Carrie feels like she’s always on a merry-go-round, with no time to relax. She’s also noticed that she’s had more colds than usual this year.
Take a look at what Carrie’s day usually looks like. Then, use the questions to help you find a solution for her.
| 6:30 a.m. | The sound of the alarm wakes Carrie up. She usually finds it tough to get out of bed. |
| 6:30 a.m.-7:15 a.m. | Carrie has a cigarette, a cup of coffee, and a sweet roll for breakfast. She then showers and gets dressed. |
| 7:15 a.m.-7:45 a.m. | Carrie wakes her daughter. She gets her dressed, fed, and ready for the day at the babysitter’s. |
| 7:45 a.m.-8:15 a.m. | Carrie leaves the house, drops her daughter off at the babysitter’s, and heads to the office. |
| 8:15 a.m. | Carrie arrives at the office. She has a second cup of coffee and a banana or a muffin. |
| 8:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Carrie handles problems, attends meetings, types correspondence, and does whatever needs doing. She feels there are too many interruptions, too little time, and too much frantic activity. |
| 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. | Carrie rarely takes an actual lunch break. She usually eats fast food at her desk, or she runs out to do personal errands, and skips lunch altogether. She tries to grab a cigarette, too. |
| 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. | Carrie completes her workday. She feels like she never gets a chance to have a break, and she rarely leaves the office before 5 p.m. She often feels stressed because her babysitter gets annoyed if her daughter is not picked up by 5:30 p.m. |
| 5:00 p.m.-5:45 p.m. | Carrie leaves work and picks up her daughter. |
| 5:45 p.m.-6:00 p.m. | Carrie drinks a soda or two and has a few more cigarettes to unwind. Then, she and her daughter eat out, or she pops a couple of TV dinners in the oven and they eat while watching cartoons. |
| 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. | Carrie and her daughter watch TV, usually while snacking. |
| 8:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. | Carrie puts her daughter to bed. |
| 8:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Carrie does housework and pays bills. She usually doesn’t get to sleep until well after midnight because so many things are running through her head. This pattern of living has taken its toll, and Carrie is just beginning to pay the price. |
