HUM 6930

Wheel of Wellness

Career 

 

Orem's theory of self-care concerns the practice of those activities an individual does on their own behalf to maintain their life, health and personal well being. This week we look at career and how it affects our ability to perform self-care for ourselves. As arts in medicine practitioners, students, wives, mothers, and grandmothers, we are often in danger of taking on more than we should and doing for others that we are at the risk of forgetting to apply our own self-care.

Fortunately for me, I have a built in system that tells me when I am on overload. By built in, I mean that I am old enough to recognize symptoms of doing too much, not eating well, not getting enough sleep and so on. When I start to notice my skin breaking out, my body feeling tired and achy, pounds adding on, or my temperament on edge, I know I must pull back and get back on track to wellness. 

Forty years in the demanding, deadline oriented advertising industry, raising a family, moving 18 times in 20 years, volunteering for my art groups and my child's scouting troup nearly burned me out. After my divorce from my second husband 15 years ago,  I restarted my life and really try hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well, getting regular medical care, getting some exercise, going to bed at a reasonable hour and being with people that are loving and supporting. 

Since 1998, I have been at a career level that allowed me to have 6 weeks of vacation a year ( 4 weeks vacation, 18 days of sick leave and all holidays). Until I remarried in 2004, most of those days were either taken in pay as we needed the income more than the time off. Or so I thought. After the divorce I went into counseling because I knew I needed help on many levels. Not only did this help me get to a good place, it also taught me that putting myself first was okay and that I deserved and needed to take time off to do nothing if that was my choice.

People think my now husband and I are crazy for taking a minimum of 4 cruises a year, but I can tell you that it totally replenishes the well for us. We spread it out over the year so that it is once a quarter. We come back refreshed, recharged and ready for action. It's great to turn off the phones, TV and computers and just be. We will continue this respite for as long as we can as it brings us closer together and brings joy to our lives every time.