Self care prevents burnout, reduces the negative effects of stress, helps you refocus and is beneficial for your overall well-being.
- Join professional and personal groups you enjoy.
- Ask for help if you need it.
- Build downtime into your day.
- Conduct regular reality checks.
- Put up relaxing photos of people or places that are important to you and look at them often.
- Pace yourself – make time for unplanned events.
- Diversify your work activities to provide variety in daily routines.
- Keep up with technology. Take computer classes. Watch YouTube videos to learn a new skill on the computer (e.g., Excel, Word, etc.)
- Take vacations.
- When you return from vacation plan another one to anticipate.
- Try to change the little things that gnaw at you if you can’t change the bigger things.
- Manage your time wisely.
- Learn to prioritize.
- Meditate
- Have a greenspace in your surroundings.
- Take naps.
- Eat well.
- Read something fun for yourself.
- Set realistic goals.
- Have regular supervision with your supervisor.
- Celebrate interventions that do make a difference.
- Recognize small successes.
- Develop ways to manage grief as you need to.
- Keep work at work.
- Set professional and personal boundaries at work.
- Take care of yourself; no one else will do it for you.
- Take lunch breaks.
- Exercise regularly.
- Take a walk at lunch.
- Delegate if you can.
- Keep up social outlets and supports.
- Learn to recognize warning signs of stress.
- Recognize when a personal disaster, experience, or loss interferes with your effectiveness.
- Balance work and home life.
- Celebrate the social work profession.
- Offer solutions to problems versus negativity.
- Laugh A LOT.
- Don’t forget your strengths!
- Take time to do the things you enjoy.
- Limit your work day.
- Do work in smaller chucks.
- Rotate from high stress to low stress functions.
- Figure out if you are a morning person – if so do tasks that require more brain power in the morning when you have more energy.
- Make self-care a priority