Compassion Fatigue Solutions

First, I would like to thank those of you who have visited the blog and emailed me with comments and feedback. Community, sharing ideas and supporting one another is really the number one compassion fatigue solution. I invite you all to post a comment with a self care idea, if there is one that you would like to share with our community.

The best test of all these self care ideas is when you are really having to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" and this week is one of those for me: I had a wonderful weekend away with my family, went up to the Laurentian mountains (or hills for those of you out West, I'm sure you would fall over laughing at the size of these little bumps but they are aged mountains to us Quebeckers, used to be huge but are really old and worn down and we love them!). The Fall colours were wonderful and we could hear the Canada Geese flying overhead. But a weekend away means that there is no time for preparing the week, and all the grocery stores were closed when we got home! Hence, a rather hectic start to a very busy week.

I will be in London, Ont. later this week, presenting to a large organisation that offers assistance to homeless men and women in crisis, individuals who often face addiction, mental illness and have very few places to turn. I am very much looking forward to meeting this team.

So, tips for planning a busy work week will follow.

I will label this post "Tips for Busy Times" and will archive it accordingly, and will add tips for busy times at a later date.

Tip #1: Make sleep and exercise your top priorities
If you have a lot on your plate for the coming work week, is it realistic/a good idea to clean out your messy kitchen drawers/make the world's coolest children's lunches/put away your summer clothes? I find that when I have a lot going on, I am not always the best judge of what take priority. So, contrary to logic, what I did yesterday when we got home from our long drive was go for a run. Yes, I went for a run, I didn't unpack the bags, clean the fridge or vacuum the house (although it sorely needed it). I went for a run to go over in my mind the week ahead and best ways to take care of myself. Second thing I did was go to bed early (after watching my favourite TV show, Intelligence. It's a CBC show about the undercover world of the Canadian mafia and police that is wonderful as it's full of intrigue but very little violence or trauma content. A rare thing.)

Feel free to send tips for busy times, and have a good week.