I have been feeling well for almost three weeks now. This is excellent on the one hand for obvious reasons. However, now I have to think about going back to work. It’s my one source of anxiety at this point.

I absolutely feel like I CANNOT go back there. I can’t be a math teacher. I can’t deal with my *****y co-teacher. I can’t deal with angry parents and evaluations and everything that comes along with it. But I feel like I have no other option. I don’t know how long it will take to find a new job (looking at admin assistant jobs) because I don’t have experience in anything but education. I only have enough savings to last me another six weeks or so, just enough to last until my fmla runs out. So I have to go back to get paid. I also need to keep my insurance as long as possible. I’m on rexulti now, no generic for that, can’t afford it without insurance.

I don’t know what to do. I’m thinking about trying to go back earlier, like feb 1, so I have a month of fmla left. I want to ask hr if it’s possible to apply for intermittent fmla. That way I will be able to take time off again if I need to. I’m trying to psych myself up; if I go back feb 1, there’s only 3.5 months left in the school year. I’ll only have to deal with it for three and a half months. Maybe I can make it. That way I can save more money and resign at the end of the year, if they don’t fire me. My certificate is expiring anyway so I’m out of teaching at the end of the year anyway.

What do you think? I think I MIGHT be able to handle it for only 3.5 months, especially if I have a month’s worth of intermittent fmla to take. Then I’ll be able to keep my insurance and save money and start getting my resume together. I won’t have the added stress of grad school (withdrew from the program) so I might be able to handle it.