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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Q: I’m a health professional dedicated to helping others. I have always gone the extra mile and striven hard to show God’s love through my life and work. Now I’m worn out; I feel so tired I could sleep for weeks. I wish I didn’t have to see another person with a problem. I have nothing left to give. What can I do?
A: In the helping professions, emotional and physical burnout is a real danger. All the compassion in the world can’t erase the misery and suffering that surrounds us and, no matter how much we do or care, people still hurt and, in some cases, still die.
Admit to yourself that you’ve reached a crisis. This situation has been building gradually and you’ve now reached the point where your mind and body are saying, This far and no further!
Acknowledge that it’s time to re-evaluate your life. List everything that causes you stress. (Some you can change and some you’ll have to accept.) You didn’t reach this point overnight and the situation will not be resolved overnight. It will take effort and, most of all, a commitment to yourself that you too are worthy of care and kindness.
If you are serious about addressing the stress points in your life, be prepared to let go some things and say no to taking on others. Don’t think you’ll be letting others down by withdrawing. Don’t let others decide how you spend your time. This is a personal decision.
Go back to basics: Are you getting enough exercise? Is your diet designed
to build up your body and give you energy? Do you take time to sit down and
eat your meals? If you have a family, mealtimes together around a table with
the television turned off can be times when everyone unloads their experiences
of the day. Do you factor time into your day for yourself? Do you get enough
sleep?
These are basic elements in our daily lives, but the neglect of any one means
that our lives are not balanced.
Finally, this apparently low point may be the start of better things. You are being challenged to change, but making some changes in your life and attitude now may sow the seeds of greater joy and fulfilment.
“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other” (Niebuhr).
Extract from Signs of the Times, September 2004.
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Questions to Deanna should be addressed to: Lifeguide, Signs of the Times, 3485 Warburton Highway, Warburton Victoria 3799, Australia