Macaroon, unfortunately I said too much to all sorts of audiences. I was out of my mind...
I wish someone had reminded me that the tenure-track is a 5-year long interview.
Yeah, but all you did was "say things". You didn't, for example, urinate on anyone's door (or did you? is this you?)
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-cal-state-northridge-professor-pees-on-door,0,7516367.storyOr go joy riding in an ambulance:
http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/04/unc_professor_arrested_charged_with_stealing_ambulanceIt's crazy making, the tenure track, it really is. You got paranoid and had some "distorted thinking", and now, you're "catastrophizing" and "focusing on the negative", while "dismissing the positive". You also sound like you're trapped in "black and white" thinking. I hope you can break out of this, but the first step out of the bad thought patters is recognizing that you are in these bad thought patterns in the first place. And yeah, it might be over for you. However, it might not be, and part of salvaging your career and your sanity HAS to be breaking out of the distorted thinking trap.
When I was a postdoc, I often had lunch with a young faculty member (who now has tenure) and heard all sorts of this crazy stuff come out of his mouth. Now I have the same thoughts in my own head, too. Even if they are
accurate, they are completely unhelpful.
I almost peed myself with the peeing professor story.
Ahem.
Everyone gets anxious and says some crazy stuff. I did this at work after two years of being the quiet, type A organized colleague. People looked a bit surprised and then almost relieved. Everyone wines and gets anxious. Sometimes its good to show you're vulnerable so they sympathize with you. Just don't do it too often. You have 4-5 more years afterall. Chill out, enjoy having a tenure track job and work towards making sure you feel stable.