Natalie Dodd, LCSW
Overwhelm, burnout, empathy fatigue… Do I have your attention yet?
Have you felt these things over the last year, month, week? If the answer is yes, what if you are experiencing a moral injury that is driving these stress responses?
First, let me define moral injury. A moral injury is when we are unable, for some reason or another, to live within our values.
Try this journaling exercise to see if you are experiencing a professional or personal moral injury.
- Identify your professional (or personal) values.
- How are you upholding these values? How are you in balance with these values?
- How are you out of balance in these values?
If you find through this exercise that you are, in fact, experiencing a moral injury, consider journaling the answers to these questions to help work through it:
- Identify one value that feels the most out of balance.
- What are the internal and external struggles in upholding this value?
- Is there a way that self-compassion can help you overcome some of these obstacles?
- How can you support yourself in the reality of the inability to completely live in alignment with your values? Do you need extra support?
- What words of kindness can you share with yourself?
A friendly reminder:
- Sometimes the problems and struggles are bigger than us.
- We are all imperfect human beings.
If this is something you are experiencing or if you could use some tools and tips to better support a partner or loved one experiencing these symptoms, please call Work/Life Connections-EAP at 615-936-1327 to schedule your free and confidential appointment with one of our counselors.
