Quote:
Originally Posted by sunshine285
I'll be graduating soon with an education degree and am planning to teach at colleges or universities. I'm in my early 30s, spent the last two years in grad school and doing some tutoring to get some teaching experience. I also spent most of the first year recovering from my first acute BP episode (I have BP Type I) and slowly began recreating a new life for myself.
Now that I'm applying for teaching positions, I have this fear that I won't be able to cope with a full-time job and moving away to the city (moved back in with the parents after I got sick). My parents doubt it and so does my pdoc...and I'm feeling frustrated about that. They think I should try and get a part-time job and commute until I can afford my own place.
At the same time, I do have family and friends nearby for support and I'm happy with my pdoc here, public healthcare is affordable where I live now. Its just that I feel so "out of touch" right now with the working world and I'm afraid of fossilizing. How do I know if I have the right coping skills to return to work full-time?
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Working full time and living on your own are kind of 2 separate battles for coping skills.
It's one thing to be successful working full time when you are coming home to your parents' home and not having to worry about bills/responsibilities so much.
Once you add living on your own into it, it adds another level of coping and dealing with the reality of day to day life.
In my experience of returning to work after an acute episode, I went back to work part time first...this was at my pdoc, T and my boss's insistence that I be comfortable with going back to work. I kept trying to stay late and my boss would come and tell me to leave. i did this for about 8 weeks.
Take your time and do things the right way now, so that you can lessen the chances of backsliding later....even if it's 3 months of part time and living at home, just to get your feet wet and going to work, then you can do more....in my opinion it will be totally worth it.