Selfless Love: Being a Caretaker
I have recently been giving a lot of thought to what it means to be a caretaker, having been one myself at one point in life. Many people would reach out to me asking how …
Who is your ‘go-to’ person? When you need to work through your pain or a problem, who do you turn to? A friend or spouse, a clergy-person or coworker, maybe even a therapist? Thinking we have ‘it’ all together and having ‘it’ all together are two separate things. We may think that we can control our grief, our shame, our guilt, or our secrets by remaining silent, but naming any of these silences provides a different kind of control. If you’ve been hurt, either from the past or an offense this morning, acknowledging what happened to you gives you more power and more energy. Hiding our core feelings takes energy, which can lead to feeling shut down.“Ignoring inner reality also eats away at your sense of self, identity, and purpose” (Van Der Kolk, 2014, p. 235). It is imperative that you find someone with whom you feel heard and understood to share these struggles. Here are some ways to reestablish your feelings and begin taking control:
References:Van Der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books: NY.