Why Mattering Matters

So often we want to 'belong' to something - a club, a society, a community, and we try our hardest to learn how to fit in, to be accepted. There is a sense of security and well-being when we belong somewhere, but only if our being part of that entity actually matters.

Mattering means that we are valued by our community, and what we add to that community is seen as being valuable. When we work in supportive environments, when our employers demonstrate that they appreciate our work and demonstrate to us that we are of value to them and the mission of the institution, we truly feel as though we are part of that community. That we not only belong, but that we matter to them.

How can we evaluate if we belong and matter to the institutions we affiliate with? First do a self-evaluation. Ask that hard "why" questions. Why are we here? What do we contribute? Is the mission of the institution in line with our own personal/ethical mission? Has the reason we joined this community changed? If you can say that the reason we joined was that there was a mutual mission, that the purpose and objectives of the community were aligned with our own, you are on a good pathway. Often, with the change in administration, there is an alteration in goals, missions and objectives. This is when we ask if we are still in alignment, or if the change has shifted our perspective and our satisfaction with our everyday life experience. Does what we do matter any more or have we become widgets performing actions that are easily done by anyone - or even AI? Do we actually belong or are we just hanging on?

Professional and personal burnout begins as a sense of discontent. Like something has shifted and now, instead of finding joy in our day we are tired, even exhausted by the level of energy it takes to just wake up and go through the necessary actions. Like the poor frog stuck in the pot of slowly heating up water, we don't take the risk of jumping out. We muddle through and as the weariness increases, we even find excuses to remain in the debilitating enviornment. It does not have to be this way!

Waking up and redirecting our lives can be scary, but staying in a perpetual corridor of burnout should be scarier. You are the only one who can start the next chapter of your story. The old adage, the voyage of 1000 miles starts with one step. Let this weekend be that beginning of your new chapter. What is your mission on this earth? How does it feel to be happy to be alive? Think of one new thing you can engage in this weekend to make you feel 'good', then take the time to savor that feeling!

Join me in August for Mental Health First Aid Certification. Become a Mental Health First Aider, and be the change you want to see in the world around you! The certification is free, it is online, and it can help you to not only feel better but support those around you to find the resources they need to take that first step to a better, healthier life! Join Diagnosis 2 Recovery facebook page or follow d2r_msu_son on instagram for more information.