Mental Health

by Cindy G

I’m a retired Special Education Teacher. I taught since 1985. I retired in December when our school district went bankrupt. We were offered the Golden Handshake. It all came so fast!

I found myself staying in bed binging on TV for days. I have trouble leaving the house. I have felt sad and lost. My identity has always been being a Special Ed Teacher. It’s all I had ever done professionally. I miss my friends at work I miss my kids. I’ve felt left behind and isolated because their lives go on and I have felt stuck.

I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years. I have been on medication for years. It has really helped my quality of life. After being miserable for months my Psychiatrist recommended I get more support. I’m in a therapy program now and feel so much better .

Depression is a Real Medical Illness. Reading these stories, it sounds like seeking professional help for depression could be very helpful!

So many people say how "wonderful" retirement is... How "busy" we will be! The reality is that we have to forge out a new way of life. It has been daunting scary and depressing.

But now I’m feeling better. I’m more able to put myself out there and reach out to others.

I hope others when are suffering with depression will seek medical help and mental health services.

Best of luck!

Comments for Mental Health

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Depressed retired teacher
by: Adri

I was also a teacher until I voluntarily to take early retirement in 2016. Three years down the line and I feel empty, redundant, alone, only good for cleaning and cooking every day of my life.

I'm an artist but I can't get myself to paint. I love creative crafts and have all the things I need but I can only think about doing it but not actually do it.

Don't want to go anywhere. What happened to me???

Wendy: Join the Retirement Blues challenge (see sidebar), it's free!
Good for you!
by: Laura in Vermont

Sounds like you figured out what you needed and got going on it, and it worked out!

Many people get stuck without their work people when they retire. Especially those who worked closely with people. It's not just the folks you left behind, it was what you did for them, and that gave you meaning.

Kudos for finding another support for yourself. You probably give them a lot of support too, just being who you are!
Mental Health
by: Lynn/Colorado

I, too, am a retired special education teacher. However, that is no longer my identity. I retired in 2017 and struggled with anxiety, depression, and a sense of loss.

BUT....oh my goodness how I've grown. New friends, new job, new boyfriend. Who would have thought? It's simply glorious.

YET...it didn't come easily or fast. That's the society we live in, but not the new reality.

Enjoy this transition and the search back to YOU again. Reach out, join meetup groups, try new things. Have a sense of wonder and joy like our students had. See the world from a different lens.

Can't wait to hear what's next for you!
Been there... and survived.
by: Jane Curtis/Hawkins, TX

I died on March 11, 2016 from a pulmonary embolism. Since I am an organ donor they kept my body on life support till they could harvest my organs. On the morning of the 3rd day, I was scheduled to be harvested within an hour... I woke up in the morgue. I then went into a coma for 2 months.

When I got better and got home depression set in. I did not leave the house to even go on the front porch. I saw almost no one. My neighbor called Meals on Wheels to make sure I was eating properly. He & his wife were the only ones I ever spoke to. The man who brought my meals visited with me.

Finally, last year they convinced me to sell my property on the lake and move to a place where I would be around people. I did. I have a little house right in the middle of town. I have made friends and gotten a reputation for always having a crock pot full. I volunteer a lot.

Sometimes just getting your mind off of yourself and helping someone else can pull one out of the depths of despair. I now write short stories and post on this web site and on Face Book. It is fun. I am alive and well, retired, and very busy.

The depression will lesson when your widen your scope. Good luck to you and I hope you have a chance to visit either my blog or face book page.

God Bless.

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