I am currently reading this book on compassion fatigue and caregivers. Several times (in a few short years of being a nurse) I have hit the brink of being ready to call my career quits, feeling utterly fatigued (like a little dark cloud is hovering around me), and ready to stay hidden under the covers. Through sheer will power and hopeful faith, I have made it this far without giving up. One day, randomly at the library (where I love to spend hours browsing the shelves) I found this book. It is geared toward psychotherapists, however the author report anyone in the care-giving role can benefit from learning about the psycho-physiology (basically how the brain and body react subconsciously under stress, particularly under stress reported from others such as patients). I am almost done reading it and cannot wait to report on the book and put some of her suggestions into practice!

Click the title for a link to a description and reviews at goodreads.com.

Rothschild, B., & Rand, M. L. (2006). Help for the helper: The psychophysiology of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Recently I have had a few conversations on what it means to live sustainably. Stereo types of sustainable "groupies" were the main focus of the conversation. "Groupies" discussed ranged from "off the grid hippies" to "trendy hippies" to "hipsters." I learned a lot about the outside perception of the sustainable living, organic, go green, be naturally healthier movements. Insights include the following:
- in pursuit of wholesomeness, right living, and sustainability, it is easy to become (or at least appear to be) pretentious and disassociated with reality, ultimately creating barriers to our original altruistic intentions;
- idealism does not always match reality;
- we do not have to sacrifice hygiene and sanitation for sustainability (the 2 can coexist).
The most important insight I took away from these conversations was: humility is more important than proclaiming our causes and pursuits of sustainability.
    Living sustainable is not all or none, black or white. It means living aware, being curious, and being conscious of our environment and people we are affecting. We live in such a complex world, yet have 2-D vision. It's hard to wrap our heads around the whole global picture. It is challenging to see past the food or item on the shelf to the person who grew the food, sewed the clothes, or built the computer; to see where the tiny screws, threads, and ingredients originated. The hurdle is looking beyond the shelf and associating with the person on the other end of the production chain. We are all guilty of this vision impairment. But if we work on changing this 2D vision, it can be developed into 3D vision, and ultimately, maybe we'll have eyes in the back of our heads (just kidding). The point is, sustainability happens through small steps, personal choices, and establishing relationships.
    Instead of pointing fingers, and calling neighbors ignorant for not "going green" or maintaining health, it is first our individual responsibility to set examples and build neighborly relationships. Through genuine relationship, trust and respect are built, which leads to lines of open communication. Through open communication advice and influence flow collectively. Change and sustainability do not have to be drastic or mandated. Success is possible through even the sheerest efforts (baby steps) to improve (also known as being a good example). The destination is the journey. No one has ever or ever will be perfect, but we can always try to improve.

What does sustainability mean to you?

~Dana~

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