The Mental Shift

One of the most difficult aspects of my day to day isn’t necessarily the size of the caseload, but the need to shift continuously from one case to the next. A patient is on schedule, I plan their lesson, set up the session, they arrive, I get an update from them or their parent, we do the session, I do parent education, document, and then repeat all day long. It’s one thing to be so invested in one person and then quickly jumping into the next, but what really can be exhausting is when it’s out of order. Sometimes, I’ve done the planning and setup but they’re running late so I start documenting or planning for someone else. Sometimes, sessions are back to back so a report from the morning can’t get done until the end of the day. Sometimes, someone emails or calls mid-day or mid-week, not on their scheduled day, so I have to dive into that mental space. I often finish my day thinking “What just happened?” On the weekend, someone will ask “how’s work going” and it all feels like a blur. I’m sure we aren’t the only profession to experience this phenomenon, but the “mental exhaustion” is real. Even with a great memory, it’s hard to keep it all straight. I know I still don’t have a perfect system, but having at least a half day of “nothingness” at the end of the week often feels like a must, just for the mental rest.