YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Alright everybody here is my scorecard

34 yr old Male
Married
Father of two
Depression
General anxiety disorder
ADHD
Nervous Breakdown

I'm a mess...I had my nervous breakdown while I was employed as a teacher, they were not sympathetic, and lost my job because of it. So now I am virtually unemployable as an educator and am now grossly underearning in a sales position that I feel might be sucking out large chunks of my soul everyday. I am on meds for my depression and anxiety and am attending regular counseling, but it is still really hard for me to feel positive about the future. The fact that I am so underemployed is the biggest cause for my anguish right now. My current job is so far beneath me and my abilities but I don't know how to recover. I don't know what to do next...even posting this here seems like a desperate clutching at straws that leaves me feeling pathetic. I want to do great things, but I feel so trapped by my past. I don't know what to do, and that is leaving more deflated that I can put into words. I am utterly lost.

hugs,

I identify on many levels.

Big hugs and welcomes! I can't believe they would fire you over that. It sounds like something that should be illegal or something. :/

There are a few topics here about under earning and the like around the forum that might be helpful for you.

Best of luck!

Hey!

You are not alone when it comes to underearning. Here is a thread relating my struggles with it from this summer:

http://mentalpod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=8186

Speaking only for myself, underearning will destroy/kill me sooner or later. Unless I take action. I have found Good Orderly Direction, and in fact healing, through my Higher Power, Richard Nelson Bolles, author of "What Color is Your Parachute". I say this without being flip; underearning is no laughing matter.

I hope things work out for you.

A little tough love lesson I had to learn: I was able to stumble, half asleep, into underearning. To the extent that I am leaving it, I had to stride, stride towards a North Star.

I hope things get better for you.

There is hope.

Welcome dude. Like many others, I can relate to your employment woes. Hope to see ya around these parts!

Greetings to you too!

There is such much of your story I can relate to. Thank you for sharing.

Hug!