Taking Care Of Ourselves As Therapists

Take Care Of

1. To attend to or provide for the needs, operation, or treatment of (someone or something)

2. To deal with or do (something that requires effort or attention)

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Taking good care of yourself is crucial.

This means having a self-care plan that you follow and adhere to.

This also means having a daily practice/habit/routine of some sort where you engage in something daily to ground you and center you.

Having structure, consistency, and a plan helps you manage personal triggers, soothe yourself when overwhelmed, ask for help when you need it, and more.

A self care plan can include the following:

• Getting adequate, regular, and a consistent amount of sleep

• Eating regular, delicious, and nutritious foods you enjoy, fuel you, and nourish your body

• Drinking enough water regularly

• Moving your body in a way that feels good and/or exercising

• Engaging in hobbies not related to mental health/social work

• Get out of your head and into your body

  • Dance

  • Move

  • Stretch

  • Yoga

  • Body scan

  • Massage/body work

  • And more

• Reducing stress as much as possible

• Understanding our role as therapists/social workers and the limitations of 1-1 therapy/case management

• Practicing acceptance, especially radical acceptance

• Practicing emotion regulation skills

• Practicing distress tolerance

• Practicing mindfulness or being in the present moment without judgment

• Don’t check work email when not at work

• Don’t check work phone when not at work

• Have psychological boundaries around work

• Have physical boundaries around work

• Reducing screen time (tv, cell phone, movies, iPad, etc.)

• Having a sleep regimen and follow it consistently

  • No caffeine after 12pm

  • Reduce screen time 2-3 hours before bed

  • Have bedroom cool temperature wise

  • Use bedroom just for sleeping (no work, watching tv, etc.)

  • And more

• Going outside for some sunshine everyday and/or using a SAD light during autumn season when sunlight is low

• Avoiding overly using substances such as alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs

• Attending all personal mental health and health appointments to manage and/or prevent chronic illness conditions

• Having a support system in place

• Reaching out to a peer for ongoing consultation

• Reaching out to a supervisor for ongoing supervision

• Reaching out to friends and/or family once in awhile to check in and socially connect and engage with others

• Reconnecting and connection to spirituality

• Reconnecting and connection to religion and faith

• Reconnecting and connection to cultural practices

• Identifying personal triggers and avoiding them as much as possible

• Practicing relaxation and self soothing skills

• Celebrating your clinical wins and areas of growth

• Going on vacations

• Going on staycations

• And more

Resources

• Everything Is Awful and I'm Not Okay: questions to ask before giving up

• Lifestyle Medicine

• The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine

• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

• Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice

• SMART Goal Cheat-Sheet

• BIPOC Self Care

• The Nap Ministry - Rest As Resistance

• Our True Home - Thich Nhat Hanh

Podcasts

• Pico Iyer - The Urgency of Slowing Down

• Alex Elle -Self-Care as Generational Healing

References

• "take care of” Merriam-Webster.com. 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com (8 May 2024)