I keep thinking how complicated it is to carry on with life when we’re feeling utterly worn down. It’s such a messy and confusing struggle, so let’s keep this convo going.

Can we start by acknowledging how overwhelming it is to be exhausted, burned out, worn down AND still have to cope with work? Even prior to this political nightmare right now, I get really angry at capitalism and how it treats people.

The heaviness of being utterly worn out. We’ve all been there, we’re there right now, or we’ll be there again. As Hemingway wrote, “the world breaks everyone.” Being human means that we’ll know loss and struggle, that there’ll be times when life goes along with ease and times when it’s all we can do to slowly inch our way through the muck. Of course, our highly sensitive natures can be especially impacted when we’re consumed with struggle.

We live in a world filled with pain. Tragedies, mistreatment, and suffering are all around us. And, in the face of such difficulty, gratitude can feel trite. However, as highly sensitive therapists, we are very experienced with the concept of both/and.

We live with a mantra of:

My peace does not diminish another’s war.

My joy does not diminish another’s sadness. 

My love does not diminish another’s loss.

Our caring, deeply thoughtful brains and souls can allow both.

Some days I struggle to get out of bed. Whether it’s because I don’t want to face something, I didn’t sleep well the night before, or my bed is just exerting its natural gravitational pull, it reminds me of the importance of rest. As a highly sensitive person (HSP), I’m used to feeling quickly depleted by the goings-on of an average day. As a highly sensitive therapist, I’m even more aware of the mental and emotional load I carry at any given time and how important it is to let go and just be with myself. As highly sensitive therapists, how do we soothe ourselves, not just when we’re stressed or tired, but every day?

Are you a mental health therapist who has opened your laptop to start a telehealth session only to find that your computer has decided to require an update at-this-exact-inopportune-moment? Or, who has logged in to a platform to do something you've done 100 times before only to find that it's changed, and now you're confused? Who has seen a message from a client pop up and then forgotten to respond as you got pulled into the demands of your day? Not to mention, who has done the dreaded - double-booking of clients?? <shudder, shudder>