Quit my job - Need mental health advice

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Recently I quit my job. I was a teacher for 3 years at a college in the UK. Throughout my time there I experienced severe stress, depression and anxiety. I would overanalyze everything and become burned out. Simply walking down the corridor would make me feel nervous and uneasy. I became a very timid individual due to my lack of social skills.

Unfortunately I suffered in silence, never taking any time off for sick or even speaking to my manager about my difficulties. My department was very small, lacking in staff and whenever someone took time off everyone else would moan like crazy. I tried to recover throughout the summer holidays but it didn’t work, so I handed in my notice when I came back.

As of now I am determined to sort myself out. I’m going to see the doctor tomorrow and I intend on joining a support group as I did once before. Apart from volunteering I don’t know what else to do. Financially I’m ok so not too worried about getting another job just yet.

I’ve learnt some very valuable life lessons recently. Most importantly that I must seek any help I can get. Therefore, I ask for your advice or even for you to share similar experiences. I’m trying to stay positive, as I don’t want to get stuck in a rut.

It sounds like you made the best, or possibly only, choice in the situation. Even with accommodations it does not sound like you would have enjoyed this job. At least you know what you don't want to do and can use that information to guide you choices in the future.

I think the volunteering sounds like a good option. Will you use that to explore other fields?
What subjects you were teaching? Your choice if you want to disclose that or not.

It's good that you have some financial security, but try not to leave it too long before you get back on the horse, good luck.

I want to try volunteering to see if there are other vocations I like. Also I want to do it to impriove my social skills in a not so difficult enviorment. I often got drained of energy due to the crowds of students, resulting me to withdraw more and more from social contact outside of work.

I taught engineering before and I still love the subject, although sometimes when I think about it, I cant help but be reminded of my last job. I'm doing a lot of machinery repair at home at the moment to keep me busy and it's rewarding.

My goal is to have a consistent weekly income by the new year.

It sounds like you are doing reasonably well in the situation. I'm not trying to make light of the things that affect your life in any way.

I would like to suggest that if you want advice about a specific mental health issue then it would be better to ask specific questions. It seems a bit vague to me which subjects you would like advice on.

About volunteering: keep in mind that idealistic organizations can be badly organized and be heavily based on personal relationships - it might be good to spend a bit of time finding the one that is right for you.

Ever thought about online teaching or tutoring?

You could teach for something like Kaplan--and maybe make decent money.