Arc's Post-A-Lot

[galled]

It's a pretty good resource and that guy's voice just seems so calming!

I know this may sound silly and perhaps you may have considered it, but it doesn't take a lot of coffee (caffeine) to give me the jitters (ramp up my anxiety, heartrate, sweats, start thinking in circles, etc.). Don't get me wrong the amp from caffeine helps me think/operate when I'm sluggish, but I've experienced the other end when I'm beyond the "good" zone. The thing that saved me was learning to recognize when it's happening.

Well, you can use your free time at work to hang out on Windlyn! LOL

[Arc]

Hmm, I'll have to pay closer attention to myself when or after I drink it. It usually doesn't have much of an effect on me other than making me tired, but the other day at work I had a really bad anxiety attack (it felt more like a panic attack), and I drank a few sips earlier in the shift before it happened.

[galled]

Yep, it feels like a panic attack is how I would describe it. The trouble I have is it takes a while for the caffeine to go through my system. It's just a little comforting to know/realize that it's the caffeine causing the problem and not some immediate danger/factor.

The giant glass of wine might temporarily counteract the stimulant tho... (ONLY KIDDING!!!!!)

[Arc]

Yeah, I bet that's reassuring! :'O

I would love a giant glass of wine, though. xD Cheers to the weekend!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Now that you say that, some caffeine doesn't bother me & some definitely give me an anxiety feel.
I can make coffee at home & have no issues but some of those Cafe drinks, like Starbucks, can get me jittery. I can feel the buzz .. that's why I usually get the ones with more milk, seems like it dilutes them.

My boss gave me a Bai vitamin water drink to try & it had way too much caffeine in it for me. Definitely could feel it. Good thing I only poured a bit in a cup & didn't drink the whole bottle or I would've been in high anxiety mode...and once I am up there it seems to take hours to go through my system, like literally 6-8 hours or longer!

Got to get to know how our bodies react & minimize that impact.

[galled]

I think the caffeine affects us like alcohol--it depends on your current physical (including rest/sleep) and mental state, what you've eaten, etc.. I've also found that the environment has a lot of influence too (temperature, light, and sound--think loud music, flashing lights, a/c at a club vs a dark, quiet, warm room).

The important bit is to be body-aware and recognize when you've had too much or better yet when you're nearing too much.

It takes me a few hours for it to clear out of my system too!

[Arc]

I'm so annoyed. I ordered a dress for a Halloween party for this weekend, and the dress is so unflattering and doesn't fit me at all. I can't find a similar dress at any of the stores near me, and I don't have extra money to buy a new dress online with expedited shipping. And when I thought I found a good enough dress to fall back on on Old Navy's website, I visited the store today and they were out of stock. I genuinely don't know what to do. It's not the end of the world, but I'm so frustrated. The dress is a small but fits like a large, and when I tried synching it to make it fit better, the overall appearance was unflattering due to the folds and wrinkles from all the extra material.

I was so excited about my costume idea, but now I don't even want to bother with it. I can't return the dress either because all sales are final. Ugh.

[Arc]

I found a cheap dress on clearance that I might try my chances at, but it's at a store 42 minutes away. At this point I'm almost willing to take chance on it, I don't care anymore...

[Deleted rant about being tired of my job].

[galled]

So sorry about the dress/cosplay and the job sitch. I wonder if the frustrations of both are just adding up to too much? The stress from the dress thing will be over in a few days, so that'll be one thing off the plate one way or another.

As for the job, you're in the medical field? Receptionist? Do you have any medical training or do your skills apply to other industries (dental, health insurance, etc.)?

It'll get figured out! Hang in there!

[Arc]

I think the stress of the dress, me feeling overwhelmed at work today, and seeing my list of rejected applications (which caused me to think of all the places I still haven't heard back from these past few weeks/ months) triggered my little melt down.

I'm a dental receptionist, but I have no interest in continuing to work in this field or any medical field, tbh. My friend is a dentist and when he was still in dental school he suggested I'd give the field a try since I didn't know what to do at that point in my life. It's not a terrible field and learning about some stuff has been interesting, but it's not the field for me and I'm ready to move on. I've been trying to leave since last year. Everyday isn't bad and dreadful, though. I don't want to make it seem like it's a hell hole.

Everything will figure itself out. I just had a moment of weakness. = =;

[galled]

What are the places you're applying to--also dental ones or something else?

I image the work load at a dental office must vary on how busy the office is (number of dentists and patients). I had to visit an oral surgeon the other day and I guess because the procedures take longer reception didn't seem very busy.

I don't know much about the medical/dental field other than there seems to be shortage of employees. I know the Urgent Care have a huge turnover of receptionists. Talking to the doctors, it's very frustrating to everyone )(including them). They can't keep people or they just quit. Not sure what's worse.

Building on the skill set you've used in your professional work, I would think another direction you might consider be a combo that involves art somehow. I don't know how populated where you live, but perhaps a museum or art stores would be a good fit?

On the positive side, it doesn't sound like your job is in jeopardy, so you do have time to explore options. Focus on the positive!

[Arc]

I've mostly been applying to administrative jobs in the art department on the campus I work at, art stores, art galleries, coffee shops (surprisingly I've been getting rejected), bookstores, libraries, and even a couple positions at the art college I went to. I either don't hear anything back from these jobs, or am told I don't qualify. Bruh. = =;;

I'm not surprised that there's a high turnover rate in the medical/ dental field. For a while my job was very understaffed, so some people left due to the workload (which made it worse for the ones who stayed), but others left to pursue the fields they truly wanted to do. Some left because they got tired of dealing with patients, and some found better paying remote jobs (I'm so jelly).

Now that I've calmed down, I decided to try on the dress again to avoid driving 42 minutes figure out how to make it work, and I think it'll be okay to wear now. Yayyy, I melted down for nothing. @~@;;

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Sometimes all you need is a break to see something in a new light. Glad you can make the dress work.

Also try Good will or thrift stores, always had some luck finding clothes for costumes there at a insane cheap[ price.
I do hat that, since covid shutdowns, it seems local stores don't have product in store. I do try to order where i can do returns free or drop at store.
If you sew you can always re-use the material to make something else.

Dental receptionist is a stressful job. i tried it for a bit, dealing with insurances & trying to get money from people was horrible. Wasn't too bad calling to remind about appointments or write out reminders, pull files for the day ... but some of the other stuff was so hectic. Sadly one time we forgot about a patient that came in for an emergency appointment & they waited for like an hour in the waiting room. I learned from that to ask if you think it is taking a long time to get in!!

[Arc]

Wow, an hour is a long time to wait, especially for an emergency. o-o Did the patient get mad at you and your coworkers for having to wait so long? There have been a few patients who've gotten loud and irate with my coworkers and I, and some who are very rude and entitled. = =*

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Emergency tooth ache is not as bad as emergency health issue but anytime soemone has to wait unnecessarily is not a good thing.
Although one time I was at the Doctor's they put me in the room & then forgot about me! After 30 minutes I opened the door to ask staff how much longer it was going to be.

When it has to do with money, patients tend to get irate. We would have to go through their treatment plans & have to have them sign off that they had been "informed". I'm ok telling them what needs to be done but not how much it costs & trying to justify it!
At least there are programs now to help patients pay over time. The lump sum of thousands of dollars for crowns etc is hard to digest. I never understood why a Dentist would accept one payment for insurance (much lower cost) and with a cash patient charge the full price. why not give the cash patient the same pricing as the insurance? It's the same work. Some Dentists give 5-10% off if you pay cash -unless you pay with a credit card then no discount because of the fee the credit cards charge to use their service.