I am not sure I agree that the big moments in life might not have a very stressful impact, but I do agree that it is the tediousness of day to day and hour to hour that can become wearing -- especially if those day to day and hour to hour contents are stressful. There are glimpses of fun and joy in caregiving, but - let's be honest - those glimpses tend to be overshadowed by the stress. The stress of too much to do. The stress of dealing with a difficult personality. The stress of addressing the needs of the care receiver, while also dealing with the details of our own lives. That is why it is so important to have good supportive practices: eating the right amounts of nutritious food, adequate sleep, time for fun and relaxation, exercise daily, time for important relationships, prayer or meditation. The practice of determining the level of satisfaction in one's life can be done using the "Wheel of Life". I do not know who first started this idea, but there are many options on the internet. The idea is to look at one's life as if it were a wheel with spokes, dividing the wheel like a pie cut in pieces. The pieces of pie have categories, usually: Personal Growth, Fun and Recreation, Family and Friends, Health, Finances, Business/Career, Physical Environment, Romance. The idea is to determine your level of satisfaction in each area by thinking of the center of the wheel as 0 and the perimeter as 10. You draw a line across the segment, marking your level of satisfaction in that area. The purpose of this exercise is to see if you have a well-balanced life, which is thought to be important for the overall satisfaction one has with one's life -- in both the everyday and the longterm.
Take a few minutes, consider your level of satisfaction, and draw a ling across that segment -- thus making a new outer perimeter for yourself. You will see in which areas you are satisfied, and in which you have room to increase satisfaction. (image from www.nadiasylvester.com)
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