procrastination
Every day at 9 am, the alarm goes off on my watch reminding me to clean the kitchen. I pause the alarm, telling myself that I will do it later. Later never comes. In fact, I turn off most of my alarms during the day that remind me to put in a load of laundry or run to the pharmacy. I am a master procrastinator who waits for the last minute to accomplish most daily tasks. This is a major source of stress in my life. I am the mom who washes her children’s laundry at 12 am on Sunday … More
beating burnout through self-nourishment
Burnout. Compassion fatigue. Chronic work stress. Vicarious trauma. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Demoralization. Moral distress. Moral injury. Moral compromise. These are all less stigmatizing terms than Adjustment Disorder with depression and/or anxiety. BURNOUT: 1) Exhaustion 2) Mental/emotional detachment from our jobs which have become less rewarding 3) Poorer work performance; “This isn’t me”. 4) Cynical, irritable & judgmental trending 5) Erosion of the soul in those of us with ideals and conviction 6) Low personal autonomy/agency with high job stress 7) *Not necessarily individual failure so much as social & occupational injustice begging political solutions MORAL DISTRESS arises when … More
Stopping Self-Sabotage
“When you know yourselves, then you will be known…“ As a kid, I was never the fastest runner. I was an okay athlete though, sometimes able to out-maneuver the more physically-gifted kids on the block, and occasionally out-compete those who hadn’t yet found their confidence or strength. There seemed to be a relentless drive in me that rivaled the ancient martyrs, warriors. Frustratingly though, that fire of motivation would usually fizz out right before I would finish an important task. In 7th grade, I faced the harrowing 100 meter dash out in the P.E. yard. I feigned a casual strut … More
