Self-Care for Mental Health Professionals by Melisa Nichols

Professional Take Away

mnichols130 — 2024-10-26 23:49:26 UTC

The biggest takeaway that I found in my research on burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma was learning the differences and causes. I was very familiar with burnout as I have experienced it, and many friends and family from other professions have also experienced it. In my years as a school counselor, I have heard about compassion fatigue and secondary trauma. What I found interesting is that these two terms are the same thing. What I found most interesting is that the symptoms of compassion fatigue are so similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Self-Care in the Helping Profession

mnichols130 — 2024-10-27 00:06:38 UTC

The most effective way to combat burnout is to take care of yourself and do things that bring you joy outside of work. Practicing self-care once you are experiencing burnout can be extremely difficult because of the exhaustion, this is why it is so important to have a steady self-care routine, especially for those of us who work in the helping profession. People who work in the helping profession carry so much responsibility for their role and the people they are helping. I am in my 10th year of school counseling and have learned the importance of self-care firsthand. We wear so many hats on top of helping children, families, and staff work through crisis, trauma, and mental health needs. We can't pour from an empty cup so we must take the time to fill our cup with the things we enjoy to help us continue doing the job we love without experiencing burnout.

My Self-Care Strategies

mnichols130 — 2024-10-27 00:22:29 UTC

My first step in practicing self-care is being mindful of my feelings and stress level. This can be very difficult for me, so I ask for help from my partner counselor and family, specifically my husband and mom. Over the years, I have gotten better at monitoring myself and checking in when I am feeling more tired or irritable than usual. I have built-in weekly self-care activities to help me stay on top of my mental health needs. Being a full-time working mom and now a student does make it difficult to get as much self-care in as I need so each day on the way home from work I spend some time reflecting on my energy level and how I am feeling. If I am feeling more stressed than usual my mom and husband are both pretty great about noticing the signs and reminding me to take a moment for myself. My weekly self-care practices are trying to get in at least 2 workouts, daily gratitude journaling, watching my shows, and spending unplugged time with my family.

Working out with my neighbors!

mnichols130 — 2024-10-27 00:24:36 UTC

Lifting weights and working out with my neighbors is something that brings me joy, gets me outside, and makes me feel strong. I try to do this at least 2-3 times a week and go for a run on my own at least once a week.

Spending time with my family!

mnichols130 — 2024-10-27 00:27:26 UTC

This photo was taken on a week when I was feeling so tired and overworked so I took a day off from work during my girl's fall break and had a fun unplugged family day!

Date Night!

mnichols130 — 2024-10-27 00:32:18 UTC

My husband and I both work full-time and are parents to 2 amazing little girls (5 and 8). It can be difficult to find time for just us but we try to get in at least one date night a month.