Reddit reviews Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others

Trauma Stewardship!

> If I weren’t out here every day battling the white man, I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity—because you can hardly mention anything I’m not curious about. -Malcolm X


Most Helpful For Me:

-The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Fiction)


Uplifting Inspiration:

-Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go) (Beacon Press)

-The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine ($0.99 ebook)

-The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ($0.99 ebook; Beacon Press)

-A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by former Pres. Jimmy Carter

-How Should We Live?: Great Ideas from the Past for Everyday Life

-The Art of InterGroup Peace (Free PDF ebook.)

-Place, Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America (Speaks of the pitfalls of college affirmative action, yet, the lessons apply beyond that as well; Beacon Press.)


Philanthropy/Social Enterprises:

-The Moral Measure of the Economy

-To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India (Buddhist-inspired governing/economics; Beacon Press)

-A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World

-Our Day to End Poverty: 24 Ways You Can Make a Difference

-The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life

-Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help and How to Reverse It

-Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results by the author of Toxic Charity

-Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy


Self-Care:

-Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others

-This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live

-Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life (Skinner House Books)


Children:

-Critical Lessons: What our Schools Should Teach

-Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs

-Three Key Years: Talk - Read - Play - Sing To Support & Help Every Child in America (Free PDF ebook.)


Nature/Wildlife:

-The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love by Jane Goodall & Marc Bekoff

-The Souls of Animals by UU Rev. Gary Kowalski

-Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

I set a lot of boundaries and respond differently to friends than clients. My friends/family all know that I am not their social worker and while I may feel up to offering an insight or professional opinion here or there, that is rare. When my friends come to me to vent I make sure I'm out of "therapy mode" and I provide simple validation (no suggestions, opinions,reflection techniques etc. It's friendship only). Also, don't be afraid to tell people that you Can't Right Now. Something like "Hey, I'm having a bit of a rough week and I don't have the emotional energy to chat right now." If it's a reoccuring problem, spell out to them that you're not their therapist.

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I'd also recommend taking a look at what you are doing to take care of yourself and combat compassion fatigue. Take a look at things like the book Trauma Stewardship. Where are you getting emotional support from?

As others have said, it sounds like you're experiencing "compassion fatigue". I find that those of us with compassion for others often have a harder time feeling compassion for ourselves, so I can't recommend the book "Trauma Stewardship" highly enough! It's a wonderful guide on how to deal with the suffering and secondary trauma inherent in various caretaking and activism roles.

Living in an age where we're constantly exposed to depressing news from around the world can easily become overwhelming, and progress can feel agonizingly slow or nonexistent at times. It's important that we know what's going on, of course, but it's also important that we take care of ourselves in order to be the best advocates we can be.