This Webinar was recorded live on Tuesday, 14 September at 7:00 p.m. CST

Have you heard of Compassion Fatigue? Are you or have you been a caregiver? Have you experienced anger, grief, loss, shame, guilt, etc., as a result of your research? Have you become depressed or anxious? Join me in a new webinar to explore the ways our research & professional work can impact our mental health & resources to help us keep our energy high.

In August 2018 a friend told me about two concepts she felt were important as I was a caregiver to my seriously ill husband (before things got really bad). Compassion fatigue and anticipated grief. Those two phrases opened up a world to me I did not know exist. I now had vocabulary to put to what I was experiencing and feeling since February 2016.

What was surprising to me, the more I researched these concepts, was I was ALREADY feeling the effects of these things prior to being a caregiver because of my military research work and genealogy work. I was also affected because I am an empath and medium, constantly connected to energies and others. Early in my research life I had no tools to work with this so I would not be at the effect of those energies. Now I have tools I can share with you. None of what I share is medical advice (see disclaimer below).

This work we do, especially when we constantly engage in the death files, death certificates, accident reports, traumatic news articles, battle reports, etc., affects on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Only we often do not notice it until we get sick or something else traumatic happens. These concepts are not something discussed in the genealogy and military research communities. These effects may happen whether you are a hobbyist or a professional researcher.

In this webinar I am going to share my caregiver story and explain the parallels and links between what I was feeling on all levels in that experience, along with what I discovered through my intense military research. You will walk away with tools and resources to explore to see what works for you. Always consider seeking professional mental health services if you feel this work has affected you on deep and traumatic levels. The tools that work for one person may not work for another. The tools that work for you through a period of time may not always work.

It is time to break the silence on how this vital work is impacting our health.

Meet Your Guide on this Journey

Hello! I'm Jennifer!

I’ve been on a conscious personal healing journey for more than a decade. My journey began while researching & writing about my family & military history. My military ancestors helped me dive deeper into my personal & ancestral trauma to heal.

By 2015 my healing journey & military work allowed me to travel in Europe & create a life both there & in Chicago. I became embedded in Dutch society, life, relationships, healthcare, politics, culture, got a deep dive into grief when I became a caregiver to someone I was in a relationship with & more, which gave me a unique perspective on our world & the layers of trauma we each carry, no matter where we live. Each experience I had in Europe gave me awareness & puzzle pieces for my healing & the healing of our ancestors & the collective. Puzzle pieces & awareness I can now share with you.

We are all connected no matter where we live, what our culture is, what our trauma has been….when one heals, we all heal.

Explore more of my military research work, over six years of articles, record examples, videos, and all the books I've written at the WWII Research & Writing Center.