I was feeling a little ‘burned out” today and got to thinking about my philosophy on “givers and takers”. I’ve always aspired to being a giver, so much so that when I “take” I feel guilty!! Where do you fall with the spectrum of givers and takers?
My life’s work always seems to fall into the category of “helping others” whether it be in some type of management position, teaching/training position, sales (where I’m offering a service or a product) – but definitely HAS NOT BEEN in the healthcare or medical field. Hmmm…a paradox of sorts.
In fact, my last job (abt 2 years ago) was working as a Weight Watchers leader, “paying it forward” by teaching others the program and assisting them in their weight loss endeavors. Some weeks, I held up to 9 meetings with groups of individuals. I loved the job!
So, fast forward to today when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and burned out…I was thinking of the terms “caretaker” and “caregiver”…hmmmm (I might add, I haven’t picked up the dictionary to see what it says are the differences.) I would rather hear your perspective on them, since I’ve heard them used interchangeably. Personally, I think of property when I hear the term CARETAKER, and human beings when I hear the term CAREGIVER.
My newest job/responsibility for the past 2 years has been to take care of my 92 yr. old bedfast mother-in-law here in my home. Then a year ago I also took on the responsibility of taking care of two grandsons who are now 18 mos. old and 5 yrs. old. Am I a caretaker or a caregiver? I am “taking care of…”, but I’m not “taking” anything!! I’m “giving, giving, giving” and today I was feeling “all gived out”!!
So, there’s a lot more to be said about giving and taking. Why do I feel so selfish when I take or do for me? It wasn’t always that way. When I was living the WW life, I had to be a good example and so I took care of me, by eating right, exercising, etc; But, now I’ve gained back 10 – 15 of the 55 lbs. I lost, because I’m too busy taking care of everyone else and just get stressed and overwhelmed at the thought of taking care of me! I am also exhausted!
I love Granny and those boys! They light of my life, but REALLY? When is it my turn again? I’m feeling like I need to be a little bit more of a taker, but I don’t know how to work it into my day, and if I do take time for me – I feel guilty! I once learned that there are two different types of “GUILT” – FALSE GUILT, AND TRUE GUILT. Anyone else ever heard about that?
That’s another blog – so stay tuned.
dancingthruyears 