Self Care and Maintaining Wellness by Caitlin Jinks

My Plan for Self-Care

cjinks1 — 2024-10-26 22:54:23 UTC

For me to be able to “empty my own cup” and really support people, my cup needs to be filled first. I find that my personal cup gets filled when I spend time with the people that I love the most. Those people are my husband and my son. We could go on a quick weekend trip or simply enjoy some time outside as a family. Either way, my time with them always fills my cup and allows me time to emotionally recharge.

Importance of Self-Care for Counselors

cjinks1 — 2024-10-26 23:04:21 UTC

Counselors can experience burnout which comes out in the form of mental, emotional, or even physical distress. This burnout can cause a loss for motivation or issues staying professional. This image is a very clear picture of what can happen to counselors when they are overworked and never take the time for self-care. One or two tasks may not seem like they do a lot of damage, but as more gets piled on, the counselor cannot even burn long enough to sustain themselves let alone other people.

Self-Care Strategy

cjinks1 — 2024-10-26 23:19:25 UTC

When I am feeling emotionally fatigued or burned out by everything going on around me, something I like to do is stop, sit down, and take some deep breaths. Once I am in a calm headspace, I can pray to God and remind myself of my real purpose and why I am doing the things I am doing.

Self-Care Strategy

cjinks1 — 2024-10-26 23:26:07 UTC

Another strategy that I can do to take care of myself is to put a priority on my sleep. I have seen a big difference in my mental health when I have been able to sleep for 7-8 hours instead of just 5-6 hours a night. So making sure to put a priority on my sleep is crucial to my mental health.

Biggest Take-Away

cjinks1 — 2024-10-26 23:31:26 UTC

My biggest take-away from all of the readings was that the job of counseling is a one-way giving profession. In this picture, it is clear that there is only one person doing the "giving" in this relationship. The other person is too emotionally distressed to give anything to the other person in return. This is why it is so important for counselors to find other ways to fill their own cup, because if they do not, the resources will eventually run dry and they will not be able to give anymore.