that I made the right decision. Something had to give and I prefer that it not be my health, physical or mental. I discussed it with my husband, I discussed it with my friends, I discussed it with my family and I even called my therapist and got his opinion. I am extremely unhappy that my work load has gotten so far out of control as to force me to have to make this decision, but it’s a done deal. Or it will be, as soon as my advisor puts through the paperwork. I made sure to let several key people at work know this week that I had to drop out of school, so my point has been made. And everyone so far agrees that it stinks. But, of course, no one can do anything about it.<\/p>\n
I just have to survive the next couple of months and then the raging flood waters that currently dictate my course in life should stop threatening to overflow their banks and subside to their normal levels.<\/p>\n
Then I should be able to start living again, instead of merely existing.<\/p>\n
Is anyone still reading?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wow, has it really been 3 months to the day since I last posted here? I’ll be curious to see if I even have any readers left after that kind of absence… So, what have I been up to, one … Continue reading