Another first for my teaching career.

[andrew59]

Yesterday I came into work and sat at my desk and started running reports. As I sat there, I started to get anxious, like I forgot to do something. The feeling didn't go away. I tried playing relaxing music. Didn't help. I ended up putting on the song "Back Down" by Bob Moses on repeat. Still no change. As the morning progressed, I kept getting more and more nervous. My chest started to get tight and I thought maybe my blood sugar was dropping. I ate my entire lunch by 10am. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to leave the building. I mean straight out flee. At 11am I found my administrator and told him, "I feel like absolute shit and I need to go home." I reminded him that it was a remote day and my room did not need coverage. And I did. I sped the entire way home with my windows open and music blaring and feeling like I was being chased. The feeling didn't abate until I sat in my backyard in the sun for an hour with my dogs.

My fellow educators, I had my first full blown anxiety attack due to teaching.

UPDATE: thank you all for the incredible support and ideas you have all offered. I find it terrible that this is such a common thing among educators. It's just been a hell of a year for all of us.

[integral]

Most panic attacks are systemic problems in the body, not all mental. The mental stress is the last feather that sends everything off the cliff. The body is overloaded with stress, then a final push causes a panic attack. Might want to look into diet, exercise, sleep, toxins build up in body, mold exposure... do some investigation. 

Edited April 4, 2021 by integral