A Natural Antidepressant

I haven't really talked about it on my blog, but I spent most of September in kind of a funk, particularly during the week, as my somberness was definitely related to work. I was having a hard time transitioning into a new district, especially a much larger, more urban district, with a generally "tougher" population of students. It was really hard to hear the terrible stories and backgrounds of the students I was working with, on top of all the difficulties I was having as a new, young person in the schools. Bottom line.....The policies, procedures, and casework were all very different, and I was not feeling comfortable and confident in my new job.

This past month I participated in Mission: Put Together, a challenge to be creative and thoughtful in my dressing each morning, as well as a way to chronicle my outfits. I decided to take part in the challenge because I thought it would give me something exciting to do on the weekdays. I generally enjoy getting all gussied up, but most days (during my funk) resorted to khakis and cable sweaters because I felt uninspired and dreaded going to work each day. Although I still love a classic khaki and cable sweater ensemble, wearing it daily was a little boring.

Following my first day of participation in M:PT, I immediately perked up and was excited to head to work in my spiffy little outfit each day. The comments and inspiration provided by the other M:PT members really helped to boost my spirits. Although I am sure getting used to my job and finally feeling as though I could handle the stress associated with working in my district were also at play, I think M:PT provided the kick in the butt I needed to feel like myself again. So thank you M:PT (including OPH and RA), the challenge and everyone's amazing comments helped improve my overall mood!

You can view my M:PT outfits here. Yes, I did wear a lot of jumpers ;)