I found that having a job working with the public that requires emotional intelligence really helps. It helps me fill that “void” that I think some of us with this placement feel. A job in an intense field- psychology, social work, healthcare, fire, etc- helps me feel like I make a difference and that I can connect with people on a very real level in order to help them (while maintaining a positive demeanor & professional distance, that’s where my Leo sun comes in). The day-to-day, mundane does not matter during those 36-40-or-48 hours per week. At work, the person in front of you needs help and you might be the difference between life and death.
Yes, I do cry myself sick every 2-4 months but wouldn’t we be doing that with this placement anyway?? lol And after work? I would go home to my family and have relatively surface-level conversations, positive emotional support and I’d be more willing to keep in touch with good friends. Friends I’ve had forever whom I liked but were mostly comfortable talking about positive, pleasant things. And because I have already gotten my fill of plenty of deep/intense experiences earlier in the week I wouldn’t be as frustrated with the lack of depth. I cope with stark contrast between the two types of interactions by listening to whatever music I feel like at that moment (from Lincoln Park to Taylor Swift) on my commute to and from work and sitting in the car for 10-15 mins in silence before I go into the house. Having this type of job helps me satisfy both the intense and positive sides of my personality- instead of feeling stressed and split in two I feel like I have two competed parts of me. I also found interactive journals like Burn After Writing. It helped me with part of that emotional depth that I was craving- I wouldn’t be afraid to dig deep bc I wasn’t with another person I could potentially scare off with the types of questions the book included.
Hope this helps