I was really hoping it would be icy today and I could swing a working from home excuse. No such luck.
I was really hoping we'd actually have class today because our M/W classes have gotten fucked this semester (1 class per week so far instead of 2). No such luck.
I was really hoping it would be icy today and I could swing a working from home excuse. No such luck.
I was really hoping we'd actually have class today because our M/W classes have gotten fucked this semester (1 class per week so far instead of 2). No such luck.
I was really hoping we'd actually have class today because our M/W classes have gotten fucked this semester (1 class per week so far instead of 2). No such luck.
So are you ever going to do that paper?
I sent it in this morning. Our classes weren't canceled for sure until 9:45. If we did have class, the paper would have been due at 9. So I sent it in already. I might be a slacker, but I'm not a gambler. ;P
Ok, so my college (NMU) has been on lockdown because of a threat made on "an anonymous blog site." I just found out it was some /b/tard so I think my University just got trolled
Our principal called a surprise meeting at 3pm yesterday as school let out. Then proceeded to yell at the entire staff, teachers and aides, like we were children because no one showed up on Wednesday. She said she didn't want excuses, that we were a residential facility, and not a public school, and that we never close. While I said nothing, I had about 3.5' of snow in my driveway, and that was before the street plows came and buried the back of my car in snow. I was physically unable to get my vehicles out until another plow came to help at around 1pm. Other teachers had young children who had school canceled, and had no other options, so had to take care of their families. While I understand the need to provide staff, there has to be an understanding that there is a point at which it is either too dangerous, or physically impossible for people to get to work, particularity in the worst snow storm so far which shut down two major cities for the day. To then yell at the staff (I mean literally yelling, not just talking about how it was 'unacceptable') who are already doing extra paperwork due to state scrutiny, trying desperately to keep a large population of very difficult and often violent children under control, is unprofessional. Annoyingly so. Particularly since i had come in the last three snow days. I know a number of teachers who started today looking very hard for other positions due to this one event being the proverbial last straw.
She said she didn't want excuses, that we were a residential facility, and not a public school, and that we never close.
Well then, they should have live-in staff to take care of things when the weather makes it impossible for the commuting staff to attend. Isn't there some sort of legal requirement to that effect? I'd be very surprised if there wasn't. Sounds like somebody needs a reality check, and it's not the staff who stayed home.
A faulty spray water bottle destroyed two of my knitting books that I recently bought. At least I was able to replace them using various discounts and Borders bucks. Still sucks though.
She said she didn't want excuses, that we were a residential facility, and not a public school, and that we never close.
Well then, they should have live-in staff to take care of things when the weather makes it impossible for the commuting staff to attend. Isn't there some sort of legal requirement to that effect? I'd be very surprised if there wasn't. Sounds like somebody needs a reality check, and it's not the staff who stayed home.
I pointed out to my very livid union rep today that it makes more financial sense to pay residential staff overtime than to risk paying way more if an employee gets into an accident or is injured while on their way to work in severe weather. I told him that I know for a fact I could sue the school if I was hit on the way in while there was a snow emergency in effect and if, god forbid, I was killed or seriously injured my wife would sue the place into non-existence. He agreed and is sending a strongly worded letter from "All Education Staff" to the administration and the union (he was doing it before he spoke with me).
I had an hour-long panic attack yesterday, which is was followed by another hour of crippling depression. To make matters worse I was in public and had to go hide in a corner because I was freaking out too much to drive home. I think It's getting to the point where being afraid of having an attack is making them more likely and more severe. Fuck.
Panic attacks are so inscrutably difficult to understand for anyone (like myself) who doesn't know what it's like to have one. Even though I'm pretty familiar with the clinical description and plenty of anecdotal information, I still don't quite grasp what they are or why they come about.
I had an hour-long panic attack yesterday, which is was followed by another hour of crippling depression. To make matters worse I was in public and had to go hide in a corner because I was freaking out too much to drive home. I think It's getting to the point where being afraid of having an attack is making them more likely and more severe. Fuck.
Also, this thread almost has 10,000 posts in it.
Are you seeing a doctor about that? As someone who has freaked the fuck out due to a car-inspired panic attack, I can say that the drugs I am on significantly reduce the frequency and strength of my anxiety attacks and make driving a much more pleasant experience.
Are you seeing a doctor about that? As someone who has freaked the fuck out due to a car-inspired panic attack, I can say that the drugs I am on significantly reduce the frequency and strength of my anxiety attacks and make driving a much more pleasant experience.
True enough. Same goes for me panicking about weird diseases.
I still don't quite grasp what they are or why they come about.
It's like your mind and body suddenly go FIGHT OR FLIGHT ADRENALINE GOOO! when it isn't useful at all.
It's like your mind and body suddenly go FIGHT OR FLIGHT ADRENALINE GOOO! when it isn't useful at all.
Like I said, I'm familiar with all the biological and psychological facts and figures, I've just quite grasped the why and how of people's panic disorders, which take more shapes than just panic attacks.
Although I could probably get to the bottom of it if Gunter would let me psychoanalyze him.
Panic attacks are so inscrutably difficult to understand for anyone (like myself) who doesn't know what it's like to have one. Even though I'm pretty familiar with the clinical description and plenty of anecdotal information, I still don't quite grasp what they are or why they come about.
So you know about "fight or flight mode", right? Panic attacks are basically the animal instinct to run for your life or kill in order to survive, but triggered at a time where there aren't any immediate threats. For me this usually means - along with being very dizzy, lightheaded and confused - having an insatiable urge to break and kill everything in sight. If I follow through on that urge enough to get the adrenaline pumping it eventually turns in to a sense of primal terror and paranoia that I haven't experienced anywhere else. To avoid that I have to internalize and control the rage somehow, which at worst is agonizing to the point of retching, yelling and crying.
That's the most extreme example, of course. Usually I can keep it from getting to that point, and I just get really frightened and confused for a little bit, but that wasn't the case yesterday. As for causes, I'm not really sure of the exact biological mechanism that makes the sympathetic nervous system freak out, but a number of things can trigger it; drugs, drug withdrawal, a stressful lifestyle, immediate threats, phobias, sleep deprivation, hereditary predisposition, etc. I'm still pinning exactly what my problem is.
Seriously, talk to a doctor. Medical professionals know about these things, and drugs can work wonders.
I talked to one but was weary of her advice when she prescribed me something after talking to me for ten minutes, hardly gathering any information. Now I've got a psychiatrist, but due to a combination of anxiety and figuring out my school schedule I didn't book a second appointment until she was full-up for the next month.
I'm headed in the direction of help, it's just proving harder to get then I had hoped.
The funny thing about psychiatric therapyseeking empathy and emotional support from other humans is that the people who need it are actively repelled from it by their dysfunctions.
Yeah, I could have said that more clearly. Those dysfunctions extend far beyond making it difficult to find professional help, to the point where the people who really need other people to talk to are handicapped by the things that they should be talking about.
I still probably could have said it more clearly. This conversation is getting me flustered. >_>
Yeah, I could have said that more clearly. Those dysfunctions extend far beyond making it difficult to find professional help, to the point where the people who really need other people to talk to are handicapped by the things that they should be talking about.
I can definitely back this up, having had more than one friend, significant other, and myself (for a time) seek help from both professional sources and just their close friends. In the case of seeking professional help, the instinct is to not trust or believe anything they say, because the disorders themselves often cause oneself to refuse any sort of external help. In the case of seeking help from friends, this has often extended into a subtle form of emotional abuse, where the person affected clearly needs help, but they push away anyone who cares about them.
Rick DiPietro, goaltender for the New York Islanders, has only played 8 games last season due to injury. He's only played 5 games the year before, again because of injury. DiPietro was punched in the face two days ago and went down like a sack of potatoes:
DiPietro will be missing 4-6 weeks with facial fractures and knee swelling. Did I mention that he's signed until 2021?
Yeah, I could have said that more clearly. Those dysfunctions extend far beyond making it difficult to find professional help, to the point where the people who really need other people to talk to are handicapped by the things that they should be talking about.
I still probably could have said it more clearly. This conversation is getting me flustered. >_>
Well, what I meant is that what a lot of people who are new to 1-on-1 therapy don't realize ahead of time is that it's actually a pretty unpleasant process, which is why you hear so many people who say "I tried therapy but it wasn't helping me so I quit (after 2 weeks)"
Just to clarify, non-psychiatric doctors generally know enough about straight-up anti-anxiety meds to be able to maintain them, and some will prescribe them for certain problems. It really depends on the person and the root of the issue. Anxiety attacks are based on a physical chemical pathway being triggered. The triggers can be discrete events (like exposure to the subject of a phobia) or nonspecific (like stress). Sometimes psychiatric therapy is needed to figure out what is up, but some things are common enough that GP's can recognize and treat them pretty confidently, particularly when you have had a related psychiatric diagnosis already.
Not all doctors are good doctors. Keep looking until you find someone you feel listens to you and makes decisions based on you, rather than trying to put you into some pre-determined box.
So yes, drugs can help you outside of a psychiatric relationship (technically), but it's still advisable to see one. A psychiatrist is a good idea if you are having issues not just with panic attacks, but also with depression. Make sure it's a psychiatrist, and not a psychologist.
Comments
While I understand the need to provide staff, there has to be an understanding that there is a point at which it is either too dangerous, or physically impossible for people to get to work, particularity in the worst snow storm so far which shut down two major cities for the day. To then yell at the staff (I mean literally yelling, not just talking about how it was 'unacceptable') who are already doing extra paperwork due to state scrutiny, trying desperately to keep a large population of very difficult and often violent children under control, is unprofessional. Annoyingly so. Particularly since i had come in the last three snow days.
I know a number of teachers who started today looking very hard for other positions due to this one event being the proverbial last straw.
Also, this thread almost has 10,000 posts in it.
I hope you get better.
Although I could probably get to the bottom of it if Gunter would let me psychoanalyze him.
That's the most extreme example, of course. Usually I can keep it from getting to that point, and I just get really frightened and confused for a little bit, but that wasn't the case yesterday. As for causes, I'm not really sure of the exact biological mechanism that makes the sympathetic nervous system freak out, but a number of things can trigger it; drugs, drug withdrawal, a stressful lifestyle, immediate threats, phobias, sleep deprivation, hereditary predisposition, etc. I'm still pinning exactly what my problem is.
I'm headed in the direction of help, it's just proving harder to get then I had hoped.
I still probably could have said it more clearly. This conversation is getting me flustered. >_>
In a nutshell, it sucks. For everyone.
DiPietro was punched in the face two days ago and went down like a sack of potatoes:
DiPietro will be missing 4-6 weeks with facial fractures and knee swelling. Did I mention that he's signed until 2021?
Not all doctors are good doctors. Keep looking until you find someone you feel listens to you and makes decisions based on you, rather than trying to put you into some pre-determined box.
So yes, drugs can help you outside of a psychiatric relationship (technically), but it's still advisable to see one. A psychiatrist is a good idea if you are having issues not just with panic attacks, but also with depression. Make sure it's a psychiatrist, and not a psychologist.