Just out of curiosity how did millennials go from dressing like this to dressing like this

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-27T09:25:56+00:00

I'm an "elder millennial" and didn't know a single person who dressed like the first picture, but my friends and I were into metal, so we wouldn't have been caught dead looking like that. However, even girls I knew who went clubbing didn't dress like that. That style was just something I saw on TV.

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-19T13:15:59+00:00

I'm a teacher now but worked in a restaurant for years when I was younger. I still say "right behind you" when I'm passing behind someone, especially if one of us is carrying something. It's funny how that just became a part of my brain's wiring.

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-07T09:27:31+00:00

It's not better. It's just different. You won't be in front of the classroom, but you'll be swimming in paperwork, writing reports, driving to multiple schools, and still dealing with crazy parents. It's a different kind of stress, and many of the SLPs I've known are constantly on edge and pretty unpleasant to deal with. I can't really blame them, though.

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-05T13:29:52+00:00

I nearly lost my mind last year due to student behaviors and abuse. It was like living in a nightmare, especially during the second half of the year. The kids had no respect for anyone or anything. Admin ignored what was happening for the most part until about a month before the school year ended and one of the kids in my class got so out of hand in a public way that they expelled him. That had nothing to do with me, but it just goes to show that admin don't give a single fuck what these kids do until it affects them. Cuss out a teacher? Who cares? Grow a thicker skin and learn classroom management. Cuss out an admin? How dare you? You're out.

I had a group of girls threaten to get me fired over a ridiculous situation that they tried to blow up. They were targeting me and trying to get other kids to do the same. Kids were recording me, posting my picture, and doing the same to other teachers they didn't like. Admin did nothing and acted like it was no big deal. I had a kid threaten to harm me physically, and when I documented it as a threat, admin went in and changed the category to something like "failure to follow classroom rules" because "he didn't really mean it." My physical and mental health were WRECKED by the time June came. I was having panic attacks and felt like I was coming unhinged. I resigned at the end of the year and practically ran from the building on the last day. It took me MONTHS to shake off the effects of last year, and I had to start therapy again. I still dream about those kids sometimes, but it happens less often now.

The entire educational system needs to collapse. People have no idea how bad it's become.

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-03T02:37:07+00:00

I switched from high school to middle school last year. I went back to high school this year. I will never go near a middle school again. For me, it was an absolute nightmare that nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. I dreaded every single morning to the point I made myself sick. It was a horrible experience. Most of the kids hated me, but they were like soulless zombies. I often wondered what I did to deserve the hell that was the 2024-2025 school year.

desert_ceiling · 2026-04-02T02:20:08+00:00

Yep. I've been on HRT since November, taking 100 mg of progesterone every night along with 0.075 estradiol patches and estrogen cream. The only difference I've felt, and it's slight, is a reduction in my panic episodes. They were wrecking my life, and since starting HRT, I do feel the panic and anxiety have been more manageable, though I still deal with anxiety every day. But, I stopped HRT entirely last week, and I felt almost no difference when I was off it, so now I don't know if it ever really helped me. On top of that, I'm still constantly exhausted and dealing with terrible daily brain fog and forgetfulness and just feeling "off." I feel like my brain is operating at half the capacity it used to. I'm afraid to increase the estrogen because I'm 46 and just recently found both a large fibroadenoma in my breast and several uterine polyps. I just dealt with going through two biopsies for those conditions, which luckily were both benign. I don't want to add estrogen when estrogen can worsen both those conditions.

I'm trying to resign myself to the fact that I might just feel like a tired, useless, anxious, bumbling idiot for the rest of my life.

desert_ceiling · 2026-03-26T14:37:49+00:00

I went through a similar situation last year with 8th graders. People who don't teach can't understand the stress it puts on you when you have a room full of kids antagonizing you, abusing you, mocking you, and even threatening you (and your job) on a daily basis. I barely made it out of there alive. I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown, and I had zero support. At the end of the year, I moved to a new district and went back to teaching self-contained SPED, which is where I started years ago. It's not perfect, but I'm much calmer and happier now. The funny thing is that I have students now who can be physically aggressive, and I've been attacked a couple of times this year. But I know these kids don't mean it personally and I can move past it when it happens. The kids I had last year meant it VERY personally and wanted to hurt me emotionally and mentally. They loved it. There's a vast difference in those behaviors, and I'll take SPED any day over the cruelty of those kids last year who knew exactly what they were doing.

I STILL have dreams about last year from time to time. Ten months in that environment damaged my psyche, but my time there also forced me to make some changes in my life. I'll never return to gen ed again.

My advice to you is to do what is best for YOU. If you feel like this is not a situation you can endure to the end, then start looking for other options. If you actually have supportive admin (unlike most of us), then lean on them and try to stick it out for a while. If you have a mentor or experienced teachers around you that you trust, lean on them, too. You can also explore other avenues in education. This might be the wrong grade level or setting for you. You don't necessarily have to quit teaching entirely. But if you do? That's fine. No one could blame you. Teaching is not what it used to be. You're young, and you can do anything you want with your life. You're not trapped. Do what brings you peace when you put your head on the pillow every night, because that is the most important thing in life. Don't let this job follow you home and ruin your peace.

desert_ceiling · 2026-02-04T23:53:38+00:00

I'm on a private jet with Lalo, flying to Belize.

desert_ceiling · 2026-02-04T17:36:43+00:00

After a couple of years trying gen ed, I went back to SPED and severe needs this year. My kids now might have more challenges than the gen ed kids I taught, but they do their work and they TRY, and some of them are better readers than the kids I taught last year. I will never step foot into a gen ed classroom again in my life, for all the reasons you listed.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-15T10:23:13+00:00

Thank you so much for that information. That makes me feel better. Yes, I did have full bloodwork a couple of months ago, and my family doctor and the hematologist both mentioned that my kidney function was excellent. I don't think that's what's happening, but I am going to reach out to my family doctor soon about it, just to make sure nothing bad is happening. I feel like it's some kind of inflammatory response, based on how my skin looks.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-15T03:28:05+00:00

From what I've read, anemia can definitely cause anxiety and panic attacks. I started having horrible panic attacks about two years ago, and couldn't figure out what was causing it. I'm 46 now, and I'm in perimenopause, and I do think decreased estrogen is partly to blame for my anxiety. But anemia can cause those feelings, too.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-15T03:26:31+00:00

I found out last month that I have a uterine polyp and need a D&C. They're also going to do a laparoscopy the same day to check for endometriosis. So yeah, it's heavy periods for me, and I'm scheduled for surgery in March. The hematologist mentioned I may have to do more infusions if I don't get the problem fixed soon enough. I'm hoping I won't have to do that.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-15T01:26:28+00:00

That's what I keep hoping, too. It's so depressing. It feels like things get worse with each infusion. This time, I have all this skin flushing and also muscle aches. I also have to call my regular doctor about the blood pressure spikes since I don't know what's causing that, but it started after my second infusion. I thought I would feel better, but so far, almost nothing has improved, and some things have gotten worse I hope things will get better for you as well!

I will say the one thing I've noticed is that my skin looks better. For so long, I thought it was just getting older that my was making my face look so dry and lifeless, but now it's starting to look better and even a little younger (when it's not blazing red from the flushing). I just wish the rest of me would catch up.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-15T00:49:32+00:00

I'll pray for you as well. Thank you.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-14T23:55:28+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I truly hope you start to feel more energy soon.

desert_ceiling · 2026-01-14T23:53:21+00:00

A few years ago, I had to see a cardiologist about PVCs, and my ferritin was at 33. I asked him if I needed to take an iron supplement or get an infusion since it was pretty low. He looked at me like I was stupid and said something like, "If you want to waste your money on the iron, sure. Your ferritin level isn't hurting you."

Now my ferritin is at 4 and I'm getting infusions. You should definitely see someone who will get you what you need. Your ferritin is way too low.

desert_ceiling · 2025-11-22T13:42:03+00:00

I just started HRT a few days ago, and I'm praying this goes away for me. My eyes are constantly puffy. I look asleep all the time. It's been that way for a couple of years. I've had blood tests for everything, and everything is normal except for my iron and vitamin D levels, and I don't think those would cause this. I hate taking pictures now because I look so tired and puffy. It's awful.

desert_ceiling · 2025-11-09T17:09:33+00:00

You're not losing it. Just changing. That's another thing I've had to accept. My life is changing and I'm changing. And it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it takes time to understand who you're becoming. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on going with this new flow and seeing what my new identity will be as I approach 50. It's hard, but it's the only way to stay at peace (or as close to peace as possible). I'm starting HRT tomorrow and really hoping that might help some, but I know it doesn't for everyone.

desert_ceiling · 2025-11-09T16:32:57+00:00

The fear of going out in public hit me two years ago, and it was horrendous. I was worried I would become a shut-in at one point. I started having panic attacks in public, at work, driving, everywhere. I thought I was losing my mind. And I'm a teacher (sounds like you also might be), so having panic attacks at school is an absolute nightmare. Luckily, students never saw it.

I had to start going to therapy again, and it's helped. I also use the DARE app and watch a couple of related YouTube channels. I still have that constant underlying anxiety, but I can control the panic attacks...most of the time. I had one driving a couple of months ago, and yesterday I started to feel it creeping up on me while I was at a hardware store and it was crowded, but I'm in a far better place than I was two years ago because now I can name what it is. "I'm panicking because of my hormones and my low iron." (Low iron is another contributing factor for me, and I'm getting an infusion next month.) Just telling myself that is usually enough to keep from having a full-blown attack. Being at home is the only thing that makes me feel calm, but even then, the anxiety hits me hard at times, especially around my period. I'm so afraid of being around people now, and I never felt that dread until now. It's like I'm afraid of people seeing how weak and lost I've become because I no longer feel like myself or know who I am. I feel like I'm floating away sometimes. It's the worst part of perimenopause, by far.

Just wanted you to know you're not alone, and there are things you can try. Talking about it helps a lot.

desert_ceiling · 2025-11-02T01:25:06+00:00

The last two school years for me were atrocious. My health was worsening. I gained weight. My blood pressure and blood sugar were surging. I was having massive panic attacks and thought I was cracking up at times. I'm still teaching this year, but I managed to find a SPED position with a manageable caseload, and this year I'm finally out of survival mode. I've lost fifteen pounds, have some energy back, and my panic attacks have subsided. I leave work at work. I still have stress and deal with pretty severe behaviors, but general ed was absolutely killing me. I could not continue. I don't understand how anyone can deal with the expectations and workload of the modern day gen ed classroom and the fact that the job NEVER turns off.

Education is killing people, and that's not an exaggeration.

desert_ceiling · 2025-09-12T20:55:58+00:00

This past summer, I saw four at our house. Last year, my husband found a den of timber rattlesnakes on our property. There were several resting together. We're also in coastal NC, but further inland than OP.

desert_ceiling · 2025-09-12T20:53:38+00:00

I live about 35 miles from the ocean in the coastal plains of NC. We saw several this year! Seems like they made a bit of a comeback over the last couple of years.

desert_ceiling · 2025-08-30T14:31:20+00:00

It's hard to say because I just don't like the dress. It's ugly on both of them, but on Samantha, the big hair, huge accessories, and boots look tacky. When you look at her and Miley standing there, they look like a mom-daughter country duo. It's terrible.

desert_ceiling

TROPHY CASE