When I was in emergency communications, I had a serious love-hate relationship with my career. On the one hand, things go right and it’s awesome. On the other, it’s goes wrong and the day is awful.
I was an unhappy and unhealthy shift supervisor when I realized something needed to change!
I was over-worked and over-tired. I had succumbed to compassion fatigue.
I did all I knew to do to make myself feel better, drank more alcohol, ate more sweets, and slept as much as possible.
I complained, gossiped, and grumbled. I couldn’t get along with anyone in my life.
I became miserable. Then, I noticed that I wasn’t a good influence on anyone around me.
Besides that, I didn’t like to be around me.
I finally got help from a counselor. She told me I needed to take better care of myself.
The problem was, I didn’t know how.
I left being a supervisor, and became a solo dispatcher at a smaller agency.
I worked the overnight shift . . . alone . . . for about three years.
Eventually I discovered that if I wanted better in my life, I had to bring it.
I left emergency communications. I worked as an office manager, sold office supplies, and bounced around. I gained more skills in healthy communication, working with different kinds of people, and understanding team work.
I finally found a direction and started school to become a counselor.
I served as an addictions counselor for adolescents for several years. I succumbed to the malaise of compassion fatigue once again. But this time, I was able to do some of the things that helped before it got desperate.
Then, I went back to school to become a pastor.
Because of my background, I was appointed as Chaplain/Pastoral Care Director for a human services agency. Our flagship program was a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility. There I worked with multiple work teams, groups of adolescents, and individual staff members and residents.
In the staff members who worked directly with people in pain, I began to recognize the downward spiral in their lives.
I took action. I developed training for staff members to recognize the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue.
Still, there was something missing. I knew I had to crack the code to reveal HOW to take care of ourselves in the midst of other people’s trauma.
As I earned my doctorate, I combined principles of habit formation, creative ways to discuss both the symptoms and the behaviors of compassion fatigue, and gaming strategies and created a program.
I led teams through my process and the results were even better than I imagined. Not only did they establish a new positive habit, they reported greater team connection.
On a personal level I’ve:
plus, I have transformed myself into a fit, enthusiastic, and joyful ‘retiree’!
HA HA!! Way too much energy to retire!
My work is at the intersection of leadership development-workplace culture-individual well-being. I believe that the wedepends on the me.
With me, your stressed-out workgroup will create a culture of mutual support and quality self-care which means they become healthier and even stronger together!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and do not offer medical advice. I mentor people and offer guidance on how to start the habits that will shape a life they love.
