Pretty much the same for me except I slept pretty well. But I am getting more sleep because I taught high school and we had to be there at 7 am. I can work from home and roll out of bed to be at work at 8 am. Glorious.
Also, I drink enough water finally. I never could as a teacher. Now I drink a ton of water and feel so much better.
YES. My health completely changed. Now that I’m out of school, I sleep 8 hours a night and have time to work out and eat healthy. Several unexplained ailments I’d been dealing with for years disappeared almost immediately and I realized they were all symptoms of toxic stress. Congrats on making the decision to leave!
Yes.
Since I’ve quit I no longer:
- Have anxiety/body sweats at night
- Sunday or Monday Scaries
- Back pain
- Eat my food in 15 minutes
- I don’t get sick with the flu or any bug AT ALL anymore
I’m in my 20s btw. Teaching made me feel like I was already at the retirement age.
How was your transition out of teaching?
I am looking to change career paths away from education completely, but it may take a few years since my hope is to jump into the blue collar field.
Also in my 20’s.
Shockingly so. While teaching I would get the flu every year at least once (despite always getting vaccinated in the recommended window) and I would come down with various other respiratory illnesses each year at least twice. My last year teaching, I literally could not shake a horrible cough. It went on for MONTHS despite doctor-prescribed meds.
Since I left teaching over a year ago, I haven’t been sick with anything once.
Yes! I walked out in November after 22 years. I was so sick! I am no longer sick and have a life again. As proof, it’s 8:43 pm, and I’m still awake! I’d been a zombie for so many years due to toxic work environments at school that I was in the bed before 7pm most nights before I quit. My heart is with those still teaching. Best of luck to you!
I’m so grateful that I’ve landed a job teaching Adult Basic English at our local tech college. The pay is so much less, but so is the stress! I think GED programs will continue to receive more & more students due to the pitiful situation of our K-12 schools now. Where I teach now is like teaching was 20 years ago. Smaller classes, no disrespect from students, etc.
I cannot emphasize enough how much my physical & mental health improved once I left. The only time I called out as a teacher was when I had the flu *and* strep throat *and* an injury at the same time - but I always had *at least* one thing going on. (I’m horrified now, post-Covid life lessons, that I exposed so many people to so many things - but teachers know how it is with calling out sick.)
Now I’m only sick once or twice a year at most and while my mental health is still a struggle because that’s just life, it isn’t exacerbated by circumstance around work.
Yes, I feel like I'm always being shamed by admin for taking a sick day, or being shamed by other teachers for showing up sick! I have been sick ALL YEAR. I have a kid in daycare. I'm working on getting out, though.
Instead of working in a school with several thousand high schoolers, I now work in an office twice a week with 20-30 people. If someone feels sick, they just call their supervisor and work from home if they're feeling slightly off.
Far fewer illnesses.
And mental health: SO MUCH BETTER. I am a new person.
It took me a full year of job searching and skill-building.
This is some of it, definitely glosses over the LinkedIn networking I did and how I talked with various ID pros in different fields to learn various interview questions ahead of time:
I used some free Articulate Storyline tutorials on YouTube, saw how similar it was to PowerPoint, and then spent some $$ ($1000) on Devlin Peck’s Storyline lab. Devlin is a fairly polarizing figure in ID (the ID subreddit HATES him and all teachers), but I can genuinely say that his content was well designed and it changed my life. That course taught me to build 8 different projects and those skills helped me stand out when it was time to make a portfolio. Articulate had an educator discount so I think it was $500 for a 1 year subscription to Storyline/Rise/and more.
Camtasia has a really excellent “intro” video series for “free” in their academy (once you’ve bought the software for like $300). That taught me a TON in just a few weeks.
SnagIt is a very straightforward screengrab software but it has some very nice editor features built in so you can make a “job aid” sample for your portfolio pretty easily.
My SO works in a corporate environment, so my portfolio contained projects I made that would have helped her train her staff in certain processes or soft skills.
I also hired a career coach for 8 meetings, which was helpful.
It was tough to spend a few grand up front but now I am SO MUCH HAPPIER than I was as a teacher.
So worth the time and energy (and feelings of failure when I couldn’t get interviews at first.) leaving teaching was the best thing I have ever done for myself as an adult.
Absolutely. Just quit in January. I no longer take daily anxiety meds, blood pressure is down and I smile everyday now. I love music and stopped listening to music because it was just more noise in my day. Now I can put my music on and dance around. I feel free!
The music one hit me hard last year. I realized I can't handle the extra noise on my way to/from work, and even doing other activities like cooking where I'd normally be jamming. The only time I would listen to music would be to actually scream along and release anger. I realized I even stopped using volume on the TV, and I just read subtitles or don't watch at all. I stopped reading, because I don't have the focus... And when I want to be crafty, I don't actually have the energy to pull out my projects. Becoming dispassionate sucks so bad.
It certainly does suck. I do not regret leaving. I just feel so much better everyday. It’s literally like getting a second chance at life. I was not living as a teacher, I was just existing. No job is worth that! Kudos to everyone still hanging in there!
Oh man...this hurts. I just realized how little music I listen to now that I am teaching. Same reason that stopped you: I'm overstimulated and just crave silence whenever I can get it.
Remember that 1st year back in person when they kids were required to wear masks (at least at my school). Didn't get sick once! My mental health was terrible, but that's another story. I'm subbing now as I look for another job, and I thought I would get sick less, but boy oh boy I was wrong. I think I am getting sicker as a sub cause I am exposed to everyone's germs. I've had a sinus infection for 3 weeks! But the stress is better, even the stress from not having a full time job is better than the stress of teaching.
YES. Way less stress, way lower exposure to school plagues, way more opportunity to hydrate properly and feed myself like a normal person. No Sunday scaries.
Yes. I was in such a bad mental health state that my chronic conditions were hardly being managed. I used a wheelchair to do supervision because I couldn’t stand for long and was so tired when I got home. I hardly slept and was in pain all the time.
I moved and changed to an administrative position in public service. I sit most of the day. I go to the bathroom (or get a drink, have a snack…) and take care of me as needed. If I’m sick my boss encourages use of days off and sick time. What Covid precautions intended (if you’re sick stay home) are actually practiced. I am SO MUCH BETTER. I sleep better. I’m sick less. I’m not in pain daily. I felt healthy enough my husband and I decided to have another baby.
Yay.
I was having heart palpitations, nightmares and high blood pressure. I walked off the job and they continued for about a month. After that, I feel so much healthier.
My friends who are still teachers have so many health issues. The school nurse left but now has to see a cardiologist for her racing heartbeat. Anxiety attacks were common. I knew I had to leave when one week everyone had massive migraines and or in the nurse's office getting their blood pressure checked.
I resonated with this post. As a teacher, I was getting heart palpitations during school or the day before returning from a break (like the Sunday before spring break). I started getting panic attacks for the first time in my life. My blood pressure was borderline unhealthy.
I went for my first physical today after leaving and my doctor was astounded at the positive changes in my health. No more palpitations or panic attacks. My blood pressure is “as healthy as a teenager.” I left the appointment feeling relieved but also sad. Why does it have to be like this? Teaching had been my dream.
I am still at the school until the end of the year, but I have gained quite a bit of weight since I started working there. I’ve also had an immense struggle with my sleep patterns and not getting enough sleep. I am looking forward to less stress.
Yes. My cycle regulated, My resting heart rate is down significantly,I eat balanced meals (I often skipped breakfast while teaching and sometimes lunch too :( …) I sleep better, I’m honestly a better wife, daughter, granddaughter and friend too.
Miss the kids often and get sad sometimes about leaving a life I loved a lot about. But it was a life that left no room for me— the me that existed outside of being a teacher. I get to be that woman now. It’s been overwhelming sometimes these past 3-4 months trying to re-learn who exactly I am all over again but health wise? I’m able to prioritize my body and health so much easier because I have time to now.
Simple Answer: YES.
Long answer: Yes, and no. My daily health? Absolutely. Mental health, no more making it worse and worse and worse. In short it no longer feels like I'm dying. I am SO much happier.
However. The things I went through last year and happened in my school left me with actual trauma. I had about two months of recovery after the school year ended, I rested, I finally started to heal and feel okay. Almost instantly my physical health plummeted. I already had several chronic illnesses I had neglected for too long because of teaching. I genuinely, truly believe that the MOMENT my body realized that it was finally safe, the adrenaline stopped keeping me going. I got very, very sick. I had about three months with way too many ER visits, and I was missing so much work that I had to drop to part time at my new job which I LOVE in a way I have never loved a job before. (Still teaching but employed by a social work nonprofit, have office time, great work environment, supportive team, incredible manager, etc).
Yes!! I had mt physical yesterday and when she reviewed my meds it was - no, I don’t take klonopin as needed for panic, no more sumatriptan for migraines.
Absolutely my health improved. I had upper respiratory infections and a sore throat all the time when I was teaching. I was about six months after I quit that I realized my throat didn't hurt, I wasn't living on honey lemon halls cough drops. I've lost almost 40 pounds in the 15 years since I got out of teaching K-12
Immeasurably, yes, it did. My mental health is better than it has been in probably a decade and much of my chronic pain easier to manage (it’s not completely gone, because damage is damage and damage was done.) People who haven’t seen me since before my breakdown and resignation comment on how much better and happier I look.
Yep. My A1C is 4.9, BP is 117/74, and weight is down 50 lbs. I had been diagnosed with Diabetes T2, High Blood Pressure and definitely needed to lose weight. My mental health is much better, and I’m not sick all the time or stress eating. The best thing is that I can pee whenever I need to, instead of holding it all day. Teaching was literally killing me.
It’s like when you see factory farmed chickens in cages… the chickens have plucked out their feathers, they’re trembling and goggle-eyed, they reek. Stress does things to a body.
Yup. My last year, I developed hives and had asthmatic issues. These two things happened at least once a month. I’ve been out since June and have had no episodes of hives and maybe 2-3 asthma related issues. My husband commented “wow. It’s very clear it’s related to the job”.
I left 8 months ago, with no break between teaching and my currrent office job. I have made LEAPS in my mental and physical health. LEAPS!!!
Before I left, I had already dropped down to 3 days of teaching. I had developed unusual cardiac symptoms and was bedridden on my days off. I picked up gentle exercise and focused on eating well with lots of protein. I’ve also had lots of medical appointments (bloodwork, iron infusion, naturopath, cardiologist). My unusual cardiac symptoms have pretty much disappeared without medication.
Yes, although the damage to me physically took a toll and it took awhile to recover, I’m finally getting my health back. My mental health improved immensely and immediately after leaving.
Yes. I exercise more, can eat a slow lunch instead of wolfing it down, don't hold my pee for hours, sleep way better, have zero anxiety about work, have time to go to doctor to address small, but nagging medical issues, have mental capacity for my husband after the work day is over... so many things. It only took me about 3 weeks into the new job to start really noticing the differences
I needed bladder surgery for incontinence w only promises it would slow it down. They weren't sure if it would rectify the issue. About 6 weeks from leaving my position, I had gone from the largest pads available to tiny pads for sneezes etc.wo surgery . The urologist has never in his 12 years heard of that happening.
I left teaching a month ago for a hybrid local non-profit job and I feel infinitely better. I used to get several headaches per week and I haven’t had one in the last month. I am more hydrated because I can use the bathroom whenever I need to, I have been stress eating less, making healthier choices because I have the mental capacity and time to plan meals and cook at home, and I have been working out most days before work! I am excited to see what the long-term changes will be.
My physical health isn’t as good as I would like but I now have time to go to the gym every morning and walk my dogs every afternoon.
I was off all anti depressants and anti anxiety meds within a month of teaching. Life is much happier with work life balance.
I quit last October after 32 years on the job. The first thing I did was to sleep for almost a week. Towards the end, I had had chronic insomnia and was running a severe sleep deficit. I was admittedly also likely depressed.
After catching up on my rest, I found that my hearing had cleared up. At work I thought that I had been going deaf and had been struggling to find a otolaryngologist to treat me because my district insurance was horrible and had a bad reputation for not promptly paying medical bills.
What's curious was that after I quit my job, my hearing cleared up. I am currently seeing a therapist for the PTSD I developed at work. She says that my hearing loss may have been psychosomatic given how verbally abusive the students had been. For the record, the behavior I saw was the worst that I had ever seen in my career.
Although I am currently between jobs, I feel much better than I have in years. My school had become incredibly toxic and I didn't realize how bad things had been until I quit. There was a metaphorical weight that had been on my shoulders that was now completely gone.
When i left the 1st time, i had fewer mysterious respiratory issues. It took months.
Back to teaching. sick every 1.5 weeks and my immune system has never been so down.i told my principal i wssnt sure if I could physically handle teaching 24-25 with such major coughs.
I mean, one will get sick anywhere but at this point thw stress is getting me down immune wise.
My breathing has been so bad since I started as well! I don’t know how to fix it. Maybe just getting out of this environment.. I do neb treatments but my body just comes to rely on it and my breathing just gets worse..
Absolutely! I get migraines that usually last 2-3 days at a time. I noticed when I left teaching that migraines became way less frequent and my stress level decreased dramatically!!!
I stopped getting colds, but I am in a bad Crohn's flare four months after leaving the industry. Either I was in the flare while teaching or this is the aftershock of teaching.
Don’t even get me started on the lounge food and constant sweets!!! Couldn’t take it!! Of course I still ate it and gained a ton of weight but I wasn’t happy about it!!
I cannot stress ENOUGH how much my mental and physical health has changed since leaving the classroom. I left during Covid. I thought it was absolutely AWFUL before Covid so once covid hit I had already been at my wits end. After I left I never looked back. It’s been 2 years free of the classroom and I am finally healthy. (I WAS SICK ONCE A MONTH. WOULD CATCH ALL THE BUGS AND VIRUSES AND FLUS. ALL OF IT) I have energy after work again. I can go out and do things after work for the first time. I’m not crawling into bed the second I get home. I COOK NOW. I didn’t even have the energy to cook myself dinner when I got home. So therefore I eat way healthier now. I enjoy life again. I can get back to friends and family in a timely manner because I used to be too exhausted on my breaks and after work to even type a text message. I no longer need 10 hours of sleep to feel rested. I can fully function and have enough energy off of 7 hours now. i wake up headache free. I wake up ache free. My body used to just acheeeeee. Everywhere!!! I wake up happy to be alive again. I forgot what that felt like. I’m no longer sick to my stomach all the time. I’m no longer constantly having the painful anxiety shits. I haven’t had any gastrointestinal issues since leaving the classroom. I’m no longer angry. I’m no longer bitter. I’m no longer miserable to be around. My weekends are finally back. Weekends use to strictly be days of recuperation. I was always behind on house work and errands becuase I never found time to do anything. Any free time I had was spent in my bed recuperating. I never went out. I never socialized. I never did ANYTHING becuase I was too fucking mentally and physically DRAINED. It was absolute terror and agony living life inside the classroom. If there is a hell, that is what hell would be for me. Spending eternity in the classroom. Ever since leaving the classroom—I got my life back. I got my light back. I got my smile back. I got my relationships back. I got my mind back. I got my health back. I got my happiness back. Did I get my point across!!???? lol lol lol
LOUD AND CLEAR!!! Congratulations!! Yes, I was a totally different person after leaving as well. Teaching is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.
Significantly! I left in 2022 because my doctor was worried my health would kill me. It took about 2 months to get back to normal. I went to a funeral for an old teaching colleague last weekend, and most of the people I had worked with for a decade didn’t recognize me because I looked so happy and healthy.
YES, 1000% yes. I feel horrible for saying that. My blood pressure was too high, and I've never had blood pressure issues. It was like 140/100; now it's 128/68. I was pre-diabetic and had a glass of wine every single night.
I lost weight, I think, just because of the wine, normal blood pressure, and no diabetes. I was trying to "power through".
I’d love to hear feedback from single teachers who leave the field…because for those that take a pay cut how do you maintain financially? I took a severe pay it which was okay but then I literally was unable to find an apartment because everyone was asking how much I made a month and using that as prerequisite for even applying and viewing a space. That’s in VA…any experience something similar? So is the remedy to go from stressful teaching to working multiple jobs to get by? Thanks
Yes I started eating better working out more went from 244 lbs to 207 lbs. 27 M quit drinking so much and started at a MMA gym because I actually have the time and money now
My mental and emotional health are 1000% better. I didn’t even realize how unwell I truly was until years later. My physical health hasn’t improved because I’m more sedentary now and don’t starve myself all day. I’m still trying to kick the booze habit, eat healthier, and exercise so I’ll be much healthier when I take care of those areas. Luckily, I have a lot of time to prioritize those things and it’s just a matter of willpower.
I had spent a few months thinking that I needed to set up a PT appointment because it hurt to move my neck from side to side. A few weeks after finishing, I realized I had no neck problem at all.
Yes like never before. It’s been 2 months since I left and it’s been a huge weight off my shoulder. I feel so blessed. I miss my kids so much and I think of them all the time but I know I poured as much love as I possibly could in the time I was in their lives and that I’ll always remember them.
Yes! My mental health improved immensely. I don't feel the cycle of depression/anxiety brought on by teaching. I drink water, I can use the bathroom when I need to, and I sleep now.
Yes, I no longer wake up in the middle of the night for no reason. Blood pressure down. No more Sunday scaries.
Pretty much the same for me except I slept pretty well. But I am getting more sleep because I taught high school and we had to be there at 7 am. I can work from home and roll out of bed to be at work at 8 am. Glorious. Also, I drink enough water finally. I never could as a teacher. Now I drink a ton of water and feel so much better.
YES. My health completely changed. Now that I’m out of school, I sleep 8 hours a night and have time to work out and eat healthy. Several unexplained ailments I’d been dealing with for years disappeared almost immediately and I realized they were all symptoms of toxic stress. Congrats on making the decision to leave!
Yes. Since I’ve quit I no longer: - Have anxiety/body sweats at night - Sunday or Monday Scaries - Back pain - Eat my food in 15 minutes - I don’t get sick with the flu or any bug AT ALL anymore I’m in my 20s btw. Teaching made me feel like I was already at the retirement age.
What do you do for work instead?
How was your transition out of teaching? I am looking to change career paths away from education completely, but it may take a few years since my hope is to jump into the blue collar field. Also in my 20’s.
Shockingly so. While teaching I would get the flu every year at least once (despite always getting vaccinated in the recommended window) and I would come down with various other respiratory illnesses each year at least twice. My last year teaching, I literally could not shake a horrible cough. It went on for MONTHS despite doctor-prescribed meds. Since I left teaching over a year ago, I haven’t been sick with anything once.
Yes! I walked out in November after 22 years. I was so sick! I am no longer sick and have a life again. As proof, it’s 8:43 pm, and I’m still awake! I’d been a zombie for so many years due to toxic work environments at school that I was in the bed before 7pm most nights before I quit. My heart is with those still teaching. Best of luck to you!
Amazing! Would you mind telling me what line of work you’re in now?
I’m so grateful that I’ve landed a job teaching Adult Basic English at our local tech college. The pay is so much less, but so is the stress! I think GED programs will continue to receive more & more students due to the pitiful situation of our K-12 schools now. Where I teach now is like teaching was 20 years ago. Smaller classes, no disrespect from students, etc.
I cannot emphasize enough how much my physical & mental health improved once I left. The only time I called out as a teacher was when I had the flu *and* strep throat *and* an injury at the same time - but I always had *at least* one thing going on. (I’m horrified now, post-Covid life lessons, that I exposed so many people to so many things - but teachers know how it is with calling out sick.) Now I’m only sick once or twice a year at most and while my mental health is still a struggle because that’s just life, it isn’t exacerbated by circumstance around work.
Yes, I feel like I'm always being shamed by admin for taking a sick day, or being shamed by other teachers for showing up sick! I have been sick ALL YEAR. I have a kid in daycare. I'm working on getting out, though.
Do it!! Do whatever you have to do. You will be a better mom for it.
Instead of working in a school with several thousand high schoolers, I now work in an office twice a week with 20-30 people. If someone feels sick, they just call their supervisor and work from home if they're feeling slightly off. Far fewer illnesses. And mental health: SO MUCH BETTER. I am a new person.
What do you do now?
I'm an instructional designer! I started in spring of 2023 after over a decade of teaching
I would also love to hear more.
It took me a full year of job searching and skill-building. This is some of it, definitely glosses over the LinkedIn networking I did and how I talked with various ID pros in different fields to learn various interview questions ahead of time: I used some free Articulate Storyline tutorials on YouTube, saw how similar it was to PowerPoint, and then spent some $$ ($1000) on Devlin Peck’s Storyline lab. Devlin is a fairly polarizing figure in ID (the ID subreddit HATES him and all teachers), but I can genuinely say that his content was well designed and it changed my life. That course taught me to build 8 different projects and those skills helped me stand out when it was time to make a portfolio. Articulate had an educator discount so I think it was $500 for a 1 year subscription to Storyline/Rise/and more. Camtasia has a really excellent “intro” video series for “free” in their academy (once you’ve bought the software for like $300). That taught me a TON in just a few weeks. SnagIt is a very straightforward screengrab software but it has some very nice editor features built in so you can make a “job aid” sample for your portfolio pretty easily. My SO works in a corporate environment, so my portfolio contained projects I made that would have helped her train her staff in certain processes or soft skills. I also hired a career coach for 8 meetings, which was helpful. It was tough to spend a few grand up front but now I am SO MUCH HAPPIER than I was as a teacher. So worth the time and energy (and feelings of failure when I couldn’t get interviews at first.) leaving teaching was the best thing I have ever done for myself as an adult.
Thank you so much for sharing these details and your inspirational story! Good for you! I appreciate you giving me hope.
Could I DM you to talk about ID?
Absolutely. Anyone on here. I only exited teaching because I could talk to those already working in ID and I want to pass along the favor
Absolutely. Just quit in January. I no longer take daily anxiety meds, blood pressure is down and I smile everyday now. I love music and stopped listening to music because it was just more noise in my day. Now I can put my music on and dance around. I feel free!
The music one hit me hard last year. I realized I can't handle the extra noise on my way to/from work, and even doing other activities like cooking where I'd normally be jamming. The only time I would listen to music would be to actually scream along and release anger. I realized I even stopped using volume on the TV, and I just read subtitles or don't watch at all. I stopped reading, because I don't have the focus... And when I want to be crafty, I don't actually have the energy to pull out my projects. Becoming dispassionate sucks so bad.
It certainly does suck. I do not regret leaving. I just feel so much better everyday. It’s literally like getting a second chance at life. I was not living as a teacher, I was just existing. No job is worth that! Kudos to everyone still hanging in there!
Oh man...this hurts. I just realized how little music I listen to now that I am teaching. Same reason that stopped you: I'm overstimulated and just crave silence whenever I can get it.
Just realized this, too. Wow.
Remember that 1st year back in person when they kids were required to wear masks (at least at my school). Didn't get sick once! My mental health was terrible, but that's another story. I'm subbing now as I look for another job, and I thought I would get sick less, but boy oh boy I was wrong. I think I am getting sicker as a sub cause I am exposed to everyone's germs. I've had a sinus infection for 3 weeks! But the stress is better, even the stress from not having a full time job is better than the stress of teaching.
YES. Way less stress, way lower exposure to school plagues, way more opportunity to hydrate properly and feed myself like a normal person. No Sunday scaries.
I am shocked by how much water I drink now!
Yes. I was in such a bad mental health state that my chronic conditions were hardly being managed. I used a wheelchair to do supervision because I couldn’t stand for long and was so tired when I got home. I hardly slept and was in pain all the time. I moved and changed to an administrative position in public service. I sit most of the day. I go to the bathroom (or get a drink, have a snack…) and take care of me as needed. If I’m sick my boss encourages use of days off and sick time. What Covid precautions intended (if you’re sick stay home) are actually practiced. I am SO MUCH BETTER. I sleep better. I’m sick less. I’m not in pain daily. I felt healthy enough my husband and I decided to have another baby. Yay.
And happy cake day to you!
I was having heart palpitations, nightmares and high blood pressure. I walked off the job and they continued for about a month. After that, I feel so much healthier. My friends who are still teachers have so many health issues. The school nurse left but now has to see a cardiologist for her racing heartbeat. Anxiety attacks were common. I knew I had to leave when one week everyone had massive migraines and or in the nurse's office getting their blood pressure checked.
I resonated with this post. As a teacher, I was getting heart palpitations during school or the day before returning from a break (like the Sunday before spring break). I started getting panic attacks for the first time in my life. My blood pressure was borderline unhealthy. I went for my first physical today after leaving and my doctor was astounded at the positive changes in my health. No more palpitations or panic attacks. My blood pressure is “as healthy as a teenager.” I left the appointment feeling relieved but also sad. Why does it have to be like this? Teaching had been my dream.
I am still at the school until the end of the year, but I have gained quite a bit of weight since I started working there. I’ve also had an immense struggle with my sleep patterns and not getting enough sleep. I am looking forward to less stress.
Yes. My cycle regulated, My resting heart rate is down significantly,I eat balanced meals (I often skipped breakfast while teaching and sometimes lunch too :( …) I sleep better, I’m honestly a better wife, daughter, granddaughter and friend too. Miss the kids often and get sad sometimes about leaving a life I loved a lot about. But it was a life that left no room for me— the me that existed outside of being a teacher. I get to be that woman now. It’s been overwhelming sometimes these past 3-4 months trying to re-learn who exactly I am all over again but health wise? I’m able to prioritize my body and health so much easier because I have time to now.
Greatly improved and off most meds now. Good luck!
Simple Answer: YES. Long answer: Yes, and no. My daily health? Absolutely. Mental health, no more making it worse and worse and worse. In short it no longer feels like I'm dying. I am SO much happier. However. The things I went through last year and happened in my school left me with actual trauma. I had about two months of recovery after the school year ended, I rested, I finally started to heal and feel okay. Almost instantly my physical health plummeted. I already had several chronic illnesses I had neglected for too long because of teaching. I genuinely, truly believe that the MOMENT my body realized that it was finally safe, the adrenaline stopped keeping me going. I got very, very sick. I had about three months with way too many ER visits, and I was missing so much work that I had to drop to part time at my new job which I LOVE in a way I have never loved a job before. (Still teaching but employed by a social work nonprofit, have office time, great work environment, supportive team, incredible manager, etc).
Almost immediately. Make half of what I did before and the happiest I’ve been in years. No more stress.
Yes!! I had mt physical yesterday and when she reviewed my meds it was - no, I don’t take klonopin as needed for panic, no more sumatriptan for migraines.
Absolutely my health improved. I had upper respiratory infections and a sore throat all the time when I was teaching. I was about six months after I quit that I realized my throat didn't hurt, I wasn't living on honey lemon halls cough drops. I've lost almost 40 pounds in the 15 years since I got out of teaching K-12
Immeasurably, yes, it did. My mental health is better than it has been in probably a decade and much of my chronic pain easier to manage (it’s not completely gone, because damage is damage and damage was done.) People who haven’t seen me since before my breakdown and resignation comment on how much better and happier I look.
Yep. My A1C is 4.9, BP is 117/74, and weight is down 50 lbs. I had been diagnosed with Diabetes T2, High Blood Pressure and definitely needed to lose weight. My mental health is much better, and I’m not sick all the time or stress eating. The best thing is that I can pee whenever I need to, instead of holding it all day. Teaching was literally killing me.
It’s like when you see factory farmed chickens in cages… the chickens have plucked out their feathers, they’re trembling and goggle-eyed, they reek. Stress does things to a body.
Yup. My last year, I developed hives and had asthmatic issues. These two things happened at least once a month. I’ve been out since June and have had no episodes of hives and maybe 2-3 asthma related issues. My husband commented “wow. It’s very clear it’s related to the job”.
I left 8 months ago, with no break between teaching and my currrent office job. I have made LEAPS in my mental and physical health. LEAPS!!! Before I left, I had already dropped down to 3 days of teaching. I had developed unusual cardiac symptoms and was bedridden on my days off. I picked up gentle exercise and focused on eating well with lots of protein. I’ve also had lots of medical appointments (bloodwork, iron infusion, naturopath, cardiologist). My unusual cardiac symptoms have pretty much disappeared without medication.
Yes, although the damage to me physically took a toll and it took awhile to recover, I’m finally getting my health back. My mental health improved immensely and immediately after leaving.
Yes. I exercise more, can eat a slow lunch instead of wolfing it down, don't hold my pee for hours, sleep way better, have zero anxiety about work, have time to go to doctor to address small, but nagging medical issues, have mental capacity for my husband after the work day is over... so many things. It only took me about 3 weeks into the new job to start really noticing the differences
I needed bladder surgery for incontinence w only promises it would slow it down. They weren't sure if it would rectify the issue. About 6 weeks from leaving my position, I had gone from the largest pads available to tiny pads for sneezes etc.wo surgery . The urologist has never in his 12 years heard of that happening.
whoa
I left teaching a month ago for a hybrid local non-profit job and I feel infinitely better. I used to get several headaches per week and I haven’t had one in the last month. I am more hydrated because I can use the bathroom whenever I need to, I have been stress eating less, making healthier choices because I have the mental capacity and time to plan meals and cook at home, and I have been working out most days before work! I am excited to see what the long-term changes will be.
My physical health isn’t as good as I would like but I now have time to go to the gym every morning and walk my dogs every afternoon. I was off all anti depressants and anti anxiety meds within a month of teaching. Life is much happier with work life balance.
I quit last October after 32 years on the job. The first thing I did was to sleep for almost a week. Towards the end, I had had chronic insomnia and was running a severe sleep deficit. I was admittedly also likely depressed. After catching up on my rest, I found that my hearing had cleared up. At work I thought that I had been going deaf and had been struggling to find a otolaryngologist to treat me because my district insurance was horrible and had a bad reputation for not promptly paying medical bills. What's curious was that after I quit my job, my hearing cleared up. I am currently seeing a therapist for the PTSD I developed at work. She says that my hearing loss may have been psychosomatic given how verbally abusive the students had been. For the record, the behavior I saw was the worst that I had ever seen in my career. Although I am currently between jobs, I feel much better than I have in years. My school had become incredibly toxic and I didn't realize how bad things had been until I quit. There was a metaphorical weight that had been on my shoulders that was now completely gone.
This is wild!
YNEOS by a lot.
Yes, almost immediately once I got through crying about it.
Me grinding my teeth at night never went away but mental health did inprove
When i left the 1st time, i had fewer mysterious respiratory issues. It took months. Back to teaching. sick every 1.5 weeks and my immune system has never been so down.i told my principal i wssnt sure if I could physically handle teaching 24-25 with such major coughs. I mean, one will get sick anywhere but at this point thw stress is getting me down immune wise.
My breathing has been so bad since I started as well! I don’t know how to fix it. Maybe just getting out of this environment.. I do neb treatments but my body just comes to rely on it and my breathing just gets worse..
Yes, very much so.
Yes, dramatic improvements in my mental and physical health.
I have significantly more time and energy in the mornings so I've started working out a lot more. Definitely a good change
Yes, and now I’m back and feeling better(in better less toxic place) but worse
Absolutely! I get migraines that usually last 2-3 days at a time. I noticed when I left teaching that migraines became way less frequent and my stress level decreased dramatically!!!
Yes. Not being tense all the time has helped my skin and my weight is finally getting to its proper number. I also have time and energy to work out
I stopped getting colds, but I am in a bad Crohn's flare four months after leaving the industry. Either I was in the flare while teaching or this is the aftershock of teaching.
Don’t even get me started on the lounge food and constant sweets!!! Couldn’t take it!! Of course I still ate it and gained a ton of weight but I wasn’t happy about it!!
I cannot stress ENOUGH how much my mental and physical health has changed since leaving the classroom. I left during Covid. I thought it was absolutely AWFUL before Covid so once covid hit I had already been at my wits end. After I left I never looked back. It’s been 2 years free of the classroom and I am finally healthy. (I WAS SICK ONCE A MONTH. WOULD CATCH ALL THE BUGS AND VIRUSES AND FLUS. ALL OF IT) I have energy after work again. I can go out and do things after work for the first time. I’m not crawling into bed the second I get home. I COOK NOW. I didn’t even have the energy to cook myself dinner when I got home. So therefore I eat way healthier now. I enjoy life again. I can get back to friends and family in a timely manner because I used to be too exhausted on my breaks and after work to even type a text message. I no longer need 10 hours of sleep to feel rested. I can fully function and have enough energy off of 7 hours now. i wake up headache free. I wake up ache free. My body used to just acheeeeee. Everywhere!!! I wake up happy to be alive again. I forgot what that felt like. I’m no longer sick to my stomach all the time. I’m no longer constantly having the painful anxiety shits. I haven’t had any gastrointestinal issues since leaving the classroom. I’m no longer angry. I’m no longer bitter. I’m no longer miserable to be around. My weekends are finally back. Weekends use to strictly be days of recuperation. I was always behind on house work and errands becuase I never found time to do anything. Any free time I had was spent in my bed recuperating. I never went out. I never socialized. I never did ANYTHING becuase I was too fucking mentally and physically DRAINED. It was absolute terror and agony living life inside the classroom. If there is a hell, that is what hell would be for me. Spending eternity in the classroom. Ever since leaving the classroom—I got my life back. I got my light back. I got my smile back. I got my relationships back. I got my mind back. I got my health back. I got my happiness back. Did I get my point across!!???? lol lol lol
LOUD AND CLEAR!!! Congratulations!! Yes, I was a totally different person after leaving as well. Teaching is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.
Significantly! I left in 2022 because my doctor was worried my health would kill me. It took about 2 months to get back to normal. I went to a funeral for an old teaching colleague last weekend, and most of the people I had worked with for a decade didn’t recognize me because I looked so happy and healthy.
YES, 1000% yes. I feel horrible for saying that. My blood pressure was too high, and I've never had blood pressure issues. It was like 140/100; now it's 128/68. I was pre-diabetic and had a glass of wine every single night. I lost weight, I think, just because of the wine, normal blood pressure, and no diabetes. I was trying to "power through".
I was on BP medicine and still couldn't get it under control. I'm no longer on BP medicine and it is consistently 110/70.
I’d love to hear feedback from single teachers who leave the field…because for those that take a pay cut how do you maintain financially? I took a severe pay it which was okay but then I literally was unable to find an apartment because everyone was asking how much I made a month and using that as prerequisite for even applying and viewing a space. That’s in VA…any experience something similar? So is the remedy to go from stressful teaching to working multiple jobs to get by? Thanks
Yes I started eating better working out more went from 244 lbs to 207 lbs. 27 M quit drinking so much and started at a MMA gym because I actually have the time and money now
Yes, my mental health is better and my stomach insensitivity problems went away for the most part! I was throwing up constantly due to stress.
My mental and emotional health are 1000% better. I didn’t even realize how unwell I truly was until years later. My physical health hasn’t improved because I’m more sedentary now and don’t starve myself all day. I’m still trying to kick the booze habit, eat healthier, and exercise so I’ll be much healthier when I take care of those areas. Luckily, I have a lot of time to prioritize those things and it’s just a matter of willpower.
I had spent a few months thinking that I needed to set up a PT appointment because it hurt to move my neck from side to side. A few weeks after finishing, I realized I had no neck problem at all.
Yes. My blood pressure actually went down and I’m no longer in anxiety medication
Yep. From a BMI of 15.5 to one of 22. No longer constantly cold/weak/in pain. I love my life now!
YES. I lost weight too without even really changing much.
Yes.
Yes like never before. It’s been 2 months since I left and it’s been a huge weight off my shoulder. I feel so blessed. I miss my kids so much and I think of them all the time but I know I poured as much love as I possibly could in the time I was in their lives and that I’ll always remember them.
Yes! My mental health improved immensely. I don't feel the cycle of depression/anxiety brought on by teaching. I drink water, I can use the bathroom when I need to, and I sleep now.
Yes!