Career Talk

Coping With Chronic Depression I

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By Name Withheld

Despite my chronic depression, I did go on the market and had a successful interview at a national conference followed up by an on-campus interview at a fine liberal-arts college. I also interviewed at a small, local college for another position, which I eventually got.

I managed to do this by employing several strategies:

• Realizing that trying medication wasn't the end of the world and was worth a shot. It helped tremendously, and I was soon able to wean off the fast-acting, anti-anxiety medication and stay on a low dose of anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication. Just knowing the fast-acting pills were there gave me comfort.

• Realizing that I HAD to take very good care of myself. I exercised a lot, cut myself as much slack as possible, tried hard to sleep enough, and found ways to be much less of a perfectionist about my teaching.

• Accepting that my course wasn't the center of my students' lives (the way it often was for mine). If my lecture was less than completely awe-inspiring, it wasn't going to wreck their day.

• Enlisting support -- from a counselor, friends, family, and my husband.

• Deep breathing, especially before interviews.

• Reminding myself that if a place didn't want me, it probably wouldn't be a good fit for me anyway.

• >Thinking about other options, and realizing I wouldn't die if I didn't get a full-time teaching position.

• Finding excellent daycare for my baby.

• Having my husband come with me to the campus interview for moral support and so he could check out the area.

I never mentioned my struggle with depression to the people with whom I was interviewing. But I didn't feel like I was "hiding" it either. The subject never came up. And I decided that this was a personal problem -- and not something I'm going to share with interviewers.