For Self-sacrificing Therapists in Austin, TX and Everywhere, Part I
What does it mean to live a life of self-sacrifice when you’re a therapist? It means the systems you’ve been exposed to throughout the decades of your existence might have rewarded you for tending to the needs of others and disregarding your own.
The result? Anxiety, overwhelm, depression, imposter syndrome, stress, and burnout. Sometimes you forget to come up for air.
What Messaging Have You Received in Your Experience as a Helping Professional?
Self-sacrifice is a delicate topic whether you’re a therapist in Austin, TX, a physician, a nurse, a clergy member, a dentist, or any other helping professional. Learning how to recognize this phenomenon and distinguish it from a life that’s self-sustaining is about deciphering the insidious messaging within the systems that create and control us on levels that we’ve assumed are “normal”.
Therapists in Austin, TX Can Change How They Hear Systemic Messaging
If you’re a therapist and you’re experiencing
emotional and physical exhaustion
a pessimistic view of the world and your ability to make a difference in it
and/or symptoms of trauma in response to the things you see and hear in your work with others
you may want to listen to a podcast interview I did as the guest of Erin Gibb from Therapist Expanded. In “Part 1: Systemic Self-Sacrifice” (below), I help listeners grasp the vastness of the ocean that is the mental health system as we know it.
Fish can’t see the water they’re swimming in, and neither can we—until we awaken to examine our environment and our place and purpose within it. It’s only when we’ve done this double-take that we’re positioned to create a sea change, starting with ourselves.
An Art Therapy Consultation Can Help You Envision a Life of Self-sustenance
Give the episode a listen, and if you’re looking for an art therapist in Austin, TX to help guide you to the deeper waters of self-sustenance as a helping professional, please contact me. I offer complimentary consultations to assist helpers like you in determining if we’re a good fit for the voyage you have in mind.
To learn more about my approach for reigniting the creative spark that is waiting to glow bright within you, visit my About page. And remember: there are a lot of fish in the sea, but there’s only one you! You deserve to create a better outcome for yourself.