Trying to take it day by day
Hi all, first time posting here, though I've considered it for a while.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. I guess you could say there's a lot going on, and I think it's just exacerbating my anxiety. That in turn is making it hard for me to focus, and I keep making dumb mistakes at work which just makes me more anxious/awkward etc.
I work full-time in a job I'm really unhappy with, but I do try my best to just remember to be grateful that I have a job! Lots of days that does help, but I think when I'm making mistakes, I just hate it more because it all feeds into my anxiety. I'm currently in the midst of a job search to try and better this situation. In addition, I'm a part-time student. I'm in two classes (one language class, and one graduate class). This is my last semester to finish up a four-year language learning journey and a final course for an add-on certificate to my MA. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, but when I think about all of the final assignments I'll have to do...
In addition, I do quite a few freelance projects. I work on a magazine as a lead editor, I do book critiques and blog posts for a different company, and I manage social media for a local non-profit. All of this in the hopes of getting enough experience to get a job in my field :)
We're currently moving house, tomorrow actually. We started moving a little bit yesterday and will move more today, but being in a new environment definitely spikes the anxiety. I almost cried last night, sitting in the closet of the empty new house.
Sometimes I'm totally fine, and I don't mind being busy. But other times I know I've taken on too much, but I feel like there's nothing I can do about any of it, because all of it serves a purpose... or some of it is out of my control...
It seems that everything is spiking my anxiety recently and I feel like I'm regressing. For example, I get super anxious when I have to speak out loud in my foreign language class. I've also been a little nervous about it, but not nearly as much as I am now. And with the new house, I haven't even been able to drive to it yet because my anxiety around driving has spiked to the point where I can't drive anywhere unfamiliar anymore...
I don't really know what's happening, or if I'm just being crazy, but it at least feels a bit better to type it all out.
@moonstorm
Welcome to 7cups and thanks for taking time to share your story with us. Congratulations on your new home and your almost finished degree track.
You do have a lot going on -- a lot of irons in the fire so to speak. I think feeling anxious about all of the changes happening and coming is normal! Change is not easy -- and it's okay to process it in whatever way you need to.
You seem to be feeling overwhelmed too -- and I would be too. I'm going to say something.... it's weird, but I tell myself often ... don't try to eat the elephant whole - it's one bite at a time.
You might try calendaring to help you with all these upcoming things --- I've actually found using event planning calendars to be useful when there are a bunch of big things coming up. There are some great free ones out on the net - and oddly enough, preparing for your final project and planning a festival are probably closer than you think. :D
Calendaring will definitely help you with the social media and PR work (what I do for a living). Vertex42.com actually has a perpetual excel calendar you can set up -- I use it to track recurring events that need my attention as well as some really huge community calendar work I do. I also employ quiet a few free services to manage post for me (I haven't a budget, so free is my way).
You definitely have the skills to manage this - just don't look at it as one giant elephant. Break it down into bite sized portions and it might help relieve some of the pressure you're feeling.
You are soo lucky to be fluent in a language and be able to pursue it academically. ::wish wish wish I could be fluent:::
Take care, stay strong -- remember one bite at a time
@moonstorm I know you needed to just vent, and I hope your feeling better today, what can we do to help support you?
