Don't Forget YOU

Beyond SW

Don't neglect your:

1) HEALTH

I am the very last person to talk about this. I have just been diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency from never seeing the sun and not eating correctly. But it is still important to say. I used to exercise 1 hour a day. I think I managed 1 hour in the last YEAR. I did try this for a while:

It's an under desk exercise machine. It's cool. It's sitting in a closet....

2) MENTAL HEALTH

Take your meds if you need them. Get them if it gets too much. Talk to your friends. Talk to a counselor if you need one. No shame, this is tough. It's hard. it's lonely. read something that is not nursing-related. Do something fun.

3) FAMILY AND OTHER FRIENDS

I went to a gathering at a friend's house in March. There were ten people in the room I didn't know. I live in a small community and have been in Memphis for 8 years. how did all those people sneak in without me noticing? Oh, yeah, I've been a bit of a loner. And we all know the famous notes my kids left all over my house:

One of my teenage kids was in the car with me when I was listening to a Mr. S lecture through the stereo system. He was trying to talk to me (unbelievable in itself, a teen kid trying to talk to his mom). He finally looked at me and said, "Would you rather listen to HIM or ME?" I turned Mr. S off.

On the other hand.. sometimes something HAS to give. My house was NASTY. I was an OCD neat-freak before all this. I learned to shut my eyes. It didn't matter. I have slowly and steadily been cleaning places in my house that have not been cleaned for two years.