As May is Mental Health Awareness month, I decided to put forth a focus on addressing and maintaining self-care when working in the mental health field for our own mental health stability. We all know that finding the time to take care of ourselves can be challenging most days; whether we avoid social gatherings, or become too busy with work, school, and/or taking care of the family due to being too tired. We, as human beings, become so consumed with helping others because we are compassionate and caring individuals. But how many of us take a step back and schedule the occasional mental health day?! Below, I have added some tips that can help to keep your life balanced.
[1] Value Yourself
It is important to remember to schedule your favorite hobbies to participate in such as head out to the lake, golf course, the mall, or nail salon. You may want to try new activities such as planting flowers or taking a Zumba class in the community.
[2] Take Care of Your Body as a Whole
Being able to take care of your body physically can help improve your mental health. Things included would be drinking more water, going for a walk, and/or getting an accurate amount of sleep.
[3] Learn to Deal with Stress
This is something that we teach the clients but don’t always practice it ourselves. Make a calm box which includes activities or items that inspire, motivate, or calm you down when in stressful situations. Items may include positive affirmations, stress balls, fidgets, essential oils, and a pen and notebook. This is your personal box, so anything that helps calm your mind would be beneficial.
[4] Be Sure to Set Realistic Goals
If there are go-getters like myself, we hope to exceed and excel at any of the goals that we set. It is important to remember that we as individuals feel a sense of accomplishment when those goals have been met. Too often I find myself “burning-out” from trying to put 110% into a goal only to find myself giving up.
[5] It’s Okay to Ask for Help
Seeking and asking for help is actually a sign of strength and NOT a failure. Communicate your need for help if you are feeling overly swamped, or just emotionally drained or frustrated. My guess is that your coworkers are willing to bump up their support to help you complete the necessary tasks in a timely manner, and you would do the same if it were someone else. There is absolutely no shame in identifying you’re having an “off” day and asking someone else to step in. Being able to communicate openly with everyone not only destigmatizes workplace mental health, but it also encourages a strong and supportive work family.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first”