the dance of self-care presenter: janice fialka [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
As a community, we can beginby acknowledging that compassion fatigue exists.
Our plans for today
Understand the impact of emotional labor
Practice self-care strategies
Identify two strategies to use in future weeks.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF . . .
What about your work is stressful or weighs you down?
Signs of compassion fatigue
Difficulty concentrating Intrusive imagery Loss of hope Exhaustion (tired in such a way that no amount of sleep will help)
Irritability Isolating self Cynical Excessive complaining Excessive blaming Anxiety Others?
All careers and jobs involve some kind of
labor
BUT WHY AM I SO FATIGUED?
Emotional Labor-Arlie Hochschild (1983) “Managing the Heart”
Managing strong emotions while staying connected to the family
AN EXAMPLE
Your outward appearance may be radically different from how you feel on the inside.
To manage these differences and to appear “pleasant” takes work.
THAT kind of work is called Emotional work
What are the tools used with some labor?
Our ability to connect . . .
To form relationships . . .
To feel . . .
EMPATHY is our primary tool
What is our primary tool?
What is empathy ?
…the action of feeling the feelings & thoughts of the person, as if you are
the person . . .
WITHOUT having the feelings & thoughts FULLY in an explicit manner.
-Babette Rothschild
Empathy is our tool!
Two components to empathy (Heinz Kohut, founder of the movement of self-psychology in the 1970’s)
1. Having a sense of or an understanding of the feelings of another
AND2. Being able to demonstrate in accurate
verbal or non-verbal reflection the feelings of the another.
Resulting in that glorious experience
“I feel understood!”
We feel empathy in our bodies
All this . . . feeling, emotional labor, empathy, giving of ourselves doing, doing, doing
Leads to . . . .
“Chronic exposure to really tough circumstances…….”
-Dr. Doebbeling, Indiana School of Medicine
compassion fatigue
IT WILL HAPPEN
The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering or loss daily and
not be touched by it…. is as unrealistic as
expecting to be able to walk through water without getting
wet.
- Rachel Naomi Remen, “Kitchen Table Wisdom”
You CAN do something!
Self-care strategies: The list is long and varied!
Humor Eat Well Exercise regularly Sleep Spend time w/ loved
ones Buddy up w/ someone
Do NOTHING for 5 minutes each day.
Use rituals to transition from work to home
Intentional breathing Guided imagery
We’ll focus on 4 strategies
Power of the PAUSE
Breathing and relaxation techniques
Journaling
Laughter
Strategy #1: Power of the PAWS
Strategy #1: Power of the PAUSE
Strategy #2: Relaxing Breath Exercise: 4-7-8
Andrew Weil, M.D. www.drweil.com -founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine
Ready, Set . . . Release: Music & Relaxation Exercises for children
By J. Allen and R. Klein www.readysetrelax.com
Strategy #2: Visualization
Strategy #3: Journaling
It’s not about being a writer---
it’s about being an explorer
Journaling is “good” for you!
Many ways to write
1. Write a letter to someone (Dear _____)
2. Write a letter to yourself, expressing kindness to yourself . . .
3. Write about 3 things you are grateful for . . .
Strategy #4: Laughter!
Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves,
for they shall never cease to be amused.
In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel "burnout" setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.
The point is to have a long-term perspective.
Dalai Lama
My commitment to myself . . .