Rediscovering my passion for helping others

Sm412 · Jun 6, 2019

Hi everyone,

So due to my once immense passion for helping others, I took a job at a mental health treatment facility. I worked around 50-60 hours a week overnight, often doing 16 hour shifts (doubles) and weekends. It was rough. I stopped going to church and my support groups. I just didn't have time. I have bipolar, addiction, and an anxiety disorder, so my stress tolerance is pretty low. Needless to say, I burned out quick. And when I say I burned out, I crashed and burned. Went on a 3 day booze and drug binge that landed me in a psychiatric hospital. Did 5 days there, now I'm out and rethinking things.

I'm scheduled for peer support training in late June. My agency will rehire me as a peer support specialist, working 9-5 (which is nice) and 40 hours per week (also nice). The wage will be higher, so I'll be making close to what I made working overtime, which is also great.

The issue is, due to my immense stress reaction, I don't have the same fervor and passion I once did toward the work. I feel emotionally numb to it. Indifferent. This has caused me to rethink my career in public service. I have a year of schooling down toward an accounting degree. Accounting is fun and interesting, but I'm not passionate about it. I figure if I'm going to be indifferent toward my work, I might as well be rich and indifferent. Accounting offers a career ladder, and I'm naturally an ambitious and driven person. The field is stressful in its own right. Tax season is insane for accountants, so I have to consider that.

I don't want to give up this easy. I want to rediscover the passion I once had for being of service to others. It felt so good, like I was making a real difference. I absolutely loved it. How can I break through this numbness and get back to where I was?

Dorothy Mae · Jun 6, 2019

Sm412 said:
Hi everyone,

So due to my once immense passion for helping others, I took a job at a mental health treatment facility. I worked around 50-60 hours a week overnight, often doing 16 hour shifts (doubles) and weekends. It was rough. I stopped going to church and my support groups. I just didn't have time. I have bipolar, addiction, and an anxiety disorder, so my stress tolerance is pretty low. Needless to say, I burned out quick. And when I say I burned out, I crashed and burned. Went on a 3 day booze and drug binge that landed me in a psychiatric hospital. Did 5 days there, now I'm out and rethinking things.

I'm scheduled for peer support training in late June. My agency will rehire me as a peer support specialist, working 9-5 (which is nice) and 40 hours per week (also nice). The wage will be higher, so I'll be making close to what I made working overtime, which is also great.

The issue is, due to my immense stress reaction, I don't have the same fervor and passion I once did toward the work. I feel emotionally numb to it. Indifferent. This has caused me to rethink my career in public service. I have a year of schooling down toward an accounting degree. Accounting is fun and interesting, but I'm not passionate about it. I figure if I'm going to be indifferent toward my work, I might as well be rich and indifferent. Accounting offers a career ladder, and I'm naturally an ambitious and driven person. The field is stressful in its own right. Tax season is insane for accountants, so I have to consider that.

I don't want to give up this easy. I want to rediscover the passion I once had for being of service to others. It felt so good, like I was making a real difference. I absolutely loved it. How can I break through this numbness and get back to where I was?

In my view, passion ought to be reserved for loving God first and loving others as you love yourself. So that serving others because of the happiness it brings you it not loving them as you love yourself. It is just loving yourself.

I am sorry to have to say this but most people do not do jobs they are and always were passionate about. Most people do jobs because they want to eat and have a roof over their heads. Making enjoying your passion as your reason for working caused you to burn out. Don't make that mistake again. Turn your passion to loving God first and that will limit how much you spend yourself on others to some degree. You cannot love others and burn yourself out so you no longer can help others.

But that is just my 2 cents.

Brotherly Spirit · Jun 8, 2019

Sm412 said:
Hi everyone,

So due to my once immense passion for helping others, I took a job at a mental health treatment facility. I worked around 50-60 hours a week overnight, often doing 16 hour shifts (doubles) and weekends. It was rough. I stopped going to church and my support groups. I just didn't have time. I have bipolar, addiction, and an anxiety disorder, so my stress tolerance is pretty low. Needless to say, I burned out quick. And when I say I burned out, I crashed and burned. Went on a 3 day booze and drug binge that landed me in a psychiatric hospital. Did 5 days there, now I'm out and rethinking things.

I'm scheduled for peer support training in late June. My agency will rehire me as a peer support specialist, working 9-5 (which is nice) and 40 hours per week (also nice). The wage will be higher, so I'll be making close to what I made working overtime, which is also great.

The issue is, due to my immense stress reaction, I don't have the same fervor and passion I once did toward the work. I feel emotionally numb to it. Indifferent. This has caused me to rethink my career in public service. I have a year of schooling down toward an accounting degree. Accounting is fun and interesting, but I'm not passionate about it. I figure if I'm going to be indifferent toward my work, I might as well be rich and indifferent. Accounting offers a career ladder, and I'm naturally an ambitious and driven person. The field is stressful in its own right. Tax season is insane for accountants, so I have to consider that.

I don't want to give up this easy. I want to rediscover the passion I once had for being of service to others. It felt so good, like I was making a real difference. I absolutely loved it. How can I break through this numbness and get back to where I was?

I think the best advice is to patiently consider what you believe about yourself and service. It seems you know as a follower of the Lord you're called to serve, that you're to have compassion for them. Try shifting your focus on the people who you've served and how it helped them. Obviously your well-being is important too, but don't let the difficulties of life be obstacles to actually living a fulfilling life. In the end the only difference is a lasting impression and not having regrets.

Remember you need to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ and not yourself, it's faith which leads our work. Ultimately not one of us can do it all like him, he is the Son of God and thankfully we have his body the Church. As a member we can be certain other members are serving him in his work. So ensure you're setting yourself up for faithful service that's sustainable. Yes sometimes you'll need to endure in service of others, but eventually you must rest before burning out. And during those most difficult periods there's prayer and fellowship, whatever spiritual tools we've been equipped with to seek God's will for us.

Hope the new hours are a help and you're able to find the balance needed for God and service. May in the Lord's name He bless you!

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Rediscovering my passion for helping others

Sm412

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Dorothy Mae

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Brotherly Spirit

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