Friday, May 21, 2010

Book Therapy (2)

In my About Me page, I mention that I work at a rape crisis center.  It's safe to say that this is demanding and exhausting work.  Due to limited funding, we only have 4 advocates to cover 2 counties.  Honestly, being on-call sucks.  Sleep is limited thanks to getting calls in the middle of the night.  And, lately, we've had a surge in calls.

Anyone in the helping profession knows about burnout.  It's ugly.  That feeling of helplessness/hopelessness.  Not giving a damn anymore.  Feeling as if you're running in circles making no progress.  That's where I'm at.  It's not good. 

Some people say, "Take a vacation."  I wish.  The few vacation/sick days I have are going to be used next month to finalize everything for my wedding.  So what can I do to escape from this black hole that is holding my soul hostage?

I can read.

Books inspire me.  It was, after all, a book by Dave Pelzer that inspired me to work as a helping professional.  I figured a good inspirational story can pull me from my funk.

Here's what I chose: Somebody Else's Kids by Torey Hayden

I love Torey Hayden's books.  She has had some difficult cases but always seems to make some difference, big or small, in her kids' lives.  That is what I hope to do.

Let the book therapy begin!

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