It’s the end of the first week of classes, and for some reason my stress levels are somewhere up in the stratosphere. I really don’t know why. I know exactly what I’m doing and have to do at work, I’ve got everything planned out, and the courses I’m teaching are familiar ones. But all week I’ve been feeling jittery and have been having a tough time getting any sleep — I got up at 3am this morning, and I’m starting the day in a state of exhaustion. This is the first week, and there are 15 more to go.
Not a good start. May have to take a vacation to recover next week. I can do that, right? Students won’t mind? Administration doesn’t care? Ugh. I think the only vacation I can take is to try and get more than 4 hours of sleep a night.
Existential angst or evil Kitty syndrome?
Crap – you’re telling me this feeling never goes away? I assumed eventually the first week of classes anxiety would disappear.
I don’t know why I assumed that. I’ve been doing this job for over a decade now and it hasn’t gone away yet…
Ugh, that sucks. I know what it’s like losing sleep to anxiety. Talk to your doctor about it? They may have suggestions for how you can improve your sleep hygiene, or they may suggest a short term Rx to help you get through this rough patch.
When I get stuck in a bad sleep cycle, I reach for the Nyquil. Not too offten though, it seems to reset my clock.
Probably dangerous…
Who is Gorn?
Gorn.
All together now .
Go to sleep ,
go to sleep ,
go to sleep PZ Myers.
Okay, so, probably totally overreacting here, but still…
As someone who is suffering from a burnout that one day left me at the office, where I spent a couple years doing the same routine work that had become second nature, not even knowing how to properly start up my computer anymore…
I truly hope this is just a hiccup for you. Try and get some rest. Hang in there! Not sure how to say this, but just… Get better!
Are you still able to fall asleep normally? I work overnight and often wake up after about 3-4 hours of sleep during the day. Unless you have a medical reason why you can’t, I recommend a light sleep aid. Tylenol PM works pretty well for me, can usually sleep a full 7-8 hours if I take it.
I still don’t grok why Gorn gets credit for this being (past tense) Friday.
chigau, a hint: Thank Gorn It’s Friday.
(The mildly deranged penguin prefers: If You Don’t Give Me Moar Cheese It’ll Be Monday Again Again And Again, usually abbreviated as you screaming Arrrgggghhhh!!! as she jumps up-and-down on yer head. This only assists in yer sleeping if neither her loudly gobbling down cheese nor a very sore head neck & shoulders doesn’t bother you. She claims the technique also works on Gorns.)
Must be something in the air (or on the news). I’m in Oz and I dont teach (formally) and I’m having the same trouble.