So it's been a really intense week, for a lot of good reasons, and it's been interesting how my sleepy body has been able to cope with it all. I have miraculously managed to subsist on a relatively small amount of sleep this entire week - well, small for me (probably averaging about 6 - 8 hours a night). I have felt tired, but I haven't felt the frustration and desperate need to curl up somewhere. I haven't really read anything specifically on this, but it's made me wonder how directly sleep is related to emotions and/or hormones. I know that tiredness can be a marker of depression, but I wonder if people are tired because they are depressed, or if they are depressed because they're tired. Or something along those lines. I wonder if a 'good' emotional state can aid in the management of sleep disorders. I've coped fairly well this week on a reduced amount of sleep, and I have basically been deliriously happy. Hmmm. I'll see if I can find anything.
Also, worrying about how to explain my narcolepsy and all the anxiety that came with that has been met with acceptance and understanding. Big, big relief. Probably still stuff that needs to be nutted out but I'm fairly sure it'll all be worked out just fine.
Enough of the gushy gushy.... new challenges to be faced in a few weeks. Yesterday was my last day of work, which was a great relief. I'm still able to run puppy preschool, which is awesome. I also was offered 5 weeks of high school music teaching at the beginning of next term, which lifted an enormous weight off my shoulders. Hoorah!!! I can eat for another 2 months!!!
Last time I was teaching I had narcolepsy, but I didn't know I had it. So the teachers around me were just quietly amused at finding me occasionally face down on my desk, napping and drooling. I got very lucky as this position is not totally full time, although I'm not completely up to date on all the details, like exactly how much free time during the day I will have. I'm sort of wondering how I'm going to handle it, really.... there are good things, like that I will be getting up at the same time every day so my body clock can finally get itself organised. There will be quite a bit more mental pressure, designing lessons and being aware and awake for however long. But, the physical workload is significantly reduced. I don't particularly want to be a teacher (classroom, anyway) but I am going to be interested to see how my body reacts once I settle into a routine that isn't so draining I want to fall over by the end of the day. Now that I'm so much better educated about my condition I'm hoping I'll be able to be smart about it, and possibly negotiate time during the day where I can just close my eyes.
So basically.... the future is bright. Immediate and long term. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that and dammit, it's an awesome feeling.