I was in a bad state last year. I was in a battle with anxiety and depression that I did not think that I could win. But, I did! Hello, Healthy Mind!
It was a struggle, but one strategy I used to combat anxiety and depression was positive self-talk. I’m usually pretty confident, but this battle had me questioning my confidence and competence. I started a new job that I just could not get the hang of.
I found this pic that explained why I was having so much trouble with anxiety and depression and is one of the reasons that I tendered my resignation.
I and my energy were spent. I had nothing to give. I was overwhelmed, burnt out, and tired. It was so many different areas of my life that were not going well. It was way too much to contend with.
There were no roots. However, now, I have roots growing again. With the help of my support system, I am on the mend and digging deep, once again.
I have started my publishing company. I’ll write more about it later. Just suffice it to say that I am healed and moving on to greater things. Here’s to self-publishing my own and other’s books!
I have made a bold move- I quit teaching. I’m not sure if I’m going to return. I promised myself that if I got to the point that I did not enjoy teaching, that I would quit. Well, I was no longer enjoying. Not only that, I began experiencing anxiety and depression again. I had no peace. It just wasn’t worth it to me anymore.
The only problem is that I looooooovvvvvveeee teaching, if I can actually just teach. I don’t want to deal with administration, I don’t want to deal with parents from hell, I don’t want to deal with students cursing me out… I mean, you get the picture.
As I was looking for the perfect pic to put into this post, I actually came across a teacher resignation template. If you’re also thinking about quitting, here’s a link to the Teacher Resignation Template.
Let me know your thoughts. Have you quit teaching or are you thinking about teaching? Stay tuned for my next article on reasons why I quit teaching and what I’m doing next!
Hi, Dear Readers! It’s been awhile. I promised to write more often. I am doing all I can to conquer anxiety and depression. My number one outlet is writing; followed closely by walking. It’s a park near my house where my husband and I walk for at least an hour on the weekends. My school site is so big that I log at least 3,500-4,300 steps per day. So, I’ve been getting in exercise.
WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON WITH ME?
So, I’ve been battling depression and anxiety so hard. I’ve battled with both of them before. However, I’ve been battling both of them for the past couple months. I have to tell you that they very nearly took me out.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I honestly did not think that I would make it this time. There were days when I didn’t make it out of my pajamas, didn’t brush my teeth, wash my face, or eat. I just sat in a stupor, staring at the wall, wondering why I was on this earth.
TIRED OF BEING TIRED!
But, I got tired of being tired, so I decided to use writing therapy. That’s one good thing that has come out of this battle. I got another book out of it. When I’ve shared them with friends and family, some have cried and written very heartfelt notes to me because I managed to capture the spirit of depression. When I first wrote some of the poems, they were hard to read because I was still experiencing the situation. Now, that I’m getting a firmer grip on the situation.
THERAPY
I’ve been using various strategies (as mentioned above) to help. My next step is therapy. Although therapy is sometimes seen as a bad thing among Black people, it is not! Basically, my mind is sick, so I’m taking it to the mind doctor to get it ‘looked at’!
FUTURE PLANS
So, I’m currently researching what I need to know so I can start my own publishing company and self-publish my own books.
CURRENT BOOKS
Last year was a busy year for me. I wrote a chapter in two award-winning teacher anthologies. The first one was, “The Whole Truth & Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Teacher! Part I with Lead Author Vicki Kirk-Mays. The second one was The Mediocre Teacher Project with Lead Author Marquita Smith Blades.
UPCOMING BOOKS
My upcoming book is called The Ebb & Flow of Life: Stages of Walking in My Power. It’s a collection of poetry. The book is divided into three sections/chapters. The first section/chapter is called Bitter, Hurt, Angry, & Afraid. The second section/chapter is called Realizations. The third and final section/chapter is called Walking in My Power.
In the book, I take you through times when I was down and out to the times when I began to realize that I don’t have to stay down forever, to the times when I was beginning to awaken to my potential. During those times, you couldn’t tell me nothing.
It will be released by March 2019 at the latest. After that, I plan to finish the book th at I wrote when I was really battling anxiety & depression.
MOVING FORWARD!
Moving forward, I will not shut down and stop writing on here, because writing is my lifeblood. I cannot go a day without writing or listening to music.
ON THAT NOTE!
On that note, here’s a little music by Anita Baker to carry you out of this post!
Last year was a terrible year for me. I am so happy to leave 2018 behind me. I’m looking forward to releasing my new book, The Ebb & Flow of Life: Stages of Walking in Your Power. I’ll be writing about it on my new blog, Walking in Your Power @ walkinyourpower.wordpress.com
Did ya’ miss me? I haven’t written on this blog for quite some time. What can I say? I’ve been busy writing another chapter in an anthology and a book of poetry that’s due out next month, called, “The Ebb & Flow of Life: Stages of Walking in My Power”. I’m super excited about it; even more so than the anthology. It’s because the book is all of me. Sink or swim, it’s me- all of me! I poured my heart and soul into this book. I’ll post more as the day approaches. For now, I just want to get back to writing on here on a regular basis!
I’ve re-thought my way of thinking about the term “learning disabilities.” I wish I thought this way when I first started teaching. I kinda’ feel bad for all the years that I’ve been telling students that they have disabilities. It’s so funny (not haha! funny, but ironic) that I’ve come to this conclusion because I feel that having students accept that they have a disability led to them becoming a better version of themselves. It’s nothing I can do about the past though. However, moving forward, I’m not going to tell my students that they have learning disabilities, I’m going to tell them that they have learning differences.
Every year, in the Resource Lab, I teach the students “how” they’re smart with the Multiple Intelligence Survey. I then give them several surveys and questionnaires. I will post a link late to the worksheets I created.
Early in the school year I was out on sick leave. I thought about my reason for being on leave- stress! The problem was that I didn’t ask for help. I thought that my students could possibly be experiencing the same thing. That’s when I got the idea to give my students an outlet to express their feelings before they go crazy.
We established some Vegas rules!
They were:
What happens/is discussed during trust circle, stays in trust circle.
It has to be student led.
I can’t do any teaching that day.
Everyone has to participate.
Only the person with the talking stick can speak.
Here’s a picture of the talking stick I bought. A leader is chosen the week before, while the topic is decided the day of. I had three “enforcers” who keep the students quiet and get them to participate. It worked out well because the students were able to let off some steam and have fun at the same time. This is something I’ll be doing from years to come. I’ll keep you updated!
