Are you happy?

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jan 21, 2008

I am happy. I have a job that allows me to make a difference in the world, a loving family, and good friends. I have a car that doesn't break down, more than enough food to eat, and a warm place to sleep. I am able to attend grad school without loans while paying down my undergrad debts. The only thing that would make me completely happy is to find "the one" buy a house, and start a family. The final piece of the American Dream.

Traveling to Cambodia recently changed the way I feel. Seeing the great beauty of that country, along with its terrible living conditions makes me even more grateful for what I do have here in the broken but lovable free country we live in.

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jan 21, 2008

I am mostly happy with my life. This time last year, I was a desperate woman who was trapped in a supportless marriage. Today, I am on my own.....I am taking care of myself. I started working as a travel nurse. I am paying all my own bills. Still a little lonely.....still recovering.....but things really are getting better for me. Sometimes, everything still hurts though.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jan 21, 2008

I'm pretty happy. There are things that if I could change, I would.

But - my bills are paid, my family is clothed and fed, my house is warm, and our cars work fine. And on top of it all, I love my family and know they love me. Underneath it all is my relationship with God. Yep, I'm a pretty happy lady.

Fonenurse · Jan 26, 2008

Right now I'm unhappy - actually I would say unsettled and wandering. I am struggling inside with life's big questions - like what mark I'll leave on the world, and whar difference I am making in the world (or not).

I'm not complaining because I have a great DH and three fantastic kids - I'm just very unsettled - having a permanent feeling that there's got to be more to life than this...

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jan 27, 2008

- I'm just very unsettled - having a permanent feeling that there's got to be more to life than this...

I felt that way too even when I was married....... I feel a little better now, but still feel like there is something missing.

labrador4122, RN · Jan 28, 2008

I was watching a movie the other day while hooked up for 2 hours to an apheresis machine donating platelets and thought of this as a good poll topic.
Are you happy with your life so far? Happy enough? Unhappy? Tell us, and tell us why....
Stephen

I am unhappy because I have a baby with a man who I do not love. a man who does things that I hate. a man that does not want to travel with me to north carolina to see nature. a man who has 2 brothers and sisters that live in miami ---- and he doesn't want to leave his parents side. a man who I tell him.. "I'm unhappy in our relationship" and just brushes me off and tells me we should stay together because of the baby. a man who leaves the toilet seat up after I tell him millions of times not to do it. a man who has only been to the mall with me once since the baby was born almost two years ago.... need I say more?

I love the baby

I love the fact that I am a new RN finally making money

but I hate the fact that I live in MIAMI where housing is so expensive. & my RN salary is not enough to rent somewhere close to my family so I can have a little help with the baby.

sorry. just had to get that out of my chest.

K98 · Jan 28, 2008

Ecstatic. Snoopy dancing.

SDS_RN, RN · Jan 28, 2008

I am pretty much happy with life right now. I just started my job in the ER which was my goal after graduating nursing school. i have the best husband ever who loves me and would do anything for me and 3 smart beautiful girls.

The only thing that really gets me down is that my student loans are so darn much $$$$ but we manage every month and I'm just thankful for all that I have.

Morettia2, BSN, RN · May 30, 2008

wow one year ago if you were to ask me this question I would have said I was on top of the world, just graduating Nursing School, passing the boards on the first time, and getting a job right away.

One year later, I can't say that I am on top of the world. Almost one year into my first year as an RN, I am happy from time to time.

I did buy a brand new SUV 2 months ago, but only b/c my old one crapped out, which was a 2003 and a Ford, but the good outcome was a bought a brand spanking new 2008 toyota 4runner, which I LOVE!

I work nights, which I hate but I make more money then if I were to work days. But on my days off, I sleep all the time unable to enjoy how beautiful the weather, which is depressing at times.

I moved away from home last year, I moved from the Philly area to NYC. I never see my family, currently it's been over 2.5 months. I am an only child, so I have a very strong bond with my family. I miss them all the time. I can't ever get my schedule to match up with my parents schedule. They own a business, so they can;t just take off to come see me, although they have. The only good thing is that I talk to my family everynight on my way to work and I talk to my mom everymorning after my shift on my way home.

I live with my fiance, who I love. He's the best. We have been together since college, 6 years. 5 of the 6 years were long distance, untill I moved up to NYC last year. I have no complaints.

A few months ago my Father had a massive MI, he lives in Philly and I was at work in North Jersey when I get the call, and drove home tp the hosp. in Philly to the ICU he was in after working 2 14 hourshifts back to back, just to let hime know I was there for him . He's ok now, but work gave me guff about going home. I said it was a family emergency, they really didn;t understand why I had to be there with him. I work on a Interventional Cardiac Floor, you think that SOMEONE would understand..noo...

But my unhappiness is where I work. Some nights are great, if I know that I am working with a good crew. Other nights, whe I am working with a bad crew, I want to rip all of my hair out, which is a alot of hair, and quit. I have had times where I am asking for help, and am ignored and laughed at. Or have been told I am overreacting to the situation, when in reality I am not and it is an emergent situation, which 100% of the time it is.

I have been told recently, that I am too nice to the pt's. I said you have got to be kidding me right? What b/c I do my job, and my pt's actually thank me at the and of my shift and ask if I am going to be their nurse again the following night, or the fact that the pt's want to introduce me to their family before visiting hours are over, just so I can meet them. I even had one nurse say to me, "How come all of your pt's always ask if you are working tonight? They don't want any other RN to take care of them but you" I said to that nurse, "Do I really have to answer that question".

At one point I had a pt. who was only a few years older than me and was a hospital pharmacist (although she was treated like a invalid by some people and told she didn't know what she was talking about, all I had to do was ask wat she did for a living and we connected) I am 27 she was 33 I think. I took care of her a few times, she came all the way from a southern state to my hosp. b/c she heard what a great heart hospital we were. She told me, "Ang, you are the only thing that gets me through the night, you care and don't ignore me, you check in on me, and you always have a warm smile on your face and somehing to talk about, and you brushed that rats nest out of my hair not once but twice, even when I was at my low point and didn;t want any help, but u just came in and said hey let's get that nest out of your hair and you were the ONLY one who cared". For this a bunch of RN's that had taken care of her when I wasn;t there gave me an attitude, and called the pt. a princess. I had said that is unprofessional, the pt. is not a princess but a human being, and if you had a massive dread lock in the back of your hair and were too sick to brush it out, I would HOPE that you didn't have an RN that thought your were a princess b/c you were sick and unable to function at a normal capacity, BUT an RN that would acually LISTEN to you and take CARE of you. But that's all to common on my floor.

Things like this are what make me unhappy. The fact that pt's lay in pain and no one does anything, or it takes 5 whales on the call bell by the pt. for a pain med, or something, for the pt. to get noticed. But then the pt. is labeled as a nucense by the RN taking care of them and is ignored. Or the fact that some RN's see the pt. once in the beginning of the shift, and the pt. dosen;t see them again untill 6am meds are given, eventhough the RN talking care of the pt. took a 2 hour break and could have made a quick round to make sure their pt.'s are ok.

I am unhappy with the nurse to pt. ratio's at night on my floor, but that is for a different thread all togehter. And since I am the enthuastic night shift RN, b/c that's my nature, I always get the worst pt. load, with the heaviest amt. of work, with not even a second to breathe. Meanwhile I see my fellow RN's taking long breaks, and I can't even sit down for a minuite. It's not my time management skills but the fact that my pt's require alot of work and constant monitoring. And there is alot of favoritism on my unit b/t RN's, so there is always a rearranging of the pt. assignments to suit their night, which always leaves me with the ones no one wants. Hey I'll take em, and take CARE of them.

I have brought this up to my DON, it dosen't make a difference, things remain the same no matter what.

I have been looking for a new job, for weeks, have even had a few interviews at my hosp. on different floors, but no dice. I do love what I do, I go home stressed and depresssed, overworked and tired all the time.

Currently I am very sick with asthamatic bronchitus for the 2nd time this year, which my asthma has never acted up this bad ever in my life and I am constantly using my 2 inhalers. I can;t call out b/c they are tracking my sick days. b/c in March I had asthamatic bronchitus and was out 2 days with a fever of 102, and steps away from having pneumonia. Also my dad had the MI a week later and I had to take family leave and last month I got some nasty GI virus that had me in the bathroom for days and I lost 10 lbs., although I only went sick one of those days.

So I have to work tonight, and tomorrow night. Last night I went in and my DON, who was actually there looked at me and said, "wow you look like crap, and out of breath". I said, " I am sick, I have a fever, I need my MDI Flovent and Xopenex, which are in my bag and haven't had 5 min. to give my self a TX b/c I am so busy and running around like a mad woman, and I can;t call out sick b/c you are tracking my sick days, so here I am!" She just looked at me and walked away.

I can;t wait to find a new job. I am so unahppy where I work. I am taken advantage of, constantly , eventhough I stick up for my self it just makes it worse. I am not a submissive preson at all. I am a good nurse, I know I am. I just need a new job...thanks for listeneing

nmred · May 31, 2008

For the most part, my life is good. I've had a rough 12 months. Lost two dogs, a job and a friend to Prostate Cancer. Not to mention severing a couple of relationships. But, without the bad you can't ID the good.

That's the problem with our society... We only want the good. Whatever.

:twocents:

SoundofMusic · Sep 23, 2008

This is an interesting poll.

I have many philosopies about happiness. What has proved true to me in life is that I choose to be happy, and how I look at a situation is EVERYTHING. Reality is subjective -- and I can make or break myself depending on how I react to a situation. That is about the bottom line of it all.

That said, I think I'm doing much better now a year into nursing than I was in school, always studying, always running, etc. I have some breathing room now -- can spend true fun times w/ family, etc. My military husband is also back from a deployment, safe and sound, so I'm very happy about that. :wink2:

Oh, we have our problems. Money is tight, savings is evaporating, family is far away, we're military folks and we're still not feeling settled into our new town. Hubby and I though have been married for about 21 years now and we're close as ever -- our three kids are healthy. We have one special needs younger son, and as much as I wish for him a new brain at times, I wouldn't trade him for anything. He has brought unexpected joys.

Personally, I'd just like to be about 50 lbs lighter -- if I could just lick this weight problem, I'd feel a lot better.

But right now I feel I'm riding a good high tide ...good health, good job, great family -- but, crap, I've WORKED FOR IT!! All I really pray for is continued health and safety of myself and my family -- everything else is just gravy, really.

Wellness-RN · Sep 25, 2008

Good forum. Yes, I am happy. Sometimes I have to remember to be.

We are on a 2 year journey sailing throughout the Caribbean. It's been a good time to reflect and heal from what has been a bumping long road. I have parents who don't take care of themselves, a son who makes too many poor choices, and another who is leaving for his 3rd Army deployment next month. Yet, there is so much for which to be grateful.

When we sailed to Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic next to Haiti), I had a great lesson. People walk out of their rickety homes, smaller than most US living rooms I've seen, to get water from the spicket on the street. They appear to be the happiest people I've met anywhere. They are friendly, cheerful and have a life-span far longer than those in the US from what one man told us.

I hope I can carry this simple life as it is aboard back to the US when we return to "dirt dwelling." There truly is happiness in simplicity, but frequently I have to remember, even choose to be happy despite circumstances over which I have no control.:)