Life is stressful and sometimes work can be even more stressful. In our profession self-care is a subject often presented on at conferences and is also frequently a topic of discussion during interviews as well. I will shamelessly reference Grey's Anatomy for this because, even though they are fictional, Meredith and Cristina have the kind of friendship that can be essential to making it through all the stress.
Finding your 'person' is so important, especially in the workplace. My previous job was pretty rough and I can say for absolute certain that I would not have been able to handle it if I hadn't found my people. These people were my support system for the difficult things at work and were my cheerleaders when great things would happen. These people are still my people even though I don't work with them anymore. We make time to continue that connection, that's true friendship.
I think it's pretty common to find 'Your Person' within your work environment, especially in the field of Child Life. Due to HIPPA there is lots that happens at work that we can't share with family or significant others once we get home. There is really hard stuff that can happen at work and it can be even more difficult to release some of the related emotions when you can't disclose some of what you are experiencing. Coworkers may or may not have an idea of certain situations at work, but they DEFINITELY have a great understanding of the types of things we deal with at work.
I need my people in my life... if I murdered someone they would be the people I'd "call to help me drag the corpse across the living room floor." I needed them in my life during the rough stuff at work, and even now that I'm gone I still keep up with them because... they're my people and they probably always will be. Find your people and hold them close, your life will be greater because of them.
-K
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