Helping Others is Easier than Helping Myself

Despite the obstacles, you can develop and implement a professional self-care practice.

Awareness of hurdles, what stands in the way of you doing your best work and sustaining holistic health and well-being within your professional role, can help you create a meaningful foundation from which to build your self-care practice. For more information about hurdles check out these post "Self-Care doesn't work" and “Self-care makes me feel guilty”

This post is about figuring out how to make self-care work for you. Not to worry, self-care doesn’t have to be complicated; big and small actions count and your expertise in helping others can be a strength to make it more manageable.

Setting Intentions for Professional Self

Professional self-care, again as defined by Lee and Miller (2018), is the “purposeful engagement in practices that promote effective and appropriate use of the self in the professional role within the context of sustaining holistic health and well-being”. To shape the macro view (big picture) of our professional self we can set specific intentions. These speak to who you intend to be, what you intend to do, or how you feel about your professional social work career journey. They should support your ability to produce your best work, be the best version of yourself in your professional role, and sustain holistic health and well-being. Below I have included some example intentions.

In my professional role I intend to:

· Manage my well-being so I can respond, not react, to situations I encounter.

· Quiet the negative self-talk and limiting beliefs.

· Believe in myself.

· Dedicate time to projects that allow me to use my creative energy.

· Connect with my professional self, myself within my professional role, and my social work “why”.

· Seek professional development, skills, and knowledge to address what I am doing well and what needs improvement.

· Develop strategic relationships with a professional network/community.

What are your professional intentions and goals?

Micro Self-Care Engagements

If you are in professional survival mode, setting intentions may sound nice but not realistic for you at this point in time. This is where I encourage you to remember your social work training. Meet yourself where you are in your self-care journey. If big, macro level shifts or interventions are too aspirational right now, then take a micro approach. Dedicating a small amount of time daily (just a few minutes) and/or weekly can help support your professional self-care engagement and go a long way to sustaining holistic health and well-being.

Here are some micro efforts I have introduced to my self-care practice:

· Nourish my body by drinking a glass of water when I wake up, before I eat or drink anything else.

· Nourish my body by never sitting for more than an hour at a time. Set a timer, get up, and walk for 3 minutes (movement is also nourishing to our body and mind).

· Prioritize rest by going to sleep 30 minutes early (as often as possible).

· Write a daily affirmation on my calendar.

· Practice gratitude by writing notes to others.

· Change my view/perspective by working from a different spot once a week or at least once a month.

Besides going to bed 30 minutes early, my self-care investment is about 5 minutes. Incorporating these micro shifts into my routine allows me to engage with my work differently.

What micro shifts can you incorporate into your routine to take care of yourself?

Introducing micro efforts can get you started and can help you move towards your macro intentions. Both help you make measurable and meaningful progress on the self-care journey.

If you are looking for additional support for yourself or your team I encourage you to set up a Complementary Professional Self-Care Discovery Consultation.

You Matter!