Sometimes, being with our animal friends or working as an animal-care professional is the most joyful part of our life. And sometimes, it’s heartbreaking.

 

Compassion is the innate love that flows through animal lovers. Compassion makes it possible for us to give animals happy homes, advocate for them and work with them.

 

But when animals are a big part of our lives, we can experience multiple and frequent losses—we may have to say goodbye to a pet, find a new home for a foster or rescue dog, care for animals who have been abused or make decisions about euthanasia. When this happens, it’s actually healthy—though painful—to feel grief. It’s how you know your heart is working.

 

As animal lovers, we may also struggle to get along with people (animals can seem so much less complicated!) and try to take on more work than is humanly possible. Sometimes in our zealous desires to help animals, we become disappointed in people and make negative judgments about them.  We unintentionally create an unwelcoming atmosphere that turns people away from joining our lifesaving efforts.

 

When the pain of loss and stress adds up, sometimes we block that flow of compassion and become depleted. That feeling of depletion is called compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary trauma, cumulative grief, or ongoing grief. It affects your whole health, your relationships, and your enjoyment of life.

 

But while grief is unavoidable for folks who work with animals, compassion fatigue is not. In fact, compassion is your golden ticket: In my private and group workshops, you’ll learn how to let compassion flow where it's meant to go --including to you and your fellow animal lovers so you can continue to do the lifesaving work that you love.

 

Grief is more than something to get through. It’s an invitation to experience life fully and deeply. It enhances your capacity to love, strengthens your ability to face challenges, and gives you confidence in your resilience.

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Like our animal friends, we understand each other best when we observe each other’s body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and energy levels. While online resources and books can offer much-needed information and support, nothing compares to the replenishing power of connecting either in-person or LIVE face-to-face virtually through Zoom. Both of these vehicles for workshops facilitate healing and can help you apply and practice strategies that YOU need to enhance your life-enriching, soulful journey with the animals. 

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If you'd like to schedule an individual Zoom consult or group workshop (up to 4 persons) to refresh your compassionate heart, please contact me!