How Leaving Teaching Affected My Health
Leaving the classroom affected my health in a major way. After a decade of the same routines and stressors, I had to establish a new health regimen for myself. There were definitely some growing pains.
Transitioning to instructional design wasn’t all positive. As you’ll see below, the changes were both good and bad. It was a major adjustment in every way.
Here are just a few ways I was physically impacted by leaving teaching:
My body clock adjusted. I no longer had to wake up at 5:30 AM to be at my desk by 7. Everything shifted a little bit later.
My work-related situational depression went away. In order to show up as a teacher every day I needed a psychiatrist, therapist, and anti-depressants. Within a month of leaving the classroom I was able to wean off of these supports.
My neck developed chronic pain. I went to a chiropractor who confirmed I needed a better setup in my home office. Instead of hunching over a laptop, I elevated all my screens on risers, and bought an ergonomic chair and seat cushion.
I stopped needing naps every afternoon. I used to get home from work and crash. Now, I only really need a nap if something is wrong, like I didn’t sleep well or I’m feeling under the weather.
I walked less and had less activity overall. I quit teaching the same time I moved to Indiana (winters, ah!) and a global pandemic happened, which meant way less movement. I had to find my way back to exercise and now have a treadmill in my home office.
The Sunday scaries faded. As a teacher, I never slept well on Sunday nights. The dread started kicking in around dinner time. Now that I’m an instructional designer, that anxiety is gone.
Leaving teaching led to a major physical recalibration for my body. Do you relate to any of these, or have your own stories to share?
