Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello Community,

 As we all know we are facing a very difficult time with the shelters being over crowded, lack of support from people in the community and being short staffed.  I am wondering what things are you doing to cope with the stress. Are you taking care of yourselves and one another? Are you functional for your team or are you letting the stress weigh you down.  I know that we are all dealing with this however I want to encourage all of you and let you knwo that the work we are doing is NOT in vain although we may feel like it sometimes and most of all YOU MATTER!     Here are a few things that I do to help me overcome the stress and feeling of defeat.

•      Journal-  I make it a point to write down something good that happened that day and how I feel I made a difference and that is what I focus on.
•     I try to remember that I am only 1 person and I can only do what I can do and as long as I gave my all then  I have done my part to set the animals up for success.
•   I remember that the pain and stress is TEMPORARY and it will subside however it becomes PERMANENT the second that I give up
•  I live by the NO DAYS OFF method- No days off means that I do not miss a day where I pour into myself, I do not take days off from investing in me whether it be listening to a motivational message when I first wake up, reading a page from a self help book, writing down my dreams and ways to achieve them ect.....
•  Eat better- I have learned that when I do not take care of myself properly I cannot take care of the animals or my staff therefore I make it a point to wat better. When you eat better you feel healthier and  I found that I am more functional because I feel sustained and am not crashing in the middle of the day from a bunch of sugar.
• Last but not least I have a routine that I follow and that ensures that I have time to take care of not only the animals but myself as well. 

 I know this work is tough and we are all facing some sort of crisis whether it be shelters at capacity, short staffed, no volunteers or fosters, low adoptions,low wages.  Remember that things will get better and we will get through this.
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Marissa Reid
Clinic Director
LifeLine Animal Project

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Access To Care Specialist
Clinic Management Specialist
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Marissa, you are a blessing to the beings you interact with because you take great care and effort to draw from a full well. Your words are real, kind, and insistent reminders that when we serve (which we all do), we must drink as we pour. Thank you for sharing these concrete, distinct, reliable, and simple actions each of us can take to be complete selves as we put our selves out there daily as we mend gaps in a torn fabric.

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Sarah Rosenberg
Paws Between Homes
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Sarah,

 Thank you so much for this post.  I truly appreciate your kind words. I know that you are aware  of the difficulty we face in animal welfare right now and it is hard right now.  I appreciate having this forum and people like yourself that I can draw a lot of positive feedback, advice and a place that  I can come and get re-fueled when my tank gets empty.  Thanks Sarah.

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Marissa Reid
Clinic Director
LifeLine Animal Project

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Access To Care Specialist
Clinic Management Specialist
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-08-2021 05:00 AM
From: Sarah Rosenberg
Subject: How are you coping?

Marissa, you are a blessing to the beings you interact with because you take great care and effort to draw from a full well. Your words are real, kind, and insistent reminders that when we serve (which we all do), we must drink as we pour. Thank you for sharing these concrete, distinct, reliable, and simple actions each of us can take to be complete selves as we put our selves out there daily as we mend gaps in a torn fabric.

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Sarah Rosenberg
Paws Between Homes
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YES! I often repeat this mantra as a reminder for self-care: I can't take great care of the animals unless I'm taking care of myself.

I make sure I have fun in my activities: going outdoors in nature periodically, practicing mindfulness, eating well, and getting enough sleep are so important to me, but it's also important to ENJOY the activities.

I'd love to hear what you all do to unwind, too. We can never have too many "relax and unwind" activities, can we?

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PJ Beaven
ZooFit
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PJ,

 Thank you for your response. You brought up such a good point that you must ENJOY the activities. Mindfullness is a huge one for me. Thank you all for sharing.

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Marissa Reid
Clinic Director
LifeLine Animal Project

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Access To Care Specialist
Clinic Management Specialist
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2021 09:44 PM
From: PJ Beaven
Subject: How are you coping?

YES! I often repeat this mantra as a reminder for self-care: I can't take great care of the animals unless I'm taking care of myself.

I make sure I have fun in my activities: going outdoors in nature periodically, practicing mindfulness, eating well, and getting enough sleep are so important to me, but it's also important to ENJOY the activities.

I'd love to hear what you all do to unwind, too. We can never have too many "relax and unwind" activities, can we?

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PJ Beaven
ZooFit
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Thank you.  This is such an important message, especially right now.  I do spend a lot of time outdoors and am lucky enough to live in the PNW near the ocean.  Just walking along side feeling her power and the pull of the tides always settles me.  I have also picked up crochet and enjoy the mindless, repetitive movements.  And I get make to make hats for the people near me in need of something warm.  


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Jean Gibowski
Kitsap Humane Societey
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