Running on Empty
A printable workbook for the people who take care of everyone else.
- Instant download
- PDF · 18 pages
- US Letter
What it is
You probably already know "you can't pour from an empty tank." This workbook is about the part after that: how to tell when you're running low, what's draining you, and small, real ways to fill back up in a job that won't slow down for you. Built around one simple picture, a fuel gauge, so it's easy to come back to on a tired day.
What's included
- Compassion fatigue or burnout? Both explained in plain words, side by side, and what helps each one
- Where's My Needle? A 20-line check-in across body, heart, mind, and work (a check-in, not a test)
- My Warning Lights: your own yellow, orange, and red signs, and what you'll do at each one
- What Drains My Tank: the stories, the system, the people, and you
- What's Mine to Carry? Sort the weight into mine to do, mine to nudge, and not mine to carry
- My Refill Menu: 5-minute, 1-hour, and day-off refills for body, quiet, people, joy, and meaning
- Why I'm Still Here: a good moments file for the days you wonder why you do this
- Four Stops on the Way Home: a decompress routine for after a hard visit, call, or shift
- My Way Home: build your own routine, plus two cut-out cards for your car visor, wallet, or badge clip
- Talking It Out, Safely: how to ask before you vent, share the weight without the details, and 6 debrief questions
- Boundaries Are Care: a simple three-part formula (warm, clear, can)
- 10 boundary scripts for helper moments (a family asks for your number, a gift you can't accept, a coworker sharing graphic details, your own mind won't clock out, and more)
- Write My Own scripts page
- My Support Map: home, work, professional, and community rings, plus a who-for-what list
- My Refuel Plan: everything on one page, great for supervision
- When It's More Than Empty: signs to reach out, places to turn, and how to ask for changes at work
Great for
Printing tips
Print what you need, as often as you need. Pages 4 and 17 are made to reprint every few months. This is a digital file, so nothing will be shipped.
Terms of use
For personal, classroom, and counseling-room use. Please don't share or resell the file.
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