Aimee has been under a lot of pressure recently; she is fully qualified as a stylist as of the end of May, and the stress of it really got to her.
She's doing the same days, and hours as when she was a trainee, but now has a lot of responsibility and a ton of stress that comes with that, and the type of work it is. One wrong cut and she could get complaints and would have the guilt of ruining someone's hair.
Asking For Days To Be Cut
She was looking to drop a day, in order to get some more time to herself, and that we could all spend as a family, as opposed to the few hours we get in the evening.
But, since she's so new as a fully qualified stylist, she was told she had to build up her speed, and experience, even though the pressure of everything has slowed her down, given her some bad anxiety, and in general, been making her miserable.
Close to quitting, we discussed it a good few times, and I'd be in support of whatever decision she made, but did suggest exhausting all possible solutions to the issue, before making any drastic decisions.
After spending so many years studying, and training, it would be a shame to throw it all away, but her mental, and physical health is more important than a job she's starting to dislike. So, it's a bit of a tough call to make.
Some long discussions and a lot of thinking led her to make a trip to the doctors, to see if they could potentially sign her off for one day. She was honest with them about her situation, and the doctor actually gave her 2 weeks off, to get herself together, and just de-stress in general.
First Week Off
It has been really good for her so far. The days I was off were great, and we were able to spend some great time together as a family, taking Kaleb out, and in general just relaxing.
It's kind of funny, she has been trying to cut her time, as I've been taking more time in work, picking up any days, or hours that are available to take. I enjoy what I'm doing, even though in the back of my mind, I don't like not being able to have more time to spend as a unit.
This last week has been great though. Aimee has gotten back into her art/embroidery and has some cool canvases she's working on at the moment. To be honest, she could easily sell the stuff she makes, but she just gives it all away to friends and family.
Other than doing her hobbies again, we've been able to spend a few days out with Kaleb, which is also great. Usually, we take him out singly, depending on the weather, and what days we're both in. We don't get a lot of time off together, so making the most of it has been really good.
She is going to have another meeting with the doctor after this time off, and see if there is a way to have herself marked down for an extra day off a week; fingers crossed that she can. Nothing is worth running yourself into the ground over.
