My first full time working week in a decade & I'm EXHAUSTED, come give me sympathy haha

[Arrowfanatic]

Just that really. I've been super lucky to be able to be a SAHM for almost a decade and went back to work last wednesday.

This week has been my first full week and I'm EXHAUSTED (i also teach 2 evenings a week & 1 weekend morning) and I'm about to head into London for meetings which I'm sure I'm going to yawn my way through.

I slept dreadfully last night going over the days work in my head as I'm still learning & worried about making a mistake.

How long will it take before I get used to it

I'm not sure you will- especially now the evenings are darker. Make sure you plan holidays and days out and get a cleaner so that you can relax and enjoy the weekends.
Good luck and well done on completing your first week!

When I went back to work full-time after a few years, it floored me. The first week was horrific, you have my sympathy!

I thought it would gradually get better but I wasn't prepared to get ill. I caught every cold and bug going, because I'd mostly been at home and suddenly I was in a massive office and getting public transport every day.

You're now working full-time with an additional two evenings of work, and a weekend morning. Honestly, that's a lot. It will take ages, especially as you're using a lot of mental energy to learn new things.

Yes to cleaner. I got really ill and was permanently run down first 3 months. Eat well take zinc and vit D...

It took me about a month. It’s harder working in winter anyway so make sure you get fresh air every day and go to bed early when you can.

Yes took me about a month too.

Harder is getting used to having no time to do anything else in the week really.

I'd ditch your evening and weekend work asap. It'll be enough to be full time.

If your employer is decent they'll allow for a settling in period.

Why are you still working in the evenings?

What kind of a, work day do you have?

I'm a few years in working full time. Yea, it sucks. Big time ha!

Plan a few nice things to do, days out, a holiday if you can afford it. It keeps you going.

My ideal Friday night is curled up in front of the TV with a bottle of wine. I use that thought to literally get me through the week. I start the weekly clean/laundry mass on Thursday night so I can hit the floor running with the chores. I usually get it all done by Saturday lunch time.

Multiple DC all in various schools, can't afford a cleaner, shitty holidays, if any. Aim small, it's the little things that get you through (it is for me anyway!).

It's hard work though, really bloody hard work. It's a bit depressing tbh.

I was you a few years ago and I was on my knees with the exhaustion. I remember posting on here to ask when I had time to pluck my eyebrows - I felt like I never saw daylight.
All I can tell you is that you get used to it. It takes a while - in the meantime lower all your expectations about a tidy home, buy some ready meals, get the kids to do more. My biggest problem was my DH who had got used to me just being at home and available to do everything - the realisation that his weekends would now involve a week's ironing took a while to sink in. He got there in the end.
And now I can't being to imagine how I used to fill the days as a SAHM - it just becomes the new normal. Good luck :).

Give yourself one to two months to build up stamina. Eat well, limit junk food and alcohol, exercise moderately and you'll get through.

You have taken on way too much.

If you have a full time job you can't work evenings and weekends too. You will get sick.

Cop on to yourself.

You already have children so now you have gone from 1 job to several jobs.

Cut out teaching in the evenings, weekends and meetings for a few months until you get used to working full time again. Good luck.

@OhioOhioOhio i own a karate club so teach at that. Its what keeps me sane and i love it, my students love it & I'd never quit. Martial arts are like my yoga, my happy place.

I've found all week i just have a scratchy throat. Wasnt helped by Euston closing yesterday so took me almost 4 hours to finally get home instead of 35 minutes.

I've spent all day today tearing about like a mad thing getting jobs done. DH is working 12 hour shifts this weekend so no back up either. Did manage to take the kids out to lunch though which was nice.

If i can get all the "chores" done today then once I'm done teaching tomorrow around 12.30pm i can relax till bath/bedtime. Oh, i do need to go & see my Nan. She has dementia and the impending clock change has her at panic stations, I'll do that tomorrow straight after teaching.

Its just getting used to organising my life to fit stuff into weekends. DH is going to have to pick up some slack i think on his rest days, something he isnt used to. He has no issue doing it, just has no clue what he needs to do unless i tell him, but then the last decade he hasnt had to i suppose. I just kind of did everything because i could.