Stress

We're about to close out our third week of school (has it really been only three weeks?), and I am home sick, coughing, sneezing, achy, and nearly voiceless. It's been a crazy busy and stressful three weeks, and I think my body is protesting all the stress. 

For the most part, I like my new job... My colleagues are super supportive and friendly and just a fun bunch to be with every day. My students run the gamut from overachiever to total slacker, but I'm trying my best to make connections with them and develop a good rapport with each one. There are a few who have anxiety issues; I've been able to relate to and support them in a special way since I have had anxiety as well, and that's been a privilege.

But oh my goodness...... I sleep, eat, and drink math education. I wake up, immediately get ready for the day, and leave for work between 7:00 and 7:30. I drive 15 minutes to school. Before school begins at 9:00, I'm doing any number of a million different things teachers have to do. Then I have classes - each 90 minutes - 3 on A days and 2 on B days, plus other duties on B days. School ends at 3:48, but I'm typically there until 6:00 pm or so - sometimes later.

Then I come home, and I spend a few hours in the evening going over what I have to teach the next day. Then I go to bed; and when I get up the next morning, the cycle continues.

*sigh*

I know (well, hope) next year will be better, but oh my word, is this exhausting and stressful. I have to say, though, that week three has been better than week one in terms of my stress level. I am establishing my routine and my organization strategies, and now I feel like the water is only up to my neck instead of just below my nose. It's nice not to be drowning.

I have recently been to a naturopathic doctor who ordered a long list of blood tests for me which revealed that I'm severely anemic. (Thankfully, that's an easy fix.) They also revealed some other things that basically mean that I absolutely must de-stress and continue to exercise regularly if I want to stay healthy and disease-free. (Right. How am I supposed to fit regular exercise into my current schedule? Not sure about that one yet. We'll see.)

Jeff is wonderful throughout it all. He's supportive and understanding, even when his shirts aren't getting ironed as quickly as they used to. :) He's helping me clean and grocery shop on the weekends, and that's a huge help.

Next month we are moving to a bigger apartment in the same building we're in now - on the 18th floor this time. It's a two-bedroom, so we'll have a guest room for visitors. We've decided to sign a year lease on that apartment, and we're really looking forward to the settledness that will bring to our lives. Over the past couple of months we've been weighing purchasing vs. renting, and purchasing just hasn't seemed right to us for a number of reasons. Continuing to rent at the Reston Town Center, on the other hand, does seem right for now. It's a lower-stress lifestyle in that there is minimal upkeep, and we are able to just walk out our door and go out to eat, or shopping, or whatever. So we are going to try it for another year and see how it goes.

So that's our life in a nutshell right now... Thanks for visiting! :)