How becoming a teacher helped me beat depression
health·@conradt·
0.000 HBDHow becoming a teacher helped me beat depression
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) depression is a common mental illness which affects over 300 million people worldwide. Depression comes in all shapes and sizes, and can range from moderate to severe and in the most extreme cases leads to suicide. I find it amazing that depression affects so many people but there is still a stigma surrounding it and something we find hard to talk about. I make no effort to hide my depression or talk about it - I actually find it a good thing to talk about as it can help others who are suffering from depression.  <h2>Factors that lead to my depression</h2> When I finished school I decided to study marketing at university (it didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time but would have a huge affect on my mental health in the future). My family were into business and I enjoyed and did well at economics at school so it seemed like a no brainer to me. Fast Forward 4 years and I had finished my bachelors and had no real drive to get out into the workforce and so I decided to enrol in my Masters of Marketing. Again I finished studying, this time with a masters - I even considered moving on and doing a PHD! But I decided this would lead me to more debt and I might never leave university. Applying for jobs started to become a drag to me and I didnt really have the passion I thought I had for marketing. Around the same time I also had heightened anxiety and the first signs of depression (low mood, not sleeping well, negative thoughts and lack of motivation). I was drinking more, eating terribly and generally just not looking after myself.  I got to the point where I was just applying for any job that came up - and alas I got offered a job (in sales…!) and took it. It was meant to be a temporary thing but I was there over a year. The first time I knew I really had a problem was when I (for no apparent reason) burst into tears at work and went home and had to have a few days off. Shortly after I decided I would go to the doctor and after talking was prescribed antidepressants. I know now that antidepressants don't really ‘fix’ depression but they do help you out of a rut. For me recovery from depression was a long journey of self discovery and lead my life in completely new directions. <h2>Changing careers</h2> Again fast forward 2 years and I had come of the antidepressants but was still struggling with anxiety and low mood. I knew that if I come off the antidepressant and didnt make changes I would just end up depressed again. I knew by now that sitting behind a desk doesnt make me happy (I am very energetic person who loves talking and moving, and hates to sit still for too long!). I was onto my 3rd ‘marketing’ job and had no real aspirations to move up in the field and the jobs didn't provide me with any excitement. I knew by now I needed a change otherwise I would never be happy with my career and would probably have problems with depression for a long time. After some long thoughts and discussion I realised I have always been good around children and find it super enjoyable to spend time with them as it is like being a child again yourself! It suits my personality - running around, painting, dancing and generally just having fun, and no two days are the same! So I decided to go for it and enrol in studying to be an Early Childhood teacher - being a male I got some weird responses. It was such a big change - ‘Why Early Childhood?’, ‘Will you make enough money?’, ‘That's not a male's job?’ - these were some of the responses I got.  I know that it's the job for me when I wake up and it's not a drag to go to work. I always come home with a smile on my face and some fun stories to tell! I have been lucky in my first role as an Early Childhood teacher to get really supportive management and staff who really encouraged me to be the best teacher I can be. Being new to being a teacher is a challenge and I have learnt so much (and made a few mistakes). It is great to have some direction in life again and work in a career I feel like I belong in and have a passion for. I am now living in Spain where I am teachign English at a primary school! This is a completly new experience for me and has put me well outside my comfort zone. When I move back to New Zealand I plan to continue my career as an Early Childhood teacher. Along with changing career I also made healthy changes in my diet, went to counselling and stopped drinking alcohol. As I have mentioned in previous blogs I still live with anxiety from time to time but have learned how to recognise it and what techniques work for me in reducing anxiety. Check out the previous stories I have written about anxiety and depression: [Three tips for dealing with anxiety and depression](https://steemit.com/psychology/@conradt/3-tips-for-dealing-with-anxiety-and-depression) [My happy place - A place to escape from anxiety](https://steemit.com/life/@conradt/myhappyplace-a-place-to-escape-from-anxiety) I hope by being open and talking about depression I can encourage others who are suffering from anxiety and depression to talk about it get the help that they require. Thank you for reading! Reference: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/ 