Thank you.

I enjoy hearing about other people's experience within AmeriCorps, we all seem to adopt different coping mechanisms, however subtle. It's difficult for me to confront the feeling of being unneeded during the service, especially with so many larger circumstances/institutions controlling the infrastructure of the setting before having even entered it--as you've mentioned.

I'd have to agree with your best friend, it is a muscle. I try and force myself to get through the more difficult spots, and suppress my flight instinct (that seems to switch on more than I have the time for) to more manageable levels. My solution always seems to be to go through the motions and let my emotions seep in later; the only problem I run into is during times when even going that far is too demanding a feat. I wish your friend all the luck by the way, as I'm sure she's dealing with and managing a colorful mix personalities.

In terms of dealing with it, I think you're right. I reached out and got to speak with my supervisor this morning about changing some things around in order for me to be able to look forward to carrying on with my work. They're fairly simple things too, just so damn hard to ask for, precisely because they seem to be so....sentimental. It's an awkward situation, to ask for appreciation. Especially when in the back of my mind I think that maybe no one is appreciating my work because in fact, I'm not doing good work.