Thriving In A Difficult Job: Running The Gauntlet.

[ForestSanctuary]

I'm in the process of making a big career move, but I think I need some advice. I'm a social worker and I'm pursing my license, my LCSW. However, in order to do this I am probably going to go to a counseling agency. For those of you who are not social workers... Let me explain. I used to work for an agency and got totally burnt out: I worked every weekday for well over 8 hours, was asked to work weekends for free, got called in the middle of the night with crisis situations, and was NEVER done with the paperwork. Not to mention the pay was barley enough to pay the bills (and I'm a very frugal and budget oriented person). Due to all of the stress I started having actual panic attacks. 

But now... I'm in a really good place to try again. I live in a small town with very limited options & my current job will not meet the requirements for my license. The local counseling agency is only 5 minutes from my house. All of my other options are a 40 minute to an hours drive away. The counseling agency can help me achieve my goal of getting my LCSW and (in two or three years) starting my own private practice. So, in my mindset, I need to run the gauntlet for two years. After that time I can be my own boss & I'll have a lot more career opportunities. My main problem is I'm concerned I'll get burnt out again. "It's only two years; you can do anything for two years" my husband & friends say. Me, I'm not so sure. "You can't hold your breath for two years" I reply. Haha. I've talked to therapists who have worked for this agency and they do say it is extremely challenging and they are overworked. But my question to you all is this: How do you thrive in a high stress job? How do you not let the stress get to you? I want to succeed at this job.

Personally, I've been trying to meditate daily, go for a two mile walk daily, eat healthy, and I even see a therapist to assist with self-actualization. Yet, I still feel this tightness in my chest, this difficulty breathing whenever I think about going to work for this agency. I think it's the best move for my career and my family, but I look at it and I think "This is going to be hell." And I need to pack marshmallows and air conditioning...

[MIARIVEL]

Lets put something into perspective that jobs and opportunities are everywhere (some locations and working conditions more convenient than others) and these things are disposable. Your health and your family are not. I believe that if the expectations exceeds the time and energy you have, it is time to look for a job else where. 

I am not to sure what LCSW is but years ago, I wanted to be either a psychologist or a counsellor, I finished uni and completed 3 diploma's one of them including a Diploma in Life Coaching and I was confident in myself enough to believe I have the ability to be able to help and serve others. I got sick for a period in my life that prevented me from working and like everyone else, I needed money to live and survive. 

So I decided to teach myself about marketing (I already have a Business Diploma), and I decided to start my own online business then and there and the rest is history. Its not easy but the steps I had to take to get here was determining what is really important to me and that was my health, then my family and then earning an income. It was long hours, late nights but I learned to love the process by finding balance in every area of my life. I set aside one whole day a week for my partner and I and no electronics. I have morning rituals that I follow every morning including gym and making healthy meals and then my evenings are usually finished with meditation and reading a book, no matter how tired I am, I have decided for myself that these things are important to me & I need to find a way to manage the stress and pressure. 

Yes sometimes you have to suck it up and work a little harder to achieve what you want, but you have to think at what cost? There is no use driving yourself into the ground for what you really want. Trust me, in my teens I wanted to be a model and I experienced the pressures of the modelling world and after a few years, I realised it wasn't worth putting myself through all that just to do modelling and now I also educate people on the importance of health, fitness and nutrition. 

I wish you all the best of luck and hope you find a way to find balance and harmony in living a life you love.