Change or Adapt...?

[Some Guy]

From a TMS perspective, is it better to change or adapt?

Should I get out of stressful jobs, or learn to better adapt to them?

For some time (8 years) I've worn two hats - teacher and local politician. It's election year and I've been asked to have a punt at Mayor. I'm worried about my ever changing TMS/Nerve issues/Tension. Politics is so negative. On the positive - the Mayorship would give me more time flexibility, new challenges, and a great career goal achieved, but it would be a pay cut, reduce my pension significantly, and I'd be in the spotlight locally for 4 years, and FOR SURE there would be bad days/weeks/months.

I've always loved politics from a distance, but at all levels I've become more cynical of the whole deal (parties, people in government, issues) and honestly burnt out.

I could do what I'm doing now (both jobs), but I find teaching stressful (but I'm used to the routine after 20 years) and part time the council job (both together add up, but it's a nice pay boost and it's nice to have a voice to advocate for residents), or give up the politics as I'm burnt out, but then I'd just do teaching which would give me more time, but it's not challenging anymore and it's become quite routine, though I don't mind interacting with the kids - still best part of that job (mostly!). Certainly I would like to achieve more career wise.

So do I make career choice to avoid stresses, or work on strategies to adapt better?

By temperament, I'm a people pleasing highly sensitive person, though it often doesn't appear that way outwardly....

Thanks! (and I feel 5% better already just by this journaling!)

 

[Mani]

How do you feel about either?

 

[Adam Coloretti (coach)]

From a TMS perspective, is it better to change or adapt?

Should I get out of stressful jobs, or learn to better adapt to them?

For some time (8 years) I've worn two hats - teacher and local politician. It's election year and I've been asked to have a punt at Mayor. I'm worried about my ever changing TMS/Nerve issues/Tension. Politics is so negative. On the positive - the Mayorship would give me more time flexibility, new challenges, and a great career goal achieved, but it would be a pay cut, reduce my pension significantly, and I'd be in the spotlight locally for 4 years, and FOR SURE there would be bad days/weeks/months.

I've always loved politics from a distance, but at all levels I've become more cynical of the whole deal (parties, people in government, issues) and honestly burnt out.

I could do what I'm doing now (both jobs), but I find teaching stressful (but I'm used to the routine after 20 years) and part time the council job (both together add up, but it's a nice pay boost and it's nice to have a voice to advocate for residents), or give up the politics as I'm burnt out, but then I'd just do teaching which would give me more time, but it's not challenging anymore and it's become quite routine, though I don't mind interacting with the kids - still best part of that job (mostly!). Certainly I would like to achieve more career wise.

So do I make career choice to avoid stresses, or work on strategies to adapt better?

By temperament, I'm a people pleasing highly sensitive person, though it often doesn't appear that way outwardly....

Thanks! (and I feel 5% better already just by this journaling!)

As Mani alluded to, there's no right answer and it depends on you

I like to look at it like your intuition will already be leaning a certain way - people massively underrate intuition as they don't think it's had enough sort of rational scrutiny, but your intuition is intelligent and it does consider your values from my experience.

So, your intuition will be leaning one way but then your thoughts/fear emotions will go crazy (driven by your psyche which is based on fear and protection) - saying "what about this?" and "I can't do that because it will upset X". At the end of the day, you have to trust that your intuition will sufficiently take into account your morals/values, otherwise you'll forever question yourself. In theory, the mind may pick up something that your intuition has missed but I doubt it.

This might trivially basic, but I would literally ask myself what my gut feel says (before you give the mind a chance to fire up), or even better try to remember what your gut feel was the first time you thought about this (better because your mind has probably been playing with this for a long time now). Unless there's a major reason that your mind can come up with not to follow your gut (again, I think this will be rare), then that's where I'd go. I.e. Take the fear away, and what say you?

 

[BloodMoon]

@Some Guy Which option gives you any or the most joy? I was watching Raelan Agle's YouTube channel (she's interviewed 200+ people regarding their mind/body success stories) and she's concluded that the commonality for becoming symptom free and staying symptom free is fostering joy in your life.

 

[Some Guy]

Thank you for all the replies!

At this stage in my life, family, hobbies (aka fun), and health are most important.

If there was a clear path to this end I'd take that one. I'm super torn. I love the idea of going for Mayor (of course no guarantees and if I'm not successful then that solves a lot. I certainly believe I would have a good shot) and parts of that job I really like and others I dread (like many jobs). If teaching was relaxing I'd just do that instead, but I know despite being an old pro - it too ramps up my system.

If I had no health issues I'd probably have a punt at Mayor. It's a new challenge. But over my entire adult life my health has slowed me and held me back.

It would be about a $1000/mo hit to my pension, but I'd be able to take some of the Mayor salary and put it away to reduce this. I'd love disability/benefits too which are important.

My TMS/psychogenic issues have been severe heartburn for years (largely better but can still flair), benign fasciculation syndrome for years, and probably SFN. Interesting on the latter two, Chat says to have both BFS and SFN, absent of serious nerve finding, the only commonality is hyper-stimulated nervous system. I've always been very much 'in control' mentally - hence taking on higher stress jobs (teaching and civil politics in a densely populated city) but while I can keep it together mentally no problem, it all manifests in my body which I'm so done with....

So long story short, I don't know! Stress option A VS. Stress option B!

 

[Mani]

Because were on a tms forum id just advise you to follow your gut. Big decisions arent made with the head. Do what feels good and if it doesnt work, change course.

Dont feel bound by pension hits or whatever. What is most important is that you can live a joyful life. A lot of tmsers need to learn how to communicate with their bodies

 

[Ellen]

@Some Guy,

Recovery from TMS always requires internal psychological change. External, environmental changes usually only have a short term effect. Your TMS brain will go back to creating TMS symptoms eventually, no matter what is going on in your environment. The only way out is through. Work on what it is in your psyche (emotions, thoughts, personality) that is contributing to your brain creating TMS. I'm having trouble with the way you've worded your question, because being more adaptive requires change, but it is internal change rather than external.

Are you working on a daily TMS program?

 

[Diana-M]

Politics is so negative

I've always loved politics from a distance, but at all levels I've become more cynical of the whole deal

I don't mind interacting with the kids - still best part of that job

I'm worried about my ever changing TMS/Nerve issues/Tension.

honestly burnt out.

Should I get out of stressful jobs

I find teaching stressful

Hi @Some Guy
These lines in your post stood out to me. My gut feeling is you know the answer to your own question. You just need to trust yourself. And it’s also possible there’s a third choice you haven’t considered yet.