When you become stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed in your life, what do you do and where do you go to address the feeling? How do you take care of yourself? The same calming behaviors that you employ now, as a student or simply as a human being, can translate into self-care behaviors you use as a social worker. The term self-care applies to any activities you engage in to rejuvenate your mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional well-being. Because of the demands of the profession, it is important to think about the tools you will use to remain present for your clients—without succumbing to burnout. Self-care reinforces the adage that you can only care for others if you also care for yourself.
In this Discussion, you explore self-care strategies to incorporate into your practice in order to alleviate burnout.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on self-care and self-compassion.
Draw on the five senses to develop self-care activities appropriate for you. These activities should help you maintain balance, energy, and grounding as a professional social worker.
Consider your schedule and commitments and brainstorm how you might incorporate these self-care activities into your life.
Main Assignment:
Identify one to two self-care activities that you would find relaxing for each of the following five senses. Make this your personal set of self-care activities:
Sight: Choose something that you would watch or view (e.g., watching a sunset or seeing your children play in the yard).
Hear: Choose an activity that incorporates sounds (e.g., listening to your favorite music or hearing the crickets at night).
Taste: Choose a food or drink that is soothing (e.g., drinking a cup of herbal tea or your favorite smoothie); however, make sure this activity does not include something unhealthy (e.g., smoking, drinking alcohol).
Touch: Choose a comforting physical sensation (e.g., wearing your favorite sweater or putting on a cozy pair of slippers).
Smell: Choose an aroma that calms you (e.g., smelling a scented candle or freshly mowed grass).
Describe how you will make time in your schedule to incorporate at least two of the above self-care activities.
You can set aside just 15 minutes in your day; it doesn’t have to be a large commitment. Try to be specific about when you could make time for yourself.
No intext citation for this assignment… Kindly make it as original as possible.
Reflection:
Identify one obstacle that may make it difficult for you to incorporate your colleague’s suggested self-care activity into your self-care activities, and explain how you plan to overcome this challenge.
Miller, J., & Grise-Owens, E. (2020). Self-care ‘IS’ an ethical imperative for social workersLinks to an external site.. Social Work Today. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_020420.shtml
Kind Mind Academy. (2017, June 19). Kristin Neff – 2 minute tips – how to practice self compassionLinks to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lnU4fZ3eiM
Example of my classmate work… You can also use it for the reflection part.
Description of how I will make time in my schedule to incorporate at least 2 of the above self-care activities
People can notice that they can improve their schedule with such activities and, therefore, their level of well-being and work productivity. Here’s how I plan to make time for two of the suggested self-care activities: vision and olfaction.
Sight: My new routine is that starting today, I am going to wake up 15 minutes earlier than I used to wake up to observe the sunrise. Beyond the beauty of the sunrise, it rests in a calm moment to start the day before the day-to-day activities get in the way. To make this a habit, I would set a wake-up time and make preparations for the morning prior to going to bed so that there is enough time in the morning to impact the visual beauty in my life. Furthermore, I will ensure that I take a five-minute break from my working environment and take a look at nature, such as taking a walk around my garden or the nearest park. These pauses will act as visual rest whereby one will be able to take a break from the screens and also minimize blinking that may cause strains to the eyes.
Smell: To create the pleasure slow, aromatherapy will be incorporated into my evening self-care practices. I will spend 30 minutes before sleeping in the room with a scent of lavender or chamomile. With a scented candle or with the help of an essential oil diffuser, I will prepare a comfortable atmosphere for rest and sleeping. This practice will become a daily habit, ending the day with an indication to the body that it is time for relaxation and sleep. In order to avoid ‘forgetting’ to do it, I will put this in my schedule as a fixed self-care appointment in my daily planner.
Since these activities can be planned and incorporated into my daily schedule with visible commitment, I will be able to make sure that for the part of self-care to occur, it becomes as compulsory as other activities I partake in to ensure that my mental and physical health is sound.
Identification of self-care activities that I would find relaxing for each of the following five senses
Suggesting self-care activities for each sense can build a way of stress-free and rejuvenation that can lead to an efficient schedule. Here are my personal choices: Here are my personal choices:
Sight:
Watching the sunset: The pictures of the sunset that I saw show a gentle transition from the daytime to the nighttime, and this makes me feel relaxed after working hard the whole day. Viewing nature: A simple walk in the park or time spent in the garden gives me the opportunity to focus on the greenery and flowers’ sight.
Hear:
Listening to calming music: That is why softly instrumental music or even natural sounds will help me to relax and focus, which in turn will minimize stress.
Hearing the sounds of nature: These are sounds of rainfall, waves, birds’ calls, and such natural sounds that add a musical feel to my day.
Taste:
Sipping herbal tea: Drinking tea is a pleasant venture, let alone a warm cup of chamomile or peppermint tea, as it relieves the body as well as the mind.
Enjoying fresh fruit: Tastes like berries or citrus fruits, for instance, can be attractive and, at the same time, very stimulating to the human senses, giving health to the body in the form of fruits.
Touch:
Wrapping up in a cosy blanket: A fluffy blanket is cosy and warm and makes a person feel protected during the chilly and cold winter season.
Taking a warm bath: A good example is taking a bath, preferably a warm bath with Epsom salts or oils, which aid in relaxing muscles and the mind.
Smell:
Aromatherapy with essential oils: Having a diffuser on with certain selected essences such as lavender, eucalyptus, or sandalwood would make the environment calm and relax the person. Baking cookies: Comfort and home feeling associated with the smell of freshly baked cookies: The case of smell impact on humans. Therefore, by incorporating these activities into my schedule, I can have pockets of calm on a busy day, hence improving my well-being.
