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 old 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.

By Day 3

Post:

• 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.