Putting self-care as a priority
Do you encourage your clients to practice self-care? Do you practice self-care?
Self-care is a growing trend in society, in which people look to prioritise caring for their own health and wellbeing through the implementation of a variety of practices and activities. It is common for self-care to run on the back burner when people’s lives become overwhelming, busy, or stressful. As a clinician, it is important that you prioritise your self-care because caring for others can be draining, and it is hard to give people the care they need if you are struggling yourself. With this, you can use the lessons from your own experiences of self-care and burnout to help your clients with the same issues.
A collection of research has indicated that self-care is essential for people to function at their best. Ignoring self-care can lead to substance abuse, mental health problems, burnout, and suicide. Fortunately, each person has their cues that bring their needs to attention. If you or your clients are unsure what signals to pay attention to, some common ones people experience are; sudden irritation/irritability, withdrawal away from others, excessive exhaustion/fatigue, increased or lack of appetite, substance abuse (even in minor forms), codependency to unhealthy coping mechanisms, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and self-sabotaging/destructive behaviors. As these cues start to stack up, the mind, body and spirit become less coherent with each other. It becomes harder to see the good in every day, and any minor inconvenience could ruin a person’s day. People are exhausted or run down so severely by this stage in the cycle that it’ll take a large chunk of time to recover and heal. Therefore, we encourage people to practice self-care and acknowledge their body’s needs.
Both you and your clients will reap the benefits of making a habit of practicing self-care on a regular, scheduled routine. Practicing regular self-care encourages people to reconnect with themselves, reframe their thoughts and recognise what they need to get through triggers/stressors in an empowering way.
There are many ways to practice self-care, including self-reflection, journal writing, meditation, mindfulness, healthy and nutritional eating, being in nature, massage, counselling, and engaging with hobbies that promote passion and happiness. Another way to promote self-care is encouraging people to book weekly, fortnightly, or monthly FLOWpresso sessions. This therapy is good for the body and mind. By relaxing the body and mind, it creates an escape from reality and gives one’s whole being a sense of peace during the blissful 40-minute session. The combination of technology and therapy helps the body release stress and anxiety tensions, encourages the movement of stagnant toxins, and improves sleep quality. Making a habit of this experience can provide the body with some much-needed reset without hindering a person’s busy lifestyle.
“I feel one of the greatest gifts a FLOWpresso session can give, is the ability for someone to reconnect to feeling calm and having a sense of peace again."
References
Rayole, C. (2021, October 21). Burnout Recovery: 11 Strategies to Help You Reset. Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/burnout-recovery#immediate-changes
Sanchez-Reilly, S., Morrison, L. J., Carey, E., Bernacki, R., O'Neill, L., Kapo, J., Periyakoil, V. S., & Thomas, J. (2013). Caring for oneself to care for others: physicians and their self-care. The journal of supportive oncology, 11(2), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.12788/j.suponc.0003
Tierney, M. (2021). Secure Your Mask First: The Importance of Self-Care. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 27(4), 334–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903211023732