I have put in my letter of resignation at work and will be starting my new job on Nov. 12 which is much too far away. The best way to describe it to the world is having senioritus at 26 and not being in school.
If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, at least in America, when you’re in your final year of high school or university people get senioritus meaning they don’t want to do any work. They’re bored and ready for the next step.
I don’t want to do anything at work right now. I am absolutely dreading going tomorrow which is a way I haven’t felt at my current job before. I’ve usually felt comfortable enough to get through the day when my mental health isn’t the greatest. If I can’t handle it, I go home early.
Feeling the heavy weight of depression for the first time in a while has really been challenging. I’m in that rut where the thought of leaving my house sounds horrible and all I want to do is chill with my pets.
If I choose to not go to work one of the days this week, is that playing hooky or taking a mental health break?
Sure I had the weekend to kind of chill, I mainly shopped and cleaned the house, but I want another day.
**This is where the post gets a little long so you can totally skip this part and I’ll let you know when to come back for the conclusion**
But there’s something else behind not wanting to go other than depression. I take photos as part of my job. I’ve been doing client portraits for the last couple months which has been rewarding for me. What makes this shoot scheduled for tomorrow different is that the client wanted to go to a nearby park to have a shoot with her twin babies who are 10 months old.
I told my supervisor about this and she scoffed, “You’re going to do a family photoshoot with babies? Somebody else is coming along with you, right? I think you should have someone else come with you.”
It hit me in a sensitive spot that has now developed a bruise. I feel incredibly insecure about my ineptitude with babies/young children. It makes me feel like a failure as a woman.
So I don’t want to go and feel like a fool trying to do a shoot with a family while a coworker has to babysit me. The thought of it is humiliating! Therefore I don’t want to go.
**We are back!**
I really want to take a mental health day tomorrow just to be at home. To relax, read, finish season 3 of Jessica Jones (omg it’s ssssooo good) and be with my pets. I feel guilty bailing (see my recent post about me being a flake here) on people especially since the client is counting on me! But I just flat out don’t want to do it.
Any advice, blogosphere?
Be Alright 
If you feel you can, do it for the client (even though you don’t want to). If not, take the time you need for yourself! Mental health days are a real, necessary thing, but make sure you distinguish “don’t want to” from “can’t” (because when you’re depressed enough you literally can’t do certain things). Even though you are leaving this job, it’s best to go out on a high note, so I hope you are able to crush these last few weeks at work and start off the next job feeling great 🙂 Hope this helps, let us know what you decide!
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Thank you so much for this encouragement, Anna! Your words definitely gave me some perspective. Even though my depressed self wants to crawl like a slug through these weeks, I should try to go out on a high note.
I chatted with my boyfriend about it last night and he said, “that client has had a rough life, those family photos will mean a lot to her.”
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That’s such a good interpretation your boyfriend had! I never would have thought of that
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Me neither! She’s been in jail twice, homeless twice and is overcoming addiction. She has not had it easy.
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I’m a bit late for pre-advice, but wanted to let you know that even a seasoned mother like me has trouble connecting with babies and young children. It has little to do with being female and much more to do with talents and personality.
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This is quite late, but my advice is this: Always show up unless you absolutely cannot do it. The feelings of guilt and shame I inevitably have experienced when I don’t honor my word and my commitment only serve to erode my (sometimes already shaky) self confidence. When you are someone that you know others can depend on, it makes you feel good about yourself, and feeling good about yourself matters a lot! I learned this lesson the hard way so that you don’t have to! Hahaha! 🙂
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Thanks for the words of wisdom!!
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