Wow! It’s been a hectic semester for me. I have a ton of things I want to write about and have fallen behind on my blog. Oh well – life happens. The good news is that the things that have made the semester hectic are generally good things. I’m feeling really lucky with how wonderful my life is right now. I’m a bit overloaded with work (in exchange for a light spring semester), but other than that, there is absolutely nothing I can complain about. So with that, on to my life update.
First Big Update: I Have a New Job Title
Last year, I wrote about making the change from Adjunct Lecturer to Lecturer. During the summer, though, I was actually promoted from Lecturer to Assistant Teaching Professor. In practice, this promotion has very little effect on my job. My focus is still teaching, I still don’t do research, I’m still not on the tenure-track (nor do I want to be), and I still have a great flexible schedule and lots of autonomy. That said, I’m the first in the entire UA College of Engineering to be put on this new teaching professor track. It’s nice to know they’re making a commitment to teaching as a profession, and that my committee believes I’m a key part of advancing engineering instruction in our college.
The promotion also came with a (very small) raise, as well as a 3-year rolling contract rather than a year-to-year contract. What I’m most pleased with, though, is my college and department showing a commitment to engineering education.
Second Big Update: I am now seeing my therapist monthly instead of weekly
I’ve written about my battle with depression on a number of occasions, for instance in this post about depression and scuba diving. This year, I’ve mentioned it in a few posts but haven’t really focused on it, so it’s time for an update.
I’ve been off all depression-related medicines for more than a year. I had previously gone off them, but then cycled on again after 6 or 8 months (I don’t remember exactly). That time around, I had continued seeing my therapist weekly. This time though, it’s gone so well that my therapist and I have been slowly spacing out appointments. We’re now at one per month, and I think this is a good steady-state for us. I don’t have any intention of ever fully stopping therapy, so we will continue at once per month indefinitely. I’ve come to see how beneficial therapy is for me so I do want to continue with it in some capacity. We just don’t need as many appointments right now.
Of course, if I hit another rough patch, I will increase the frequency again as needed. And if it gets to the point where medication is necessary again, I will start back up on the Lexapro. But for now, I feel very comfortable with my current treatment plan. That’s not to say I don’t still have low days – I do. But I’m healthy enough and now knowledgeable enough that I’m able to pull myself out much quicker than before.
Looking Ahead
There are a few weeks left of this semester, but after that I have some really exciting things coming up. I’ll be traveling to Peru in a few weeks and have a trip to Costa Rica planned for the spring with a special someone who has been making my life all the more wonderful. My teaching load in the spring semester will be very light (to balance out this crazy fall semester!), so I’ll hopefully be able spend more time on everyday personal pursuits soon too. Things I want to do more of, in no particular order: write, cook, spend time outdoors, art classes, and spend time with people I care about. I’ll keep you updated!
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