The human connection the relationship between a therapist and a client that is why we do this.
By
Updated 7 years ago,March 21, 2018
1.
Suffocating under the weight of compassion fatigue, running on empty, just trying to get through the day.
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You burn out because when you go in, you go all in.
You learn to define what self-care is and what it isnt.
Self-care happens right in the midst of all of the chaos.
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Its learning to take in a deep breath when you are engulfed in anxiety.
It is seeing the shades of grey when all you see are black and white.
It is picking up the phone and calling a friend just to ask them how they are doing.
Its meal prepping for the week and committing to 5 am workouts 3x a week.
Its reading a few pages of a book before bed.
Self-care is setting firm boundaries and sticking with them.
Its saying no to taking on more work, no matter how much money it is.
Its turning off your phone.
Its staying in on a Friday night to order sushi take out and watch Netflix alone.
Its making sure to unplug when you need it, but also to see friends when you need them.
Its making sure you actually eat, instead of forgetting to sit down for meals.
Its forgiving yourself for not being able to do it all.
Its allowing yourself to be okay with just simply existing for the day.
Its reminding yourself to just breathe really, I mean it; just breathe.
You learn that exhaustion takes on a whole new meaning.
And I mean the soul-sucking, do-not-look-or-speak-to-me-unless-you-want-me-to-yell exhaustion.
Every day is unpredictable.
And while you are managing that, a group of clients is led to your office with questions.
Their questions, while not a risk concern, need to be answered right away.
But still, you do it, because this is why we chose this.This is what we love.
Shortly after wrapping up with your back-to-back appointments, you take a deep breath and look at your schedule.
You have a free hour to confirm that all of the tasks from the morning were managed and handled.
Some days are easier than others.
Some days are lighter than others.
Its sometimes gut-wrenching, and painful, and exhaustingbut so, so rewarding.
You are inspired daily.
Its humbling being able to come into work and do what we do.
Its vulnerable, and its painful and sometimes unbearable for the person sitting across from me.
Our clients say the things that very few of us dare to say aloud.
I cant do this on my own.
I feel like I will never find peace.
I dont think I will ever move past the trauma of my childhood.
I dont think I will ever mend my relationship with my family.
I think I am the one to blame for all the crap thats happened.
And they do this so bravely, so openly, and so boldly.
My clients refuse to sleepwalk through life.
They acknowledge that life is hard, but they go all-in, head-first, into healing.
You learn to allow yourself to be human.
Weve created a career that allows us to see the transformation of people over time.
Change happens the first time someone acknowledges trauma, rather than minimizing it.
Change happens when you dont respond to a phone call from an ex for the first time.
Change happens the first time you admit that you cant do this on your own.
If we have a bad day, we expect for it to end in an hour.
You learn gratitude and humility.
Some days, I sit with myself and think how lucky I am that I get to do this.
We see strength, bravery, and courage even when the person sitting in front of us doesnt.
Its scary being seen, though subconsciously, I think we all want that.
