Rekindling: Compassion Fatigue Solutions For Animal Workers

If you're not ok right now, you're in good company. The world is in crisis. Your own world may be too. Your work or your personal life, or maybe even both. When your work requires a lot of you, it can be really hard when you're struggling yourself. This episode will explore: -whether we can help others when we're struggling ourselves -how to figure out what we need during these times -what a Support Pod is, why it's important to have one and how to create one for yourself -how self-compassion must be a part of your experience, especially when you're not ok -what mine looks like when I'm struggling Don't forget to subscribe to my Monday and Friday e-inspirations by texting REKINDLE to 66866.

Working with animals whether it's vet med, animal welfare, research or rescue/advocacy all has something in common (other than the animals!) and that is working with people. We can't truly help the animals if we can't figure out how to work with the people alongside of us. This episode is about the 5 most important concepts that when mastered, create the most compelling and effective work relationships. 1. Self-awareness 2. Being brave 3. Building connection 4. Knowing your heart state 5. Understanding leadership contagion This is an episode designed to share. With your teams, colleagues and co-workers. Use it as a jumping off place to have deeper conversations and self-reflect. Better co-worker relationships leads to better mental health!

How you start your day matters. Especially given the largely unpredictable and sometimes chaotic nature of vet med, animal welfare and other work that revolves around animals. When I found out that all the thought leaders in the personal development space have morning rituals, I decided to try it myself. I'll never go back to not having them!

We all want to live our best life but sometimes the voice in our head is busy telling us how we aren't good enough. You have to make a practice out of proving your brain wrong in what it tells you about yourself. In this episode I share with you a brain hack I created. I call it the "I Don't" List. It's a way to reflect on your past and instead of feeling inadequate about yourself, you can instead feel proud and see your accomplishments so much clearer.

No wonder we are so confused and reluctant about self-care. The wellness industry has told us that it's about bath bombs and candles but it's not. Well it could be. I like to think much simpler than that. In this episode I'll teach you: -the connection of self-care and self-love -where self-care really begins -the 3 thoughts that are getting in your way and how to overcome them -my new favorite self-care mantra!

Do we have a say in how we experience our life or is life just happening to us and we are at its mercy? Definitely the former. What life does is present you with neutral things that your brain then interprets as positive or negative. So your experience of your life is actually based on your brain's perspective! And perspective is not static. It's actually 100% within your control.

Today I interview veterinarian, biology teacher and author Dr. Christine Hedrick about her new book "Into The Fold". It's a beautiful, heart-warming story about a group of women who have many differences but are bonded by that which they have in common, a desire to belong and feel supported. One of the characters works in a veterinary practice and is deciding on whether or not to apply to vet school. "Into The Fold" has a great story but also shows the joy and challenges of veterinary medicine. In this episode we talk about: -why she decided to write this book -what the title means -what she wanted to convey about vet med in it -how the characters spoke to her -how she has been personally affected by mental health issues How to get the book: A full list of retailers can be found on the book's Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57677288-into-the-fold?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ywmcEfAGOA&rank=4 It can also be purchased from Christine's website: https://christinehedrick.com/

Many of the animal workers I meet feel overwhelmed. Veterinarians, vet techs, animal welfare workers all finding themselves with too much to do and what feels like not enough time to do it all. Overwhelm can derail us if we don't know how to solve for it. And learning how to work with overwhelm In this episode you'll learn: -Where overwhelm actually stems from -How it can cause you to get stuck in procrastination -How to solve for worries and overwhelm -How to reframe all the things you "have" to do

Licensed Veterinary Technician, mom and Founder/President of Wildwood Farm Sanctuary, Shauna Sherick is making a difference. Having grown up visiting her grandparents farm where they raised animals for food, Shauna later took over that farm and created a safe haven for farmed animals just like those she grew up around. In this episode we talk about: -her journey from LVT to sanctuary founder -what the biggest challenges are in running a sanctuary -what she's learned about the importance of self-care and boundaries -why she is committed to being the voice for farmed animals and their plight Please visit Wildwood Farm Sanctuary and Preserve in person or online and consider donating to the care of the 100 animals that call Wildwood "home". https://wildwoodfarmsanctuary.org/

Just like making time to exercise, meditate and sleep, I believe we have to make time to feel our feelings. Compassion fatigue can be offset by making room for the vast array of feelings we feel when being in service of animals. In this episode I'll share with you how I'm doing this, how I'm attending to my emotional self-care. I invite you to listen and see what you can apply to your life. Feelings are meant to be felt. Here's the link to my Grief Time Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6z6MClhqXlgsjW8jfeAYcA

You're a helper a healer and a caregiver to animals and maybe to people too. This is a challenging time for many animal workers. Vet med and animal welfare are extremely busy and extremely understaffed. This is a time to amp up your self-care. This is a time to ask yourself what you need in order to keep doing what you do. But helpers, healers and caregivers are often the worst at taking care of themselves. In this episode I'll share with you the 5 reasons why and what to do about each of them.

These are crazy times in the world and likely in your work too. Emotional whiplash is what happens when we go from one extreme emotional state to another. Like going from a euthanasia to a puppy wellness visit. But just because we can, doesn't always mean we should. This episode will have you thinking about how to better cope with situations like this and also perhaps prevent some of them.

Self-belief is simply believing in yourself and your worth. Unfortunately it's not that common. What's more common is wanting others to believe in us and be supportive of us. But we have it all backwards. What we need to create is belief from the inside.

This week on the podcast I'm getting real vulnerable and telling you what it's like to be me. Someone who is knee-deep in grief and loss over the sudden loss of my mom. Whether you have lost a human or an animal, this episode will likely help you realize that you are not alone. I reveal all my messy thoughts, some that even cause me great shame to admit, but I'm doing it anyway. I'm also talking about regret, guilt and feeling lost after someone pivotal in your life has died. If you'd like to join my bi-weekly email list, text REKINDLE to 66866.

How does the Hero's Journey relate to personal development and transformation? Essentially the Hero's Journey is the psychological undercurrent of humans. We all share this process as we strive for transformation in our lives. Regardless whether that transformation is a new job, a new degree or a new relationship, the Hero's Journey is at play. It's a roadmap for self-development and I love it so much. Hope you do too! My website: www.rekindlesolutions.com

I did intend to record this episode but I was so inspired by Simone Biles' actions this week in Tokyo at the Olympics. She withdrew herself from several events due to her mental health. She was quoted in saying her "psychological state put her in significant physical risk". I think we can all learn a lot from her courage, bravery and vulnerability to honor herself on one of the sports world's largest stages, the Olympics. Go Simone!

Compassion fatigue and grief go hand in hand. I didn't always realize this but I do now. Working with animals exposes you to grief all of the time. Grief is the natural response to loss. When we work with animals we may lose them due to death, euthanasia, adoption, animal transfer or job change. In this episode I'm going to share with you some of the different types of grief that you can experience as well as share my own personal journey with grief.

Women have a love/hate relationship with self-care. They want to love it but they hate that it feels so unattainable and like another thing on their to-do list that they are failing at. In this episode I explore how the socialization of women has affected the way we feel and think about self-care and how to move beyond the outdated misogynistic playbook we've all been handed. It's time to re-write the book for ourselves ladies. Worksheet is at www.rekindlesolutions.com/fsc

Self-care gets a bad rap because we think it's just about self-indulgence like mani's and pedi's. And there's nothing wrong with mani's and pedi's but self-care is much more than that. Self-care is about how you take care of you and your physical space. Clutter is the antithesis of self-care. It weighs us down and prevents our energy from moving freely. In this episode I'll share with you: -my 3 step process for de-cluttering -how often you should do this -why it matters -where to begin Also, be sure to subscribe to my bi-weekly e-inspiration by texting REKINDLE to 66866.

Does it feel like your life is a constant to-do list that you never complete? You're not alone. When is the last time you felt joy, playful and true pleasure? I'm not talking about sexual pleasure, I'm talking about when is the last time you had unbridled fun? And women especially put themselves last on the to-do list so the fun they want to have never comes. We have to change that. ASAP.