Hello, everybody!
This was my fifth week of my internship and I just started easing into co-leading! I am excited about taking on a bigger role in our groups and sessions, but at the same time I am feeling the stress weighing on me because I do not have much spare time in my week to prepare for the many sessions and groups to come.
Like many other interns out there I work my full work week at my internship and then work the weekend at a paying job. With my commute time that’s at least 65 hours a week. By the time I get home I am usually feeling drained and exhausted, but still I need to practice, make some notes, and prep ideas for future sessions and groups.
After this week I could feel myself losing motivation and drive in a desperate need for sleep and retreat. So instead of trying to make it through another week with an emotional gas tank on “E” I decided to take a day off… oh yes, I did it.
My husband and I went to a pumpkin patch this Sunday and had a wonderful time. We ate fair food, did a corn maze, and even shot a pumpkin out of a cannon (my husband’s favorite part), and finally, after it all on the almost two hour drive home I slept.
What has stuck with me this week is this thought…
As therapists we give and give and give with joy and care, but we cannot forget to give joy back to ourselves.
Have a lovely week!
