Vocational wellness is one of six dimensions of wellness we consider to be key in order for our residents to live their lives to the fullest. Our community is constantly implementing and developing programs to complement each dimension of wellness. In this blog post, however, we are going to focus on vocational wellness.
For us, vocational wellness recognizes personal satisfaction and enrichment in one’s life through work. Traveling a path toward vocational wellness, includes contributing your unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding. It also includes communicating values through involvement in activities that are gratifying.
After retirement, many people continue to work in some fashion, whether it’s in the field they’re familiar with or finding meaning and purpose with new career interests. Others become meaningfully engaged in new or renewed passions that once may have been considered only hobbies. In the same breath, many people find satisfaction and enrichment in volunteer work that is personally meaningful to them and also contributes to their community.
Practicing vocational wellness can include things like:
- Becoming a mentor for new employees in your industry
- Volunteering at an animal shelter
- Working as a receptionist
- Becoming an industry consultant
- Knitting winter scarves for the homeless
Continuing to effectively deploy talents, skills and competence helps people feel enriched in daily life. While some continue with careers well into their senior years, others find pursuing a new interest or volunteerism equally rewarding.
At Meth-Wick, we fully embrace this dimension of wellness—along with all the rest! We aim to encourage everyone to take an active role in wellness opportunities across campus. With vocational wellness, we offer a variety of volunteer opportunities including work on our newsletter, resident government, and in our gift shop. We also have on-campus libraries and a variety of creative, individual work such as making masks and prayer shawls. If volunteering in the community is of interest, we also provide resources and contacts to meet individual interests.
For the latest volunteer opportunities, be sure to check the Life at Meth-Wick newsletter. If you have any questions or suggestions for vocational wellness opportunities, contact our Director of Wellness and Recreation, Eryn Cronbaugh, at 297-8620 or ecronbaugh@methwick.org.