Caring for family, friends, clients, and patients CANNOT come at the expense of personal wellbeing.
I offer the caretakers of this world permission to care for themselves and the knowledge and resources to do so.
Our society relies on caretakers to keep us healthy, happy, and safe. However, personal needs, self-care, and personal boundaries are often dismissed by caretakers as indulgences. Caretakers frequently feel pressured to perform at unsustainable levels, making it difficult for them to appreciate their own value. Worse, the relentless imbalance of caring for others without replenishing themselves may lead to personal or professional burnout. Compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, ethical fatigue, feelings of isolation, and difficulties in important relationships may also be present.
As a mental health counselor, a mother, and a veterinarian, I am dedicated to improving the capacity for self-care in clients who are themselves caretakers. There is more to life than simply being able to function, and when functioning itself is a struggle, it is time to put your mental health first.