Week 5 - Pulling Out My Hair!

     What a sense of “normalcy” I feel from reading a chapter like this! It is always such a relief to know that I'm not alone in my daily challenges with trying to juggle life.

     My story began in the small town of Millersburg where I lived in the same house from birth through age 18. Since 2001, however, my life has been quite different. I've moved 17 times, had over 50 housemates from 10 (or so) countries, and taken on 17 different jobs. These choices could be stressful at times, but for the most part, I enjoyed the newness of each town and each person I met and found most of that journey to be refreshing and fun. About three years ago I felt like it was time to settle down, so I stopped moving and got a permanent job. It's been great, but at times, it feels like there is more stress now than ever before. I attribute that stress to two things: 1 – The stressors that affect me now are more consistent. Previously my stressors were changing quite frequently, but now I see similar things occurring each day, each month, and each year. 2 – I feel like I have less control over some areas of stress. Corey and Corey talk about 'working smarter', or setting realistic goals to avoid burnout. I feel like many of the goals that create the most stress for me are not goals that I set for myself, but rather goals that are set for me by others such as administrators or department leaders. They also suggest being mindful to the importance of being over doing. This has been a lifelong struggle for me, but as I improve at emphasizing being in my personal life, I feel like I'm at a stand still in my professional life. Again, it feels as if I have no choice but to be driven by the check lists and to do lists set forth by others. I make it a daily practice to stop and take 'snapshots' of my world at multiple times throughout each day. I take a minute to observe what's going on around me and soak in the smells, sounds, and sights. It's great, but the to do list is still staring back at me when my 'snapshot' begins moving again.

     Whether moving or standing still, I wouldn't trade a single day of my life journey! The people I've met and things I've experienced have definitely molded me into who I am and continuously challenge me to be a better person – more accepting, more welcoming, more patient, and more loving than before. I believe these experiences will also lead me to be a better counselor. Every patient has a different story and different things that create stress. My interest in learning about people's stories and my ability to put myself in others' shoes will hopefully allow me to listen attentively and truly empathize with each client.

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Managing Stress. In Brooks/Cole (9th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice (132-169). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Greason, P.B, & Cashwell, C.S. (2009). Mindfulness and Counseling Self Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy.