Stress! These long days are really getting to me.
Since I started teaching eight weeks ago, my life has been jumbled with time problems. I’m opening the studio at 10:00 in the morning, and getting out of class at 10:00 at night. That makes for some long days.
Ever since I started teaching, most of my waking time has been dedicated to creating lesson plans and making sure they match tests. This has taken a lot of reading, outlining, and scanning of graphics so that I have something I can follow while teaching. I think I have put almost as much time into preparation as I have actual class time.
It wouldn’t be so bad if it was only four nights a week as it was when I went to school. But five nights is just too much. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy what I’m doing, it’s just the hours and stress associated with it are a lot.
What has been making it worse is that business at the shop has dropped off. When the price of gas goes up to $3.00 per gallon, people start looking at massage as a luxury instead of healthcare. What I don’t want to do is become a teacher full time. I want to keep the shop open so I can do the work I need to do. (And I need to keep reminding myself that June is typically a slow month. I keep forgetting that.) Unfortunately, I spend a lot of time at the shop working on stuff for class, creating my newsletters, and yes, writing journal entries. These things are important, but I’d rather be working on people.
I also seem to be in the studio most Saturdays doing sessions I couldn’t do in the evening hours during the week. I’m actually thinking of being open on Saturdays if I can find someone to work in the shop all day. That would possibly bring in money. I could come and go as my appointments demand, and let this other person keep the shop open and do what work comes in.
Now that I have written all my lesson plans and modified the tests that I am giving, some of the stress is off. The lesson plans will eventually change as neither I nor my boss like the order that they are in. But at least it is all on paper (and file) so that things can just be swapped around as needed. Once I get this batch of journal entries posted, if I am still not busy, I might be able to do some meditation and calming. It would be nice.
As always, I have committed myself to this teaching job. Once I do that, I do whatever it takes to do a good job. Realistically, I can’t see leaving it until after the end of the year, and that’s only if we have another source of income (which could include my business doing much better). The fact that this, along with unemployment, is the only income we have. But in a couple of weeks, it will be covering both of us with health insurance. That is crucial as well.
Because of the long hours, I am getting home around 10:30 and taking a couple hours to decompress. (I don’t seem to have any trouble having energy as I teach, but getting rid of it afterwards is interesting. I know… ground.) So getting up in the morning has become much more difficult. In fact it has become quite a challenge. My Restless Leg Syndrome has become worse as I am more stressed (which happens). It is causing me to have trouble sleeping which makes it harder to get up in the morning. I refuse to go back on medication. I’m trying to keep it under control, but it is not easy. I don’t get any exercise other than cutting the lawn on the weekends. I have no time to stop at the gym on the weekdays as I either go home for a half hour before going to school, or I go straight there from work. (Working out before school just won’t work as I need more time than I have and a shower.)
The bottom line is that I am not getting what I need to stay calm (or calmer). Somehow I need to work on what I need so I can be a little less stressed. Hopefully that is coming some time soon.
Here’s hoping that your life is less stressed. Take care.