[Sofia Bunny]

Hi Sophia,
So much to say, so lets get at it!
My company was having a slow down about 5 years ago, and many of the senior guys were going part time or retiring, So I offered to take a 32 hour week and work from home since all my work is done via VPN research etc, and my files are uploaded to the company server, So it made sense.
This meant I didnt have to drive 1.5 hour each way to work and back.
The big plus was that I was Bobbi 24/7. woke up did make up and had lots of fun picking out my dress or top and skirt for the day. WOOO HOOOO.
It was so much fun to be attending teleconferences all dressed up. Sometimes if it was boring I would use the time to epilate. hee hee.
After 2 years they moved the other guy I worked with and me to another division. Not a problem since we came with our own charge number and regular work.
Well the contract had some funding problems and we had to take vacation while the issue was resolved.
Our new division's people didnt know what we could do so they were not about to sign us up to help with their projects, hence vacation for a month.
The whole point of this long story is to force office time, face time. Get to know your new team mates and stay in their face and game.
Out of sight and out of mind are the telecommuters worst nightmare.
I know its tough leaving your work buds and you should make sure to keep in touch with them too.
Your life is about to get a whole lot better, but stay diligent and CYA
(cover your A$$)
Bobbi

Thank you so much Bobbi! Much appreciated, I am feeling loads better now. Still a bit of a downer in regards to no longer being part of IT, but what's done is done.

Luckily for me, the department I am moving into is not invisible, we are heavily depended upon for the day to day work of users. Process improvement, and a whole lot of other headaches. The whole group all works remotely, I was the only one going into the office. Now that I will joining their department, well now I will working from home as well. We all work very closely with one another. Just most of our communication is via email. The lovely joys of the digital age. But, like you said, a great positive out of all this, is that I can dress and wear what I want now during the day. Very exciting. Again, thank you so much Bobbi for replying in my time of need, I really appreciate it very very much!

[Sofia Bunny]

I am sorry to hear you are feeling stressed.

Hopefully you can still keep in touch with the friends you made at work.

There is a bright side to working at home too. You can work in your jammies, hehe or work in pretty dresses.

if you are feeling hungry, you do not need to wait until a break to eat. You can eat when you want. You will save a lot of time and gas by not having to drive back and forth to work everyday.

Is it possible that you can still hangout with the people you met at work? Maybe you can grab lunch with them from time to time, or something similar.

Hugs. Hang in there. xx

Thank you so much for the reply, I appreciate it tremendously. The commute will be fantastic! I will have to actually stock up on food while I am at home to avoid eating junk food all day! LOL It will take some effort on my part to keep in touch with my old colleagues, since I will not see them on a daily basis, and I have no need to go into the office it means that it will be on me to stop by and visit. We'll see how well that turns out. Again, thank you again for your reply during this rough time in my life!

[Sofia Bunny]

Sofia,

it is quite normal you feel emotional while overworked. And if you add some more stress from unexpected change... no wonder you feel how you feel. Emotions you feel are quite normal and needed - they protect us and give us our drive.

From my experience with many people, tendency to unexpected crying is often sign of anxiety and not sadness. I think you just feel anxious - about your work load and about the change in work. Just remember - anxiety is emotion that developed as a mechanism to prepare us for the change.

Yes, your situation is unpleasant and unexpected. But as other already commented, there are a lot of possible positives! You will have opportunity to work from home - so you will be more of a master of your time. (And ... yes, you can dress more ) You are afraid to loose your social connections - I understand that. It means you should acknowledge this danger and work to avoid it: Keep in touch with your old buddies. I also think you should try to make contacts with people in the new department. They are not IT guys, but people from other specialities have their own quirks. Moreover, I suppose most of your IT colleagues are guys. If it is so, by meeting people from other department you will maybe have opportunity to meet more females to socialise with, to observe and to learn from. My experience is that one can learn a lot about one's one feminine self by observing other women.

Just hold on... Keep in touch and keep us posted. I am personally interested how your situation is going to develop.

*HUGS*

Poly

Thank you so much Poly!!! *HUGS* Yes, too much too soon, and it really took me for a loop. I think I am better now, well better than where I was at last week!

In recent years, I started working less and less with my IT colleagues. It was just nice to take a break from everything and goof off for a minute or two with them, but that's been about it.

I've been working really close to the people in the other department, and yes they have their quirks as well, but sadly I am still in a class all to myself. I am their IT Nerd, and that perspective is not going to change.

Since everyone from this department works remotely, there will be little physical interaction with them. Most of our communication will be electronic, and many conference calls. So unfortunately in that regards not a whole lot to gain.

But as mentioned, there are a lot of positives in regards to this move. Hopefully everything turns out for the best! I will update in regards to how things are going once the change happens, and after I've been in the new situation for a few months.

Again thank you so much Poly for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it greatly and helped me in my time of need.

[tanysquirrel]

in regards to your stress, perhaps that has increased you T levels ( fight or flight)?

Stress can cause health issues, cause retention of fat due to higher cortisol levels, etc.. I am wondering it perhaps if the stress in and of itself might have given you a higher reading..

have you had your vitamin D levels checked?
low levels can lead to stress, depression, anxiety etc... I would, if I were you, have that checked next time you are at the Dr.'s ....

I take *when I remember* a 5000 i.u. pill a day. it takes a few weeks for your body to get to the "normal" levels it needs to maintain a healthy psyche. 10-20 min of sunlight on bare skin will also up your levels. (perhaps this is why sunbathers always seem stress/care free?). *hugs*