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02: Zeitgebers, who needs 'em
My job Depression Sleep
I work an unconventional shift pattern. I do three 12-hour shifts a week, and the exact time/days that I have to work those shifts changes every week. It goes like this:
Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday (7AM - 7PM)
Sunday night - Monday night - Tuesday night (7PM - 7AM)
Thursday - Friday - Saturday (7AM - 7PM)
Wednesday night - Thursday night - Friday night (7PM - 7AM)
The benefits and the downsides to working such a shift pattern are both extreme. On the one hand, I have lots of free time and, because of the hours I have to do my pay is very good. On the other, working for 12 hours straight can be very exhausting physically and mentally, and on top of that having to adjust my body clock back and forth between being diurnal and noctural can be even more draining. During my waking hours between night shifts I find myself very irritable and find it difficult to concentrate on things. Because of the length of my shifts I try to get a decent night's (or day's) kip, which leaves me with only a few hours to myself between shifts. I'm like a zombie some days, following an automatic routine between waking up, going to work and coming home. Sometimes I feel a bit depressed thinking about what kind of longterm effects working these shifts might have on my mental wellbeing. Some of the people I work with have been doing that same job for 20+ years, and they're... not the brightest lightstones in the cavern, shall we say. I can't help thinking if they were that way when they started out.
Incidentally I'm not fishing for compliments or pity here. It's just something I'd like my friends on BZPower to see. If I ever seem snappy or uninterested when talking to you, this is the reason.
