Leaving it at work

When I got home from work this morning, I was really feeling low. I hear terrible stories every day. I'm a professional so I've developed a way to compartmentalize and not let these stories interfere with my personal life. But every once in a while, something hits me that I just can't shake. Today that happened.

I was on the phone with a mom as she convinced her children to pack because they needed to leave her abusive husband. The kids were crying, the mom was trying to hold back tears, the husband was yelling and telling the kids their mom was crazy. It was awful. Normally the calls I get are from women either planning to leave later or already on the side of the road. I've never been in on the process of actually leaving. Perhaps that's odd since I've been at my job nearly a year. Anyway, this one really shook me down. I was a mess.

I went home and put in an episode of Friends. Watching my favorite tv show always cheers me up. I journaled for a while, prayed some, listened to music, did some yoga, and was finally able to sleep. Yes friends, I ran the whole gammit before I was able to crash!

Thankfully I'll be able to see some friends tomorrow after work, and Thursday night as well. That always makes everything better. :)