Taking Your Pulse
At the beginning of every academic quarter, I talk about self-care with my nursing students—just to “take their pulse” and get an idea of where they are emotionally, spiritually,...
Category: Stress
Begging for Release
When my teammate and I moved to a new city in Cambodia, we had the awesome opportunity to house-sit for another expat family while they were on furlough for...
In the Breaking, Look Up
I heard the crash, and I knew, before I even turned around. It had been a morning of all mornings, too many attitude issues, too many potty accidents, too...
Let’s Talk About Stress, Baby
When I think about stress I think about an evening in Mongolia when I was sixteen. A summer team was visiting and it was my responsibility to flag down...
A Slow Burn
Like many of you, my story-- my overseas story-- is full of complicated layers of stress, hope, survival, endurance, and resolve. There are highs and lows. We get tired,...
There’s Hope After Burnout
“I feel like I have nothing to give.” I’ve scribbled these words in my journal in more than one season. The...
Burnout Came For Me
Burnout came for me about six years into living overseas. It grabbed me without any warning. Sure, we’d had family stresses, team changes, moves, a medical evacuation, changes in...
When I Would Rather Hit You Than Love You
I really loved the people of my host country before we went. I mean, I prayed for them, I sacrificed for them, I fought for them and advocated for them,...
Stop It!
When we sold our house before leaving for Indonesia, my husband had to patch up holes in the walls. Holes that I had made with my fist, a Sippy...
Seasons of Joy
Yearly seasons have taken on a whole new meaning since living in the tropics. Winter doesn’t exist here, and neither does fall. Our entire region swings between beautiful spring...
