Helping professionals — those who’ve dedicated their lives to serving and assisting others — are tired.
We have seen on the news how nurses, doctors, and teachers are quitting in record numbers. Now we are also noticing that HR professionals, DEI practitioners, and those in Management are also checking out.
There is a lot of energy spent in times of change. And with 2+ years of a global pandemic, racial tension, and now a war in Europe, “helping professionals” are finding themselves depleted with no rest in sight. Unfortunately, most people who take care of others are not balanced and their exhaustion is overwhelming them.
Why are we seeing such exhaustion in these workplaces and others?
- Decision fatigue: These types of professionals spend their 40+ hours each week projecting that they have it all figured out. It is their job to be thinking machines. Anticipating the future and preparing companies for change and yet, our world has been topsy turvy and no one has it figured out.
- Boundaries: Employees need to be taught what is their responsibility and what is their concern. Often, team members are not naturally gifted at knowing where they end and someone else begins. Boundary work is one way to invest in your “helping professionals” to help them not feel so exhausted.
- Tending to wounds: Helping professionals are having to deal with more mental health issues in the workforce. Mental health isn’t just the big personality disorders. It can also be anxiety, microaggressions, depression, gas lighting, etc. These wounds have built up over the last 2+ years and people are on high alert. These wounds also need healing.
Therefore, we must get better at encouraging these individuals and employees to think deeply about: “What is the work in my life that I need to do to be well?”
When we talk about Work/Life Balance, what we are really thinking about is wellness.
Notice: I did not say Self-Care. The self-care industry has been hijacked and turned into a place where people are encouraged to follow their selfish desires. However, those desires do not always equate to wellness. For an example, we hear about co-workers who spend all weekend binge watching their favorite Netflix show. Is this wellness or a passive way of avoiding their life?
When we think of wellness, we can instead think of recharging our internal batteries. What recharges you on the weekend? How can you recharge your mind, your body, and your spirit? There are normal universal principles about the brain and body connection. Below are some books that might help unpack the under-layers of why your people are feeling sick.
- Boundaries for Leaders
- The Body Keeps the Score
- Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess
- What Happened to You
- Emotional Agility: Get unstuck, Embrace Change, Thrive in Work and Life
- Rising Strong
This blog and this month’s newsletter is our attempt to give you some information that might encourage your “helping professionals.”
Please remember that sometimes systems that embody the care for people are sicker than the people. Systems might be sick, but WE do not have to be sick. We can learn to be healthy even in an unhealthy system.
Need help getting started? Contact me today. Let’s Begin.
