Hello SG World!
I hope everyone has been doing well! It sure has been a long time since I have really been on SG. My last post was back in 2021, and my most recent one was back in the beginning of April of this year. So you may have been wondering where I have been, if you are one of my amazing followers: whew… where to start! I think it is best to split all of the happenings in my life into different blogs and updates, as it is quite a bit that has happened.
Let me start off this update going back to 2021. I had gotten a promotion at my job and had become a supervisor. This was a very good opportunity for me to expand upon my leadership skills, get outside of my comfort zone, use what knowledge and experience I had in my career, and apply it to being a manager. However, as new, exciting, and, what many had told me was long overdue, the job was, it pushed my time for social media (and therefore, SG) into almost nothing. I devote quite a bit of time into my job, and all of the things that go along with it. I cared deeply for the place I was managing, and after some time, it started to consume me. It got to the point where I was literally sitting on a set of steps inside my house feeling as though it was time for me to move on from a job I had worked in for 15 years full-time. I would often come home tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and above all, I would go to sleep sometimes with incredible anxiety… feeling my heart racing because I was worried about something. I had also started to watch my son become older and want to do things after school that both myself and my husband did not have the time or availability to commit to, as most of the time we worked weekends and holidays during the summer, and I had an inconsistent schedule.
I sat on the steps inside my house, and thought about the medical issues my husband was going through at the time, my son growing older, and the importance of being in his life, and doing more things with him before it got too late and he didn’t want to do anything with me anymore. I thought about my own personal physical and mental health. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy my job. I absolutely loved it, cared deeply for it, and knew that I was good at it. But the time had come for me to consider looking into changing my career path to something more flexible, so I could spend time with my family more and improve my overall health. If I was going to change my career path, the time was to do it now before I was stuck, and it would be harder to change. So I started looking at other positions and other jobs that my talents, skills, and qualifications would apply to. I applied for a job, got an interview and received a call back about it. Unfortunately, at the time, I did not have the skills and experience they were looking for. I could do something part time, but knowing how my schedule was at my current job, I knew I could not devote the amount of time that was needed, and still be at home ready to help with things around the house and spending time with my son. I politely declined and said I would love to say yes, but unfortunately, I could not take even a part-time position. I had a job still, and I knew there were other people out there who did not have a job at all. So time went on and then sometime in 2022, I received a phone call again, asking if I was still interested in the position that I had previously turned down for part-time work (as opposed to a full-time position). I stated that I was, knowing that if I took the position, I would also take a pay cut. But, the hours were Monday through Friday, off weekends and holidays and was some thing that would fit better for my family life.
I had some steps I had to go through, but I received a final offer for employment and accepted it. The hardest part of changing jobs is saying goodbye to the friends you have made at your current job, and going onto some thing different from what you have known for the past 15 years. I knew the job that I was leaving, I was good at it, and I had wanted to stay. But I knew that if I had stayed, things would not have gotten any better for myself, or with the place I have been working for. There were a lot of changes going on, many that I did not agree with. I knew I could not change them, but I wanted to remember the good times I had, the memories I had, leave on a good note, and remembering my job the way it was.
For the past year and a half, I have been working my new job, and within a few months, had already received a promotion. It was the fastest promotion I had ever received, and it amazed me at how different things were. I was able to spend more time with my son, my anxiety had gone down to nearly nothing, except for a minor titch here or there that was brought on solely by my brain. Those mini anxiety periods would last a lot less than when I was working at my previous job. I could spend more time with friends, attending parties and get togethers. I could go to events on the weekends and not think twice about taking off on a busy weekend…feeling bad because I did so and the help was needed. My work was left at work, and I did not have to take it home like in my previous job.
It has definitely been an adjustment, and I am still trying to figure out how people are able to do things during the week whereas before, I may have off two days or one day and get things done. I hope to get back on here a little more often, but it is still an adjustment I am trying to figure out.
That’s one of the big updates that I have for now! I hope to get on here again soon and do a recap of my time away from SG, and some of the highlights that have happened. Thank you, my followers, for reading this long blog. Thank you for continuing to support me, even though I have been away for a while. There is more stuff coming soon I promise!
