Well, I quit my job this morning.
It was like a moment right out of Office Space or something. Very empowering.
I walked away from what had become a very unhealthy situation (not just mentally, but physically as well) and am already feeling better about it and my body is reacting as such. To give you an example, I was so stressed out about the workload that I had been given because, essentially, we had a person quit and their duties were temporarily going to be split amongst myself and co-worker (thus doubling our workload) until a third person could be found. The catch? They brought in the third person, but created a whole new position for them and the duties that were split between my co-worker and myself became permanent. Plus anything that this new person didn't want to do was also dumped onto our heads as well. So at the end of the day, you have a three person department where two of the people are individually doing the workload of 3 people.
Confused? So were we.
My point is that the stress I was carrying from that job actually started to manifest itself physically in the forms of a sore throat and getting sick. I am a person that really didn't put a lot of stock in that being stressed out could actually cause you physical harm, but was becoming an example myself whether I could admit it or not. So I took a sick week off of work and got better. Went back to work and....got sick again. Same flu-like symptons as well as a very sore throat. This time I went away on x-mas vacation and felt better. When I went back to work, all of the stuff that I had left to be done in my absence was not even touched so I immediately was under seige to get everything done, which I did, but also notcied that my throat was starting to hurt again. Long story short, my throat got so bad that I couldn't sleep and was up for 48 straight hours in what I can only describe as pain equivilent to having a cheesegrater slide up and down your vocal chords everytime you swallow.
Yes, it was that bad.
I even almost cried Monday night as my doctor prescribed me a local anesthetic (yes, that stuff they use in surgeries) that was supposed to completely numb my thorat and let me sleep. I took some and laid down and it actually worked.....for about 15 minutes. Then the pain just came right back as it had been. It was ridiculous and I was pretty much at my wit's end.
So I sucked it up and on 3 hours of sleep went into work this morning. As soon as I walked in, I knew something was up as I asked to go 'into a meeting'. Having already contemplated giving my two weeks notce about 10 times over the past two months, I knew what this was about and it just became a matter of beating them to the punch.
The funny thing is that I'm home now and reconciled and have already called some temp agencies, updated the ol' resume and am putting the irons back in the fire. I feel pretty good about things though, and everyone who I've talked to has notcied that I seem a lot more cheery and seem happier than I've been in awhile.
What next and how do I pay the bills? Who knows, but I'll worry about it later.
The most interesting thing in all of this? My throat hasn't hurt for going on about two hours or so now.
Hmmm....
It was like a moment right out of Office Space or something. Very empowering.
I walked away from what had become a very unhealthy situation (not just mentally, but physically as well) and am already feeling better about it and my body is reacting as such. To give you an example, I was so stressed out about the workload that I had been given because, essentially, we had a person quit and their duties were temporarily going to be split amongst myself and co-worker (thus doubling our workload) until a third person could be found. The catch? They brought in the third person, but created a whole new position for them and the duties that were split between my co-worker and myself became permanent. Plus anything that this new person didn't want to do was also dumped onto our heads as well. So at the end of the day, you have a three person department where two of the people are individually doing the workload of 3 people.
Confused? So were we.
My point is that the stress I was carrying from that job actually started to manifest itself physically in the forms of a sore throat and getting sick. I am a person that really didn't put a lot of stock in that being stressed out could actually cause you physical harm, but was becoming an example myself whether I could admit it or not. So I took a sick week off of work and got better. Went back to work and....got sick again. Same flu-like symptons as well as a very sore throat. This time I went away on x-mas vacation and felt better. When I went back to work, all of the stuff that I had left to be done in my absence was not even touched so I immediately was under seige to get everything done, which I did, but also notcied that my throat was starting to hurt again. Long story short, my throat got so bad that I couldn't sleep and was up for 48 straight hours in what I can only describe as pain equivilent to having a cheesegrater slide up and down your vocal chords everytime you swallow.
Yes, it was that bad.
I even almost cried Monday night as my doctor prescribed me a local anesthetic (yes, that stuff they use in surgeries) that was supposed to completely numb my thorat and let me sleep. I took some and laid down and it actually worked.....for about 15 minutes. Then the pain just came right back as it had been. It was ridiculous and I was pretty much at my wit's end.
So I sucked it up and on 3 hours of sleep went into work this morning. As soon as I walked in, I knew something was up as I asked to go 'into a meeting'. Having already contemplated giving my two weeks notce about 10 times over the past two months, I knew what this was about and it just became a matter of beating them to the punch.
The funny thing is that I'm home now and reconciled and have already called some temp agencies, updated the ol' resume and am putting the irons back in the fire. I feel pretty good about things though, and everyone who I've talked to has notcied that I seem a lot more cheery and seem happier than I've been in awhile.
What next and how do I pay the bills? Who knows, but I'll worry about it later.
The most interesting thing in all of this? My throat hasn't hurt for going on about two hours or so now.
Hmmm....
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6 comments:
Stress can absolutely affect you physically. My sister has been so stressed out that she developed a condition that causes one to lose their hair. Yes, it's an actual known medical condition. Like you, when she took the time to relax, her hair started growing again.
The body is an intriguing machine.
Darn fast fingers... good luck on the job search.
I don't know you personally - just stumbled upon your blog - but wanted to say that I feel your pain literally and figuratively. I left a job a few years ago because it was taking a toll on me physically and emotionally.
Although it can be scary, there is nothing more liberating than leaving a job that drains you on a daily basis.
Enjoy your freedom (and improved health)...
I am beyond jealous of you right now. I'm doing a little looking around, job-wise, right now. I just wish I was in a situation financially that I could just walk. Dammit, now I'm depressed. Great. See you Saturday.
You'd think with all this time on his hands he'd update his blog more. Of course, you'd be wrong. Corey, there are lots of jobs in KC. I'm just saying.
I would think he'd update more often. Probably about reality TV shows and TiVO, eating cold pizza for breakfast at the crack of noon, and memorizing lines for prenzie plays. oh, i am on the edge of my seat...
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