You work in a compassionate occupation, such as 9-1-1, residential care for people who need help, nurses, respiratory therapists, and veterinarians.
What if you are suffering from a sense of malaise about your work? Things just don’t feel right. You are a little disgruntled. Things bother you more than they once did. You don’t think it’s as serious as Compassion Fatigue or PTSD, and yet, you are struggling to find joy in your life.
The strongest mindset you can bring to your work is to focus on compassion satisfaction. That is the physical sensation that you have when you have done something that you believe has helped someone else.
This feeling is brought to you by the release of oxytocin, a hormone that is called the love hormone. When you intentionally encourage that release, it helps you recognize the feeling.
Pay deep attention to that feeling, and re-live it every day.
Journaling
Here’s what I recommend:
- Start a journaling practice: Each day at the end of your day, write down three things that went RIGHT that day. Notice those little moments when you knew that your work was helping someone. Breathe in and think about how good it feels to know that you can be of service. Enjoy the satisfied feeling in your body. Stay with it as long as you can.
- Do a self-inventory of your health habits: If there are habits you want to improve, think about which one would have the most impact in the shortest amount of time.
- Start changing one health habit for the better: When you have a sense of the most powerful thing you can do, break it down to the smallest step you can take in the direction of incorporating it into your life. Commit to taking just that small step every day. Keep track of your commitment daily. Whether or not you fulfilled your commitment, mark that down on a calendar or tracking sheet. Celebrate that you are keeping track.
- Connect with another person: To turbo-charge step three, work with an accountability partner. Just knowing that someone else is paying attention to your progress makes it more likely that you will do it.
Consistency
That’s it. When you have been consistent with these steps for three weeks, following these commitments most of the time, do a self-check. If you find that you are still feeling hopeless and helpless in your work, please find a therapist who does trauma work. Don’t wait any longer!
Your life is worth your effort.
