There is this point that I think we all ask ourselves some version of the question, “how much more of this can I take?” Often that question is accompanied by a heaviness on the heart, a tightening of the shoulders, a deep sigh, or sometimes, surprising tears. We may have a sense of weariness and anxiousness as our mind races to assess how much more we have left to give to the crisis, the hard work, the unending task, and the heavy load.
This is especially true for those who are in healing and caregiving roles. As we spend so much of our attention and energy anticipating and meeting the needs of someone who is unable to meet their needs for their season, if we are attuned and fully engaged, their reality becomes our reality. As they are processing grief and loss because of what they are not able to do, we experience it as well. If they are healing from a traumatic history, the processing of their trauma becomes secondary and vicarious trauma for us.
That is the reason for what I am doing here; to prepare us for what is needed to step into the gap, equip us to stay in the gap, and help to heal us when that season is complete. Because we need to heal and recover from those times when our needs outpace what we have to give, and we find ourselves scraping out the last bit of compassion that is left…and that’s when we find a new layer at the bottom of a barrel that is called “burnout.”
Burnout has gotten a bad rap; I think because there is a segment of the population that believes that burnout only happens to people who have less “gumption,” or “grit,” or “fortitude.” But that isn’t the reality. We are all in danger of burnout, but it is true that people who have less than optimal experiences growing up are in danger of having less access to coping and emotional management skills. Turns out, it has nothing to do with a person’s choice to “get over it” or “push through” and everything to do with how their brain and body have adapted to their experiences in concert with their genetics.
When we reach the space of burnout, we are generally there because we didn’t have enough of a support structure around us before the circumstances wore away at our reserves. When we are children or have diminished capacity, the community around us is responsible for anticipating and meeting needs. But what happens when we are adults and (mostly) well-functioning? Well, we need to develop our own plans and identify our supports, both internal and external.
I’m so pleased to announce that I have developed an online course to help you to move from exhaustion, overwhelm, and heading towards burnout and into a space of confidence that you can prioritize your necessary, sustainable, and achievable self-care plan.
Participants who enroll in my course will have access to 10 lessons with practical tools to help them develop practices that will give renewal, strategies, and hope.
The lesson topics are:
- Intro – Understanding the Need for Self-Care
- How to Identify When You are in Danger of Burning Out
- Changing Your Mindset
- Methods of Engaging Self-Care (Parts 1 + 2)
- How to Select Effective Practice
- Things that Feel Like Self-Care that Really Aren’t
- What to Do When a Practice Stops Working
- How to Sustain Your Self-Care Routine
- How to Build a Good Support System
To access the course, please purchase the Growth Monthly Membership
I am so excited about this project and process – I wish this resource was available for me earlier in my caregiving journey, and I know it will be a source of great hope to you!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to engage in this valuable resource!