Its kinda weird and human nature that we always look for acceptance from others.
This something I definitely see myself doing as a social worker. "Im thinking... lady, I am here to help you. I'm on your side. I support you. Dude, Im backing you up on this." Sometimes I feel like we put ourselves out there all day. We keep our phones on way past 40 hours. Our thoughts mostly revolve around the next technique we can use to get through to one of our kids. We attempt to sit quietly while people rip into us blaming us for all the things we have done to ruin their lives. And it bugs me... I dont know about you.
Now I have heard the whole, "Gotta get tougher skin" "Dont show your emotions" "Leave it at work" but honestly I dont want any of those things. I understand we get jaded in each one of our professions but I dont ever feel the pressure to give up. It's kinda weird because I am doing exactly what I always wanted to do and I dont want to waste a minute being jaded. Doesn't mean I dont get frustrated or upset with the ignorance and stupidity of people who only consider themselves especially when they have children who hang in the balance, but I still find myself putting my self out there and pleading with them to let me help, let others help, listen to family.
Moral of the blog. Don't give up, the next one might be the one who needs you.
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2 comments:
Thank you for that last sentence.
Hi, I'm a medical social worker, and I read this article with interest. My first job was in an emergency department, and my supervisor told me that a lot of my decisions were going to tick off either my own team members or the patients that came to us. "If you don't get called a b*tch at least once a shift, you're probably not doing your job," she told me.
I don't know if I developed a thick skin, but I learned to sit quietly during verbal abuse and think, "What's really going on under all that?" I learned that if I responded to the underlying feelings more than I responded to the words themselves, I could usually diffuse the situation. And by the end of my time in the ER, I was doing my job perfectly well and rarely got called the "B" word.
Debra Stang
Alliant Professional Networking Specialist
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