My Making Use of Self-Care to Avoid Burnout notebook by Paige Wolf

My Takeaways on Burnout, Secondary Trauma, & Compassion Fatigue:

mwolf4_1 — 2024-10-27 01:41:37 UTC

Based on the readings, it seems to surprise or sneak up on some counselors that they are experiencing burnout, secondary trauma, and/or compassion fatigue. I really related to "Who's Taking Care of Superman," when Shalcross noted, "Counselors often feel they should be Superman or Superwoman, he says, bearing the heavy responsibility of caring for others, while harboring the belief that life's bumps and stressors don't — or shouldn't — affect them the way they do everyone else" (Shalcross, 2013). This was my own belief about my role in the helping professions when I started as an educator back in 2017, and I have since learned otherwise. Don't forget that helpers also need help!

Reflecting on the Importance of Self-Care

mwolf4_1 — 2024-10-27 14:45:36 UTC

It is imperative that self-care be a major part of the lifestyle of anyone who works in the helping profession. We must be at our peak effectiveness to help those in our care. To do that, we must find ways to continuously rest and recharge our bodies, and fill our minds and souls with the beauty and the joys that life brings. Sometimes that gets really challenging in the face of the darkness of the world, but if you'll please forgive me a philosophical divergence, darkness is nothing, only the absence of light.

My Own Self-Care Strategies:

mwolf4_1 — 2024-10-27 15:03:48 UTC

My favorite self-care strategy and coping mechanism is escapism. I love to read fiction, mostly fantasy and contemporary romance. I also play Dungeons & Dragons. Movies and TV, especially anime, are other outlets of escapism that allow me to set my own problems or the darkness of the world aside for a bit and escape to new worlds where anything is possible and a happy ending is almost guaranteed. Sometimes the stories that I escape to help me to process emotions that I am stuck on.

I am working on finding a work/life balance. This is imperative in the helping professions, because there is always work that we could be doing. As an educator, I have found that I have to leave work at work. Now, I only bring work home when I have not managed my time wisely, and there is a deadline quickly approaching. Those times are now thankfully few and far between. I have found that I have to prioritize rest and give myself permission to not be productive every minute of every day.

Finally, I attend regular therapy sessions with my own counselor. She helps me process what I'm feeling and find the right strategy to release those emotions.

References:

mwolf4_1 — 2024-10-27 15:05:12 UTC

Shallcross, L. (2013). Who’s taking care of Superman? Counseling Today, 55(7), 42–46.