HJAR Sep/Oct 2024

50 SEP / OCT 2024 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS NURSING COLUMN NURSING a soccer game out of town, and the bus leaves at noon. The text says, “Mom, my soccer jersey and socks are in the kitchen, I need them by noon!”The director of Tiny Toes Day Care just called to report Lilly, my toddler, is biting again. This is the final warning, and she can’t stay … Scenario 2: I arrive at school Monday morning to find familiar faces laughing, snickering and pointing in my direction. As I maneuver through the hallway of my classmates, there are images on the hallway walls of a girl that appears to be passed out on a bathroom floor with vomit and pills nearby. “Oh, no!!! Oh wait, that’s me!” My best friend and I had a huge fight about my excessive drinking and vap- ing before the party. I received texts from several friends that say I had a really good WE ARE currently living in a time where our society of people are busier than ever. Our priorities are all out of sync. We live to hurry up and wait for the next dramatic event, good or bad. The expectations from family, friends, church, work, bills, school, social media … and life are all high priority. Mental, physical, and emotional well-be- ing are chaotically overwhelmed. Seven- ty-three percent of Americans report being overwhelmed by the number of worldwide crises being reported daily. 1 Scenario 1 : I rush out of the house, mod- erately speeding through traffic to arrive at the doctor’s appointment to wait at least 30 minutes before anybody ever acknowl- edges my presence. An unusual spot was found on my pancreas. Ivan, my husband, is out of town on business. My oldest has time at the party Saturday night. I don’t remember any of this! I admit to being at the party. I love to party. I feel so much bet- ter when I release all of my worries. Who would be so cruel to take photos? Did this really happen? Why me? The above scenarios are real-life issues. We put on our super-human capes and dash out the door to save the world daily. Our bodies scream of frustration and ex- haustion. We ignore our bodies and keep going. “Push through just one more day,” we tell ourselves. The smile is there, the pep in our step is there, but really all that is needed at that very moment is the smooth sound of a mellow jazz playlist; a deep-tis- sue body massage; then a nice, warm bub- ble bath; and, last but not least, five to six hours of uninterrupted sleep. DEPRESSION THE MANY FACES OF