I love what I do and there is nothing else I want to do in life besides helping people who are dealing with mental health, substance abuse issues, and stoping suicide. It's the most rewarding work I could ever do but the work can be very draining, frustrating at times, taking a toll on my own mental health. The people that you help don't always want to "put in the work" but instead would rather drain your battery and treat you as their own personal therapist.
By the end of 2020, I knew I couldn't keep draining my battery. I knew if I didn't change how I was helping people, I would soon find myself falling into the valley of despair. I couldn't let that happened. I'd work too hard to pull myself up. I preach all the time, "You have to put yourself first in order to help others," but wasn't doing it myself. I decided that my words and my actions have to match up in order to stay on the path of mental wellness, recovery and to be able to help others.
When you teach people how to fish, you give them the opportunity to take control of their mental wellness that works for them. Having people reach out to you for help is a wonderful feeling but in order to really help them to help themselves, you have to put them in touch with the resources that can truly help them.
Resources can easily be found through great mental health websites like NAMI, MHA, AFSP, or others. You can also find help through your insurance at your job and if you are fortunate to have an EAP( Employee Assistance Program) please take advantage of it. The EAP is a wonderful tool that most companies have that can help with finances, grief, mental health, and relationship issues. It is a wonderful and confidential resource that can really help you in your personal life with free services.
If you put in the work by getting the help you need through resources, you can recover and you can have a good life.
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