Many of the clients I work with are from nonprofit organizations – people in some form of helping/service profession. One of the themes that run through the work I do with individual coaching clients or when working in groups is: helpers give to others without taking adequate care of themselves.
Whether they are executive directors or senior administrators in nonprofit organizations, attorneys, teachers, nurses, rabbis, social justice advocates, or librarians, they find themselves too busy taking care of the needs of others to take time out for themselves.

I’ve worked with nurses who spend so much time at the hospital taking care of their patients, they have hardly any time to spend at home with their family, let alone eat well and get a decent amount of sleep. I’ve worked with rabbis who have to work on the “sabbath” and have trouble finding time for their own day of rest and reflection.

So it seems, no matter the profession, the proverb, “the shoemakers children go without shoes,” applies. Those of us in the helping and service professions need to find time to care for ourselves.

In his book, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Wayne Muller writes about how we’ve ‘lost the rhythm between work and rest” and no longer take time to rest. As a result, he says:

“[W]e lost our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go, we bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight.” (p. 1)

Rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by our daily list of tasks to do, we need to find ways to ground ourselves so as to be able to see the larger priorities we hold:

“When we consecrate a time to listen to the still, small voices, we remember the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful. We remember from where we are most deeply nourished, and see more clearly the shape and texture of the people and things before us.” (p. 5)

When is the last time you gave yourself time to listen to your inner voice of wisdom?