Late in 2016 the opioid crisis hit hard and working became considerably more challenging and chaotic for front line staff and other emergency response personnel. For me, personally, things became especially difficult as my own mental health was drastically impacted by the traumas I was experiencing in the workplace. I continued to power through because I felt the work was important, but by the spring of 2017 I was in way over my head and suffering a mental breakdown that made it impossible for me to function on shift. I found out the hard way that self care, particularly for those in the social work field, is essential and putting yourself on the back burner for too long can be really detrimental to your health.

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In the end I was forced to accept that I could no longer continue with my career and would have to step back and begin the process of healing myself. At the height of my anxiety about how I was going to navigate this major change in my life as well as continue to financially support my household I was very surprised to discover I was pregnant with my first child.

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It has been difficult to accept that sometimes things happen in life that you cannot control. I have given up a career I cared deeply about because my own mental health made it impossible to continue, and in a unexpected twist have now stepped into a new role as mother to a beautiful little girl.

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As I navigated my recovery from burnout and compassion fatigue I was dismayed to find a lack of resources out there that appealed to me, and that’s what brought me to the Tarot. Blending Tarot practice with my self care routine became the way out of the dark for me and I love that I have been able to use my life-long enjoyment of art to create something that reflects the things I have learned through this difficult period. Self care is critical in this busy world and far too many people, myself included, don’t give it enough thought. The decks I have created aim to raise awareness of the importance of truly caring for yourself properly.

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COACHING - TAROT FOR SELF CARE

 

In addition to creating a Tarot deck designed entirely around the concept of self care and burnout, I also provide coaching sessions around how to use the Tarot as a self care tool to bring different areas of your life into alignment, goal setting, life changes etc. This could be either by providing a Tarot reading or through 1-on-1 coaching sessions via Zoom or e-mail. My experience in the mental health and addictions field as well as my own personal struggle with anxiety disorder and compassion fatigue have equipped me with a unique set of tools that I would love to share with others in a supportive and pragmatic way.  

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