Overloaded

The last past few weeks have been a blur here at work. New people make for interesting times. Each new person brings with them their own stuff that then gets mixed with everybody else's stuff and this can cause such conflict.
New coping skills are cast aside and old ones embraced once again making life caustic between those we serve. We are going through a period of self harming behavior by those we serve and it is very difficult to deal with when the behavior is constant. I feel so inadequate and at a loss as to what to do. This self harming behavior affects the community of young ladies I serve on many levels. It also affects myself and those I work with and we each deal with the effects in different ways. It is at times overwhelming all the emotions that are surfacing within me as a result of dealing with the self harming behaviors of others.
I have become short, anxious and distant toward those I serve and those I work with. A result of the emotional upheaval resulting from dealing with self harming behaviors daily and over a long period of time.
If we are not constantly assessing ourselves both emotionally and physically we become overloaded and we no longer can help ourselves regulate our emotions never mind help those we serve regulate theirs.
Where do those who help go for help? Is it OK to feel the way we feel? Asking for help is a good thing, right. So why does it feel so bad?

What is important

Ever get the feeling that things are just spinning out of control. Maybe losing sight of what is important and what is just not worth getting worried about. Maybe just burned out by the constant urgency of those you work with. Maybe the inability to communicate what is really important to you is driving you right to the edge.
Well I feel as if I have been on the edge for the longest time and just need to ease back or I will go over tthe edge. Thats right, just burn baby burn.
I need... What do I need? Support, help, understanding and some basic communication. Is this too much to ask, I wonder?

Stress

It is amazing how some new faces can turn the entire place upside down. New people seem to send the long time residents into a tail dive. Everything from self image problems to feeling that they are not smart enough. Clicks start and then it's all out war between the girls and that means chaos on the floor.
Now add to that staff feeling stressed by any number of things and we have the recipe for a melt down of huge proportions. When we as staff struggle with communicating with each other how will be able to communicate with those we serve? The place feels like it is going to explode and I as well as my fellow co-workers feel unable to stop the negative momentum. It is like watching a speeding train attempting to make a turn and knowing full well that it will derail because there is too much momentum. I hate feeling helpless and that is what I feel most of the time of late.
We had a staff meeting today and we at least are beginning to talk to each other. That is the best thing that has happened in the last two weeks. It does give me hope that we will be able to turn the corner and begin to work once again as a team. A team that was and can be again a very powerful influence in the girls lives.
I sometimes wonder if anyone is reading what I write and sometimes I think the hell with this but I keep on posting hoping someone will read and maybe even respond. I guess I am ever the optimist, or maybe just a glutton for punishment. You decide.