All Day Long...

"Don't you go crazy listening to people's problems all day long?"

I get this question all the time.

In the beginning, my answer was yes. I constantly worried about my clients after I had gone home. And I would constantly dread seeing them again because I was sure that my mind would shut down the moment they started talking about their abusive husband, spoilt children, unfair teachers, disloyal friend, and their singlehood. That was the beginning.

Gradually, I learned how to zone them out the moment they stepped out of the office. In fact, I also used to tell my friend jokingly, "I work in a factory!" because I felt like I was producing a new item every hour, one after the other, relentlessly, without any breaks, as clients walked in on time and stepped out exactly 5o minutes later, giving me enough time to write up a progress note and briefly glance over the next person's file.

The problem begins when I drag myself home exhausted and then start getting calls, "I need to talk to you urgently. I had a fight with my boyfriend." or an offliner on yahoo saying, ":( I need free therapy", or worse still, a long email which can be made into a book chapter about how heartbroken my friend is. These are the things that I have not learned to zone out from. Because no matter what, there are more emotions attached when a loved one or a friend is in distress. But when these distresses clearly become a figment of their imagination because free psychotherapy is easily available (long after the problem has been resolved), my emotions change from genuine concern to nonchalance, and ultimately, annoyance.

So how do I do it all day long? The 9 am to 5 pm is the easiest part. It is the rest of the day that becomes challenging. After all, who likes working overtime without being paid or without any appreciation or without getting a break?

P.S: Now I know why I should not call a doctor friend after hours if something can wait until next morning.
And now I understand why my uncle who worked as an engineer in the electricity company hated getting complaints in the middle of the night.