My therapy sessions with my patients have grown heavy once again — especially for my patients that work in healthcare.
Day after day they share, with tear filled eyes, their overwhelming fatigue. They stare blankly ahead at the telehealth screen as they describe lying awake night after night, too exhausted and overwhelmed to find sleep. Each patient and their story is different but the common theme is the same — burnout. Complete and total burnout. So many question their career choice — for many of them have felt failed by their employers. So many question their own humanity — for they now dread going to work and being around people. So many question their future — for the passion that they once felt for their work is now nowhere to be found. Like so many of us they are crawling, bruised and broken, toward some nebulous finish line on the horizon. Sometimes as we near the end of a session, they will stop me and ask me if I am doing ok. “How are YOU managing it all?” They are caregivers by nature and struggle to keep the focus on themselves-even during their own therapy session. But I think they are mostly looking for signs of hope. Hope is what is missing most now. Hope is what is needed most now. In times of great sorrow, loss, and tragedy it is hope that keeps us tethered to our life and to each other. Hope that something and someone can be consistent. Hope for brighter days. Hope for rest. Hope for passions to be reborn. Hope to enjoy the world again. Hope to make it to tomorrow. As you crawl toward the finish line right now, find hope. Find it anywhere you can. And hold onto it.
5 Comments
1/5/2021 09:15:39 am
Hope is so necessary right now, but so hard to find with all this uncertainty. Thank you for caring for the ones who care for us, you are all so unbelievably strong <3
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Jenni
1/11/2021 11:42:18 am
Thank you so much!! ❤️
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1/5/2021 02:43:36 pm
Hope is so necessary during the unprecedented times we are living in, but unfortunately, it is also elusive because the world is so uncertain right now, and it looks like things will get worse before they get better. Thank you for your service. Therapists are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. With each patient you counsel, you plant a tiny seed of hope.
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Jenni
1/11/2021 11:42:04 am
Thank you so much for your kind words. They are so helpful in these times and keep me going ???
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Mental healthNow, more than ever, we all need a little support to help get us through the rough spots. With all the pressures of life, it can be a challenge to find time to not only take care of yourself but also to truly understand who you even are anymore. Archives
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