You went into this field because you wanted to help people, and you still do, but the weight of the job is getting harder and harder to carry. Every day you hear your patients’ stories, meet their family members, deal with coworkers and management, and navigate the bureaucracy of the system you work within. It’s getting increasingly harder to shake it off by the end of your work day. And on top of that, you don’t feel like you can talk about how you’re feeling, whether it’s with your colleagues, your friends, or your family, because they don’t fully understand. 

(And for those of you, like many of the clients I’ve worked with, from immigrant families who pushed you to become doctors or nurses, the pressure to project success can be even more suffocating and isolating.)

Chances are, you’re the type of person who’s been used to putting other people’s needs first, oftentimes without even realizing you’re doing it. You’ve witnessed things that most people don’t have to process on a regular basis. It’s been this way for years, and you’re finally noticing that you’re feeling more numb when you used to feel things deeply. You might be more irritable, anxious, or exhausted than usual. It’s so hard to fully turn off, even when you’re trying to enjoy yourself on a night out with friends or when you’re turning on the newest Netflix show at home.

You’re tired of feeling caught in the cycle of:

• Witnessing other people's pain without space to process your own

• Feeling detached from the work you used to feel called to

• Struggling to leave the day behind once you're off shift

• Believing you should be able to handle it because "this is the job I signed up for”