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I was shocked to read that self-care is an ethical mandate. We talk about the importance of it all the time, but to look at it from the lense of counselor effectiveness and how job quality and services provided suffer when a counselor is burned out opened my eyes to the importance of quality self-care.

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Gratitude-I will start making a list of things I am grateful/moments that stood out to me at the end of each day. Another way I will practice gratitude will be to spend time in nature and utilize this time to focus on what I am grateful for.

Physical Health-I will continue to move and honor my body, making my health a priority. I enjoy running as a way to cope with stress. I will implement physical activity as a self-care mechanism.

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The old saying "You can't pour from an empty cup" comes to mind. As counselors, we have to take care of ourselves to ensure that we are able to provide effective services to our clients. I like the idea of viewing self-care as a duty, not a luxury. It is something that we need to make time for, not just do whenever we happen to have the time.

We must function at our best, because our clients deserve the best of us. If we are not providing appropriate services, we could miss important cues and information from a client, which could have life altering consequences for that person.