I’m returning to work next week after a 90-day medical leave. I love my job but with cognitive issues (balance/memory/focus) and physical challenges I don’t know how well I’ll function.
I have some options. Going part-time, going part-time as a contractor and collecting retirement benefits or retiring. I’m trying to keep my options open.
I’m just shy of my 68th birthday and ideally, I’d be able to continue working. I work in behavioral health as a certified QMHA and Peer Wellness specialist, providing skills training and groups for my peers/clients.
I’m also in learning mode and exploring alternative ways to generate income, specifically online and focused on utilizing my creativity. My daughter thinks that I should sell prints of my mixed media art. I’m sharing a mixed media piece that I created after my hospital release in early November, as well as an earlier one.
One of the things that I’m working on is creating a planner focused on people with life challenges such as chronic illness, neurodivergence, etc. I haven’t seen this focus in any of the planners that I’ve found, yet I know how much my own planner (created and personalized by me over several years experimentation) helps me.
My advice to anyone would be to think ‘outside the box’, to stay open to possibilities and don’t be afraid to learn…
