3) Seek out someone to talk to about your day, someone other than a loved one. They want to know about your day, but you don’t want to constantly unload on them, and telling them the scarier parts can make them feel powerless. Talking with coworkers can be good, but also can turn into a bitch session, which isn’t so helpful. A therapist or a support group of social work type employees is highly recommended. Then you can go over situations that bothered you in full detail and learn some coping mechanisms as well as adapt the way you communicate if you want or need to do so. For me a big deal was coping with security things like throwing people out of the library (a huge part of my job in a branch, unfortunately) – talking that out on a regular basis is absolutely vital.

1) It gets better; my first year here I was always feeling some form or another of burnout that spread to the fars ends of my life: home, relationships, sleep, and health. This second year has been very, very different. I’ve learned or adapted to the environment enough that I can be seperate but present. I still have rough days, but not rough weeks or months.

2) Regular excercize has helped immensely. Like, in a life changing fashion. I used to do yoga, and tried again for the first year or so I was here, but I couldn’t get into it for some reason. I realized, when I spoke to a fellow librarian who KICK BOXES, that I was trying to treat major anxiety and energy with relaxation which may have fit my old lifestyle, but not this one. Now I lift weights and wear myself out at a sweaty gym, and it’s perfect. Especially after a particularly stressful day – gym may sound like the last thing you want to do, but my body and brain now know that it feels good, not bad. I think this is something I had to wait until I was over the major burnout time to do, though.

I agree with @seth about not putting so much emphasis on all that went into planning this trip. Just look at it as a new experience, exploring a place you’ve not seen before and just let the adventures unfold!

I wish you a safe journey and the time of your life in Scotland!

you have three whole days of lounging about in a castle lined up at the end of this week – being fed, watered, and wined – that can set the pace for the rest of your time here. the castle’s been there 500 years already, so it’ll still be there if you decide to return some day.

the only other thing that i can recommend to help with sleeping is exercise. never mind the accepted wisdom of small regular sessions, building up over time .. nah, just go out for a massive, ill-judged, panic-inducing, will-my-legs-hold-me-up-any-longer walk or cycle over the weekend. come home, soak in a bath or shower til your fingers go wrinkly, eat loads and sleep the sleep of the dead. this kind of idiocy really helped me reset my sleep pattern a coupla years ago.

of course, you’ll be stiff as hell for the next few days and you’ll be walking funny and making noises every time you have to pick something up of the floor – but if anyone asks, just tell them it’s due to an overexuberant bout of experimental lovemaking and they’ll soon shut up.

or demand to see polaroids.

most of them just shut up, though.