When you work in the funeral industry as a director or attendant, your workdays will be filled with supporting people during their time of grief. The right funeral home staff can make the process of planning a funeral much easier for a bereaved family, but as much as you're focusing on your clients, you also need to remember your needs. This type of work can often be emotionally taxing, and you may feel yourself getting burned out or even dealing with a mental health issue such as depression if you don't care yourself properly. Even if your clients are your chief focus, you need to remember that without first caring for yourself, you can't effectively care for those around you. Here are some ways to do the former.
Talk To Someone
While virtually everyone can benefit from talking to a mental health professional about the issues that they experience in their life, this is especially true for those who work in the funeral industry. Overseeing funerals isn't light work, nor is constantly talking to bereaved people who have just lost a loved one. Seeing a counselor on a regular schedule can give you the opportunity to share your feelings and get some things off your chest, which can be positive for your mental health.
Make Industry Contacts
You may also find that connecting with your peers in the funeral industry can be beneficial. Whether there's a statewide association that you can join or an online group that connects you with funeral staff from across the country, being able to talk back and forth with these peers can be positive for your mental health. You'll often hear about others who have struggled with the somber nature of their jobs and learned effective coping strategies, and you can benefit from these lessons.
Take Time Off
Vacation time is a must when you work in the funeral industry. Many funeral professionals are so dedicated to their careers that they rarely take formal vacations. And, because you're on call 24 hours a day, even a weekend with no funerals planned may hardly seem like time off. You need to be able to step away from the business and leave your cell phone turned off so that you can truly decompress and care for yourself. If you run your own funeral home, the idea of stepping away from the business might be scary. This means that you need to surround yourself with competent staff who can effectively run the business in your absence.
Check out a website like http://www.fosterwarnefuneralhome.com for more information and assistance.
