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My biggest take away after reading the resources is how critical is that I recognize the warning signs of burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. I am so used to putting everyone else's needs before my own, but continuing to do that is not sustainable. Not taking care of myself when I start to feel the burnout and stress of my job only makes me less productive and effective in my professional life and my personal life.

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Self-care is a crucial aspect of the helping profession because we cannot expect to help others if we do not know how to help ourselves or do not take the time to help ourselves. Having the self-awareness to know when we need to step away and practice our own self-care will only make us more effective counselors. The fact that ASCA mandates self-care proves how significant self-care is in our profession.

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Identification & Description of Personal Self-Care Strategies

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Identification & Description of Personal Self-Care Strategies

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Being by myself if how I recharge, but finding time to be alone during the weekday can be difficult. Two ways I practice this self-care include closing my office door at lunch and sitting in my car for five minutes before I walk into my son's daycare to pick him up. I started doing this about three weeks ago, and I noticed I feel less fatigued mentally by the end of the day. Having a few minutes of quiet time to close my eyes, practice breathing, pray, or engaging in positive self-talk has been beneficial.

Another form of self-care is gardening. I spend a lot of time working in my garden, looking through seed catalogs, and planning next season's garden. Anything garden related is therapeutic for me.

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice

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Gardening is My Ultimate Self-Care Practice