The hell is wrong with me? Please read.

[Quiet Stranger]

Your circadian rhythm is out of whack. That generally passes after a few weeks.

Say what now???

You are not used to working night shift. IE, your sleep pattern is disrupted. You will get used to this eventually though. And I believe these problems will pass when you do.

I really hope you're right cause as it is now it's driving me literally insane

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Some of you might remember me from my post about my new night shift job so this might be a cause of it.

Anyways, I'll just post what I messaged to a friend.

"I've been really depressed all day, I shouldn't be, my life is good, maybe it's my new job, I work back shift at the super store, I hear sleep deprivation can cause depression or at least lots of stress.

like today when I was at my girlfriends place I wanted to cry and I have no idea why, I guess I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep the job and there might be another possible job offer at Payless shoe source and I was thinking if I got a job there I wouldn't keep it, I kept thinking of my future and how I wouldn't really have one cause I wouldn't be able to keep the job(s)
I don't usually think about that stuff, working back shift is really hard.

and when I was leaving my girlfriends house I didn't wanna leave, I wanted to stay there with her (i mean I could have but I would have been lonely cause she had to go to bed)


yeah but like even now I wish she was awake so she could text me and I wouldn't be alone, I mean you're here but I can't explain it, i haven't been this way since I didn't want my friend joey going home so very long ago
I think my problem is that I really want someone to touch and hold right now, someone I can talk to, its probably why I still sleep with my stuffed mickey mouse so it feels like im holding someone as I go to sleep

i know i'll see her again but its like I can't wait, like I need them here now and always around me, maybe my adhd is acting up again, who knows

and even though i've only done two shifts so far, I feel like they'll fire me (not that i'd mind that too much) because I'm not as fast as the other people, and whenever I go in before a shift at least for this next one I always think I wont do good or something bad will happen like I fall asleep or I just give up, fuck I don't know whats wrong with me, i just want someone to hold me and to stroke
stroke my hair and say it will be okay
when my girlfriend was holding me I wanted to cry but decided not to.....I wish I wasn't so fucked up"


TLDR: Basically after my last shift I felt really depressed and stressed out, when I went to my girlfriends place I felt like I wanted to cry in her lap but decided not to, (it would have been hard to stop) and when she was going to bed I really wanted to stay but I would have been lonely cause she had to go to bed, it's like i needed her there with me, like all the time, to hold her or for her to hold me, you should just skim the post to know.

I don't know what it is but I haven't been like this since I was a kid when I didn't want to go home or for a friend to leave my place, I wish I knew what was wrong with me.

EDIT: Also this, I feel like I'm wasting time like when I try to stick to my sleeping pattern or sleep in, I feel like I should be doing something I can't explain it or maybe I'm just scared of my next shift so I don't want to the hours to fly by, by sleeping in.

I wouldn't actually mind if they just let me go, I mean I need the job to pay for my car but I don't think I'd really care if they let me go

My advice is see a professional. Short of that, maybe find a new job. Night shift/grave yard hours can really mess with you mentally. I would know. I work graveyard 7 days a week, and sometimes it just gets you extremely down. :x

How did you cope? Any hints or tips you could give me would be greatly appreciated

 

[Littlee300]

You're human. Thats what. Besides...happy people are not natural. A stand up comedian said it best.."Maybe its the happy people that are messed up"

How so? I don't agree. The kind of plastic happiness some people have by just throwing money and plastic surgery at everything, that's messed up. Not just weighing good and bad stuff together and coming out positive

And OP, ever considered it's because of the night shift? Being tired does some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, and even moreso when you have a glorified jetlag

Ok, fine. I guess naive and uninformed people are not really messed up. But the world sucks and is full of bad things. Anyone who is happy is either insane, or ignorant. (Not neccesarily the offensive kind)

Or they choose to not let the negative parts of life ruin the good in their life.

I understand that I'm not going to change your view, I can also respect your view, I'm just trying to explain to you why some people are happy and not messed up.

OT: Don't worry man, it'll all work out. I know it seems like it won't but just hang in there.

I remember when I was working night shifts, it was bloody hard to deal with anything, luckily I had just moved back into my dad's place at the time, so I didn't have too much to worry about other than learning to do my new job. I would suggest that you focus on how to sleep properly (a solid sleep pattern is always positive) then start working your social and physical needs in and everything should fall in to place.

As far as the loneliness goes... is there a mate or sibling/cousin/other family member that you can talk to and cry with and not worry about anything with? If so I suggest buying a case/pack of beer or what ever, going around and just talking to them. Let it all out, and see what they think.

Chances are that they know you and will end up saying something similar to what you've been told here, worry about one thing at a time and it'll sort it's self out. Just work on it all separately.

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Wait Ignore me I got AM and PM mixed up l:

 

[Quiet Stranger]

You're human. Thats what. Besides...happy people are not natural. A stand up comedian said it best.."Maybe its the happy people that are messed up"

How so? I don't agree. The kind of plastic happiness some people have by just throwing money and plastic surgery at everything, that's messed up. Not just weighing good and bad stuff together and coming out positive

And OP, ever considered it's because of the night shift? Being tired does some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, and even moreso when you have a glorified jetlag

Ok, fine. I guess naive and uninformed people are not really messed up. But the world sucks and is full of bad things. Anyone who is happy is either insane, or ignorant. (Not neccesarily the offensive kind)

Or they choose to not let the negative parts of life ruin the good in their life.

I understand that I'm not going to change your view, I can also respect your view, I'm just trying to explain to you why some people are happy and not messed up.

OT: Don't worry man, it'll all work out. I know it seems like it won't but just hang in there.

I remember when I was working night shifts, it was bloody hard to deal with anything, luckily I had just moved back into my dad's place at the time, so I didn't have too much to worry about other than learning to do my new job. I would suggest that you focus on how to sleep properly (a solid sleep pattern is always positive) then start working your social and physical needs in and everything should fall in to place.

As far as the loneliness goes... is there a mate or sibling/cousin/other family member that you can talk to and cry with and not worry about anything with? If so I suggest buying a case/pack of beer or what ever, going around and just talking to them. Let it all out, and see what they think.

Chances are that they know you and will end up saying something similar to what you've been told here, worry about one thing at a time and it'll sort it's self out. Just work on it all separately.

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Wait Ignore me I got AM and PM mixed up l:

Alright....do you still got some advice or anything?

 

[StBishop]

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Sorry the reply is a little delayed.

I've been busy with uni stuff and haven't been online much.

I actually had the exact same hours, I use to get home at about 6:15 - 6:45 most days, have some toast or left overs from my girlfriend's dinner (to start with she was my room mate so she cooked delicious food and I usually nicked it ) and had a shower, was asleep by about 7:30 and slept until like 8pm.
Then I had dinner got ready and went to work. I would spent alot of my time sleeping on weekdays to allow me to just stay up on the last day of the week leading into the weekend, I'd stay up all day and sleep after going out clubbing with mates all night, or sleep until about lunch time then hand out in the afternoon. Most of my firends would be pretty keen to sleep in on weekends too and party all night or simply come around after lunch, so it worked out well.

But the crux of the suggestion is this, sleep alot on weekdays, only leave enough time to go to work and fit in a little exercise (swim down the beach for 15 minuites in the early morning when no one is there, or ride your bike to and from work) then get bugger all (like 5 hours) sleep over the nights you're not working.

 

[StBishop]

You're human. Thats what. Besides...happy people are not natural. A stand up comedian said it best.."Maybe its the happy people that are messed up"

How so? I don't agree. The kind of plastic happiness some people have by just throwing money and plastic surgery at everything, that's messed up. Not just weighing good and bad stuff together and coming out positive

And OP, ever considered it's because of the night shift? Being tired does some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, and even moreso when you have a glorified jetlag

Ok, fine. I guess naive and uninformed people are not really messed up. But the world sucks and is full of bad things. Anyone who is happy is either insane, or ignorant. (Not neccesarily the offensive kind)

Or they choose to not let the negative parts of life ruin the good in their life.

I understand that I'm not going to change your view, I can also respect your view, I'm just trying to explain to you why some people are happy and not messed up.

OT: Don't worry man, it'll all work out. I know it seems like it won't but just hang in there.

I remember when I was working night shifts, it was bloody hard to deal with anything, luckily I had just moved back into my dad's place at the time, so I didn't have too much to worry about other than learning to do my new job. I would suggest that you focus on how to sleep properly (a solid sleep pattern is always positive) then start working your social and physical needs in and everything should fall in to place.

As far as the loneliness goes... is there a mate or sibling/cousin/other family member that you can talk to and cry with and not worry about anything with? If so I suggest buying a case/pack of beer or what ever, going around and just talking to them. Let it all out, and see what they think.

Chances are that they know you and will end up saying something similar to what you've been told here, worry about one thing at a time and it'll sort it's self out. Just work on it all separately.

It was not a comment made to be taken so literally. I do not think all happy people are messed up. I dont think even half of happy people are messed up. It was a joke about how people who are unhappy are viewed as messed up, and just twisting that.

My bad, sarcasm not translating well via text based communication and the internet being full of some people who have rather extreme opinions and all that.

I seem to have developed a habit of assuming that unusual/different to me =/= not true on the internet.

 

[Littlee300]

You're human. Thats what. Besides...happy people are not natural. A stand up comedian said it best.."Maybe its the happy people that are messed up"

How so? I don't agree. The kind of plastic happiness some people have by just throwing money and plastic surgery at everything, that's messed up. Not just weighing good and bad stuff together and coming out positive

And OP, ever considered it's because of the night shift? Being tired does some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, and even moreso when you have a glorified jetlag

Ok, fine. I guess naive and uninformed people are not really messed up. But the world sucks and is full of bad things. Anyone who is happy is either insane, or ignorant. (Not neccesarily the offensive kind)

Or they choose to not let the negative parts of life ruin the good in their life.

I understand that I'm not going to change your view, I can also respect your view, I'm just trying to explain to you why some people are happy and not messed up.

OT: Don't worry man, it'll all work out. I know it seems like it won't but just hang in there.

I remember when I was working night shifts, it was bloody hard to deal with anything, luckily I had just moved back into my dad's place at the time, so I didn't have too much to worry about other than learning to do my new job. I would suggest that you focus on how to sleep properly (a solid sleep pattern is always positive) then start working your social and physical needs in and everything should fall in to place.

As far as the loneliness goes... is there a mate or sibling/cousin/other family member that you can talk to and cry with and not worry about anything with? If so I suggest buying a case/pack of beer or what ever, going around and just talking to them. Let it all out, and see what they think.

Chances are that they know you and will end up saying something similar to what you've been told here, worry about one thing at a time and it'll sort it's self out. Just work on it all separately.

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Wait Ignore me I got AM and PM mixed up l:

Alright....do you still got some advice or anything?

Well, after spring break I felt like crying for no reason because I got 2 hours of sleep but because I was school so my personality always takes over and the pressure to not act weird or show my feelings kicked in too so I just laughed at it. That probably doesn't help, but still. You If you have to wake up at 6 AM it is best to sleep at 10 PM

 

[Quiet Stranger]

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Sorry the reply is a little delayed.

I've been busy with uni stuff and haven't been online much.

I actually had the exact same hours, I use to get home at about 6:15 - 6:45 most days, have some toast or left overs from my girlfriend's dinner (to start with she was my room mate so she cooked delicious food and I usually nicked it ) and had a shower, was asleep by about 7:30 and slept until like 8pm.
Then I had dinner got ready and went to work. I would spent alot of my time sleeping on weekdays to allow me to just stay up on the last day of the week leading into the weekend, I'd stay up all day and sleep after going out clubbing with mates all night, or sleep until about lunch time then hand out in the afternoon. Most of my firends would be pretty keen to sleep in on weekends too and party all night or simply come around after lunch, so it worked out well.

But the crux of the suggestion is this, sleep alot on weekdays, only leave enough time to go to work and fit in a little exercise (swim down the beach for 15 minuites in the early morning when no one is there, or ride your bike to and from work) then get bugger all (like 5 hours) sleep over the nights you're not working.

From what I understand this doesn't sound very good for me.

EDIT: Also when you say 7:30 you mean AM right?

 

[Quiet Stranger]

You're human. Thats what. Besides...happy people are not natural. A stand up comedian said it best.."Maybe its the happy people that are messed up"

How so? I don't agree. The kind of plastic happiness some people have by just throwing money and plastic surgery at everything, that's messed up. Not just weighing good and bad stuff together and coming out positive

And OP, ever considered it's because of the night shift? Being tired does some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, and even moreso when you have a glorified jetlag

Ok, fine. I guess naive and uninformed people are not really messed up. But the world sucks and is full of bad things. Anyone who is happy is either insane, or ignorant. (Not neccesarily the offensive kind)

Or they choose to not let the negative parts of life ruin the good in their life.

I understand that I'm not going to change your view, I can also respect your view, I'm just trying to explain to you why some people are happy and not messed up.

OT: Don't worry man, it'll all work out. I know it seems like it won't but just hang in there.

I remember when I was working night shifts, it was bloody hard to deal with anything, luckily I had just moved back into my dad's place at the time, so I didn't have too much to worry about other than learning to do my new job. I would suggest that you focus on how to sleep properly (a solid sleep pattern is always positive) then start working your social and physical needs in and everything should fall in to place.

As far as the loneliness goes... is there a mate or sibling/cousin/other family member that you can talk to and cry with and not worry about anything with? If so I suggest buying a case/pack of beer or what ever, going around and just talking to them. Let it all out, and see what they think.

Chances are that they know you and will end up saying something similar to what you've been told here, worry about one thing at a time and it'll sort it's self out. Just work on it all separately.

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Wait Ignore me I got AM and PM mixed up l:

Alright....do you still got some advice or anything?

Well, after spring break I felt like crying for no reason because I got 2 hours of sleep but because I was school so my personality always takes over and the pressure to not act weird or show my feelings kicked in too so I just laughed at it. That probably doesn't help, but still. You If you have to wake up at 6 AM it is best to sleep at 10 PM

Maybe I didn't do it right, my job starts at 10 PM and ends at 6 AM

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Some of you might remember me from my post about my new night shift job so this might be a cause of it.

Anyways, I'll just post what I messaged to a friend.

"I've been really depressed all day, I shouldn't be, my life is good, maybe it's my new job, I work back shift at the super store, I hear sleep deprivation can cause depression or at least lots of stress.

like today when I was at my girlfriends place I wanted to cry and I have no idea why, I guess I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep the job and there might be another possible job offer at Payless shoe source and I was thinking if I got a job there I wouldn't keep it, I kept thinking of my future and how I wouldn't really have one cause I wouldn't be able to keep the job(s)
I don't usually think about that stuff, working back shift is really hard.

and when I was leaving my girlfriends house I didn't wanna leave, I wanted to stay there with her (i mean I could have but I would have been lonely cause she had to go to bed)


yeah but like even now I wish she was awake so she could text me and I wouldn't be alone, I mean you're here but I can't explain it, i haven't been this way since I didn't want my friend joey going home so very long ago
I think my problem is that I really want someone to touch and hold right now, someone I can talk to, its probably why I still sleep with my stuffed mickey mouse so it feels like im holding someone as I go to sleep

i know i'll see her again but its like I can't wait, like I need them here now and always around me, maybe my adhd is acting up again, who knows

and even though i've only done two shifts so far, I feel like they'll fire me (not that i'd mind that too much) because I'm not as fast as the other people, and whenever I go in before a shift at least for this next one I always think I wont do good or something bad will happen like I fall asleep or I just give up, fuck I don't know whats wrong with me, i just want someone to hold me and to stroke
stroke my hair and say it will be okay
when my girlfriend was holding me I wanted to cry but decided not to.....I wish I wasn't so fucked up"


TLDR: Basically after my last shift I felt really depressed and stressed out, when I went to my girlfriends place I felt like I wanted to cry in her lap but decided not to, (it would have been hard to stop) and when she was going to bed I really wanted to stay but I would have been lonely cause she had to go to bed, it's like i needed her there with me, like all the time, to hold her or for her to hold me, you should just skim the post to know.

I don't know what it is but I haven't been like this since I was a kid when I didn't want to go home or for a friend to leave my place, I wish I knew what was wrong with me.

EDIT: Also this, I feel like I'm wasting time like when I try to stick to my sleeping pattern or sleep in, I feel like I should be doing something I can't explain it or maybe I'm just scared of my next shift so I don't want to the hours to fly by, by sleeping in.

I wouldn't actually mind if they just let me go, I mean I need the job to pay for my car but I don't think I'd really care if they let me go

My advice is see a professional. Short of that, maybe find a new job. Night shift/grave yard hours can really mess with you mentally. I would know. I work graveyard 7 days a week, and sometimes it just gets you extremely down. :x

How did you cope? Any hints or tips you could give me would be greatly appreciated

I'm toughing it out until I can get a new job. While I am ok some nights, there are a few nights that just wear on me heavily. Music helps though, particularly music that puts you in a good/positive mood. Snacks might help too. If I'm feeling down during the route (newspaper route in my case) I eat something tasty to perk myself up. :3

The hours are damaging to your body though. Many many people tell me that whenever I tell them my sleep schedule/work schedule. So it can degrade you slowly over time. :/

I hope this helps!

It kind of helps....except for the end of it, why'd you tell me that??? oh god!!

 

[StBishop]

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Sorry the reply is a little delayed.

I've been busy with uni stuff and haven't been online much.

I actually had the exact same hours, I use to get home at about 6:15 - 6:45 most days, have some toast or left overs from my girlfriend's dinner (to start with she was my room mate so she cooked delicious food and I usually nicked it ) and had a shower, was asleep by about 7:30 and slept until like 8pm.
Then I had dinner got ready and went to work. I would spent alot of my time sleeping on weekdays to allow me to just stay up on the last day of the week leading into the weekend, I'd stay up all day and sleep after going out clubbing with mates all night, or sleep until about lunch time then hand out in the afternoon. Most of my firends would be pretty keen to sleep in on weekends too and party all night or simply come around after lunch, so it worked out well.

But the crux of the suggestion is this, sleep alot on weekdays, only leave enough time to go to work and fit in a little exercise (swim down the beach for 15 minuites in the early morning when no one is there, or ride your bike to and from work) then get bugger all (like 5 hours) sleep over the nights you're not working.

From what I understand this doesn't sound very good for me.

EDIT: Also when you say 7:30 you mean AM right?

Yes, I would sleep from 7:30 am until 8:00 pm so like, just over 12 hours.

It basically follows the "trash-science" idea of a sleep debt. Where you can build up a debt of sleep by not getting enough sleep over the weekend and then "Pay it off" by getting extra sleep on week days. Most people do it the other way around, by not sleeping enough on work days then sleeping in on weekends.

It's not that bad really, I found it quite good, I was never tired and had a stack of energy. I think the exercise is important though. If you're not keeping active, all the binge sleeping will be really bad for you. You also may find that 12 hours sleep is way too much for you, some people can't sleep any more than 9 hours comfortably.

I would definitely suggest going to sleep before 10am, it gives you the option to see your girlfriend in between her finishing work and you starting work.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

My shifts are 10 to 6 in the morning, what do you think is a good sleeping pattern for that? I can't think of any, anything you could suggest would help

Sorry the reply is a little delayed.

I've been busy with uni stuff and haven't been online much.

I actually had the exact same hours, I use to get home at about 6:15 - 6:45 most days, have some toast or left overs from my girlfriend's dinner (to start with she was my room mate so she cooked delicious food and I usually nicked it ) and had a shower, was asleep by about 7:30 and slept until like 8pm.
Then I had dinner got ready and went to work. I would spent alot of my time sleeping on weekdays to allow me to just stay up on the last day of the week leading into the weekend, I'd stay up all day and sleep after going out clubbing with mates all night, or sleep until about lunch time then hand out in the afternoon. Most of my firends would be pretty keen to sleep in on weekends too and party all night or simply come around after lunch, so it worked out well.

But the crux of the suggestion is this, sleep alot on weekdays, only leave enough time to go to work and fit in a little exercise (swim down the beach for 15 minuites in the early morning when no one is there, or ride your bike to and from work) then get bugger all (like 5 hours) sleep over the nights you're not working.

From what I understand this doesn't sound very good for me.

EDIT: Also when you say 7:30 you mean AM right?

Yes, I would sleep from 7:30 am until 8:00 pm so like, just over 12 hours.

It basically follows the "trash-science" idea of a sleep debt. Where you can build up a debt of sleep by not getting enough sleep over the weekend and then "Pay it off" by getting extra sleep on week days. Most people do it the other way around, by not sleeping enough on work days then sleeping in on weekends.

It's not that bad really, I found it quite good, I was never tired and had a stack of energy. I think the exercise is important though. If you're not keeping active, all the binge sleeping will be really bad for you. You also may find that 12 hours sleep is way too much for you, some people can't sleep any more than 9 hours comfortably.

I would definitely suggest going to sleep before 10am, it gives you the option to see your girlfriend in between her finishing work and you starting work.

How the heck did you manage to sleep 12 hours? I can't even seem to sleep for very long before im woken up by....something

 

[p3t3r]

maybe you should have cried on her lap. i mean a good cry can sort alot of things out and if you had been seeing her for a while i'm sure she would have understood