Behind the Scenes in Psychology

As a Psychologist, one of the things I am often asked is ‘How do you do it?’. How do I listen to people all day, and then go home and not take that with me? How do I not hold on to the emotions and problems of others, and switch off so that I can sleep at night?

It’s a good question, and one that I have to ask myself often to check how well I am balancing my work and home lives. I often don’t get it right, but it is always a work in progress.

For me, as a naturally introverted person, my favourite thing to do when I get home is spend some time alone, not talking! A have a distant memory of this being possible, sometime in the past, pre-children. Having time to myself is still really important to me. Spending time alone is for me rejuvenating and rewarding. Unfortunately, like many of us I tend to get this at the end of the day, late at night, when I really should be sleeping!

What I sometimes forget is how amazing it is to have people waiting for me at home, excited to tell me about their day. And when I pay attention to, it does wonders for helping me to switch off from my day at work, and switch on to the people in front of me. Do I still get caught up in work stuff? Absolutely, but it helps to practice what I preach and try to focus on what I can change (and when), and what’s right in front of me, right now.

The other thing that helps is self-care. This is a much-used term, and we get a bit desensitised to it. But it still gets to me that so many of us see self-care as self-ish. I’ve been guilty of the same, on many occasions, and I no doubt will again. But I’m also working really hard to promote more opportunities for self-care in my daily life. Without it I can’t function effectively, and this has been a hard lesson for me to learn. So, as I would tell my clients, each day I’m thinking about myself and what I need, and each day I’m trying to do ‘just one thing’ that is about looking after me. After all, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step (as I keep telling others).

As a Psychologist, I don’t have any magic potions or silver bullets, and I’m susceptible to the same problems as everyone else. I don’t always have my stuff together either, but I really believe in my own innate capability, as well as that of my clients, to understand and nurture myself, and to work toward a life full of meaning and purpose, whatever that may mean to each of us.

Karen