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Emotional wreck...any tips please?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Dolphin30
Dolphin30

Hi everyone! Recently I have been getting so emotional at any given moment which I feel like I have no control over. I keep crying it just hits me like a dark cloud. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just happening at home but now it's in public too which is so embarrassing. Last night I was at a music concert which I forced myself to go to, out of nowhere I just broke down in tears. I am worried it is going to happen at work. I am a School Teacher and I work with young children. It would be awful if it happened at work but I can't take time off. Does anyone have any tips on how I can stop myself from crying or has anyone been through a similar experience? It would be nice to hear from you. Nobody at work knows I'm depressed so if I did break down it would be a shock to everyone. I really want to avoid that from happening but I'm not sure how. Thanks

2 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • arwen1972
    arwen1972 Dolphin30

    Posted

    (((hugs))) You don't mention if you are on any medication or not. It's horrible to feel like you are about to burst into tears all the time. If you haven't been to talk to your GP already, I would recommend that you do that. You could also try going into a store cupboard or staff loo and taking some deep breaths every time that you feel like you are about to cry.x
    • Dolphin30
      Dolphin30 arwen1972

      Posted

      Hi! Thanks for your reply. I am not on any meds yet. I am gearing myself up to go to my G.P but I'm so nervous about it. I have been doing alot of research into side effects of meds etc which is really putting me off. I know I have to get help though.
    • arwen1972
      arwen1972 Dolphin30

      Posted

      If you feel worried about talking to your GP, you could try what I did. I wrote everything down. Then when I went to see him, I gave him the paper to read.x
  • archemedes
    archemedes Dolphin30

    Posted

    You do not state if you work as a Teacher for a private school, or whether you teach in a school run by your Local Government Authority.

    In the case of an authority school just speak to the school secretary or the head teacher and explain that you may need medical help.

    Most authority-run schools have a support system for teachers whereby you can  be referred quickly to receive help. 

    • Dolphin30
      Dolphin30 archemedes

      Posted

      Thanks again for your messages. I work in a Local authority School but as a supply a Teacher. I will be there for another 7wks. Thanks but I think I'll just avoid telling them. As they can let me go at any time because I don't have a contract with them as I work for an agency.
    • archemedes
      archemedes Dolphin30

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply.

      I do understand these matters, and can only advise that if you do not wish to seek help through the school, then you should at least seek some assistance from your own doctor.

      If my memory serves me correctly, I do believe that the NUT (maybe the other unions too) has a helpline for such matters, and they are duty-bound to maintain your confidentiality.

      Please do not suffer in silence.

    • Dolphin30
      Dolphin30 archemedes

      Posted

      Thanks. You have good advice yet unfortunately the NUT have been nothing but a let down for me. Thanks for your time though.
    • archemedes
      archemedes Dolphin30

      Posted

      I suppose what I should have said but didn't, was that whilst I have never been involved in the teaching profession myself, I have many friends and family, both male and female who have been teachers.

      Having been in that position, I have found it quite alarming to watch even the strongest of them slip into depression because of the intense pressures of what they have been doing for a living.

      This includes head teachers, deputies and teachers of many years experience who have found the increasing stresses of the job too extreme, so eventually their mental health has suffered.

      The point of me telling you this is to try and explain that you are not alone - there is no shame in what you are experienceing - it is happening to many in teaching circles throughout the country.

      You have implied that you are fearful of losing your temporary job, but that should not be the reason for avoidance of getting some immediate professional help - it really is a must, a number one priority.

      To reinforce this comment I would just point out that all head teachers in the UK have been advised to be on the lookout for any member of staff who is showing signs of depression, and to help them, not penalise them.

  • Nuttymut
    Nuttymut Dolphin30

    Posted

    Hi Dolphin,

    May I ask you a question please. That's rhetorical of course :-) Let's imagine I am walking along the street and I see a young person fall off there bike. They are clearly in some distress. Grazes and cuts and I noticed they banged there head quite hard so they could have concussion. Now imagine, just for a moment, that I walk past this incident and do nothing. May I ask you what you would think of my behaviour. I am guessing your opinion of me would be low. Rest assured in such circumstances I wouldn't walk by.

    When I see someone who is clearly in distress due to symptoms that may be those of depression I find it difficult to walk by.

    I believe that if our places were reversed you would offer the same advice to me. You would, strictly because you want to be of some help, advise me to see my GP.

    Yes. Antidepressants do have side effects. However, they aren't always that big an issue. I take 20mg of cipralex and had virtually no real side effects when I went on to them, short of a little light head.

    Your health is the backbone of the quality of your life. Without good health our life will disintegrate.

    Nuttymut :-)

    • Dolphin30
      Dolphin30 Nuttymut

      Posted

      Thanks. It's good to hear that you don't have any significant side effects with your tablets.
  • anne240
    anne240 Dolphin30

    Posted

    Oh bless you.  I did supply teaching once.  I can understand why you do not want to tell the school that you are feeling down.  I too have broken down in public, but I think you will manage as the job is important to you.

    I had to leave work because of depression and went onto Invalidity Benefit.  That was years ago.  Recently I volunteered to do voluntary work in my local junior school as a reading partner.  It is a charity run by my local authority, and I had to have 3 days training.  I was doing well, and really enjoying it, but then when I found that anxiety prevented me attending meetings with other reading partners, and had to have further training, I was told I was no longer needed.  That was ahuge blow to my confidence.

    Keep going as best you can.  Anti depressants do help a lot of people, and I found they really helped me a great deal.  A lot of people never get side effects with them.  You may feel a little strange for the first couple of weeks as your body gets used to the medication, but after that, within a few weeks, you should feel a lot better.  Some anti depressants suit some people and not others, so often it is a case of finding the once that benefits you.

    If you do feel like crying, then excuse yourself from the room for a while and take deep breaths, hold them for a while, and then let them out slowly.  Do this a few times, and it should calm you down.  Don't be hard on yourself, as what you describe is not uncommon.  Embarrising I know, but I think many people do understand depression more now, and I think if you did need to explain how you feel, you may find that people are sympathetic.  Not all, but hopefully you will manage to get through the next 7 weeks OK.

    If you feel you can see a GP about this, just talking about it may help.  I think support from others is very important when we have depression. 

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