The emotional and mental labor we therapists experience daily can truly take a toll on our own mental well-being. The painful and traumatic stories we hear daily can completely absorb us, and we may get so used to caring for others that we forget that we need to take care of ourselves in the process.
While the nature of our work can be incredibly draining, many therapists are plagued with burnout and exhaustion due to the systems in which we work often undervaluing and underpaying us! There is a mental health professional shortage due to a variety of issues including but not limited to, low salaries, unpaid graduate internships, low-paying reimbursement rates, large caseloads, exposure to workplace violence and trauma, and high levels of burnout.
Burnout among the health workforce has been a persistent issue and has been intensified by the pandemic causing higher burnout and even more clinicians leaving the field.
Burnout is a systemic issue and not a personal flaw or deficit. We live in a capitalistic world and work within a broken mental health system that unfortunately devalues the providers out here doing this work. Recognizing that burnout is not a personal flaw or deficit helps mobilize us to shift toward a better future. One where we no longer remain in workspaces that don’t serve us well.
Beyond that, there are steps we can take and ideas we can unlearn to ensure we take good care of ourselves both personally and professionally. So we can step back from the hustle and grind that’s normalized and jump towards shameless care for ourselves and prioritize our own mental health.
Let's understand these all things in this detailed guide on emotional and mental well-being.
What Does Therapist Self Care Mean?
Popular culture makes us believe that self-care is all about buying expensive things and going on lavish trips, but that's not the case. It has very little to do with the material things and much more to do with your internal state. Self-care means nurturing and taking care of your emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health through restorative practices so that you can feel replenished and recharged.
There is no one, standard self-care routine or practice that fits everyone. People have different circumstances and their self-care routines vary accordingly. Your self-care routine might look completely different from the one adopted by your close friend or colleague, so walk the path that brings you peace and comfort.
If you want a comprehensive self-care guide to start caring for your mental health, download our ebook, Taking Off the Therapist Hat. It contains practical tips, debunks the most common myths, and offers a comprehensive quiz to help initiate your self-care journey.
Why is Therapist Self-Care Critical?
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
– Maya Angelou
A 2018 survey of over 600 clinical psychologists showed that around 66% or two-thirds of them faced therapist burnout. It only goes on to cement the fact that not only does the system immediately NEED to change but that we as professionals working in the mental health sector also need a robust care routine and to be in work environments and spaces that are best for our mental health. From the regular work pressure to the distressing therapy sessions, there is a lot that therapists themselves go through, contributing to burnout.
Therapists face these and many other unique challenges in their lives, which makes self-care and having our own therapist crucial.
Self-Care Tips for Therapists
As therapists, we cannot pour from an empty cup. We can best care for others only when we first care for ourselves. Let's discuss some of the best therapist self-care tips to help you create a more positive and peaceful life.
“You are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn rest. Rest is not a luxury, a privilege, or a bonus we must wait for once we are burned out.”
– Tricia Hersey
1. Get a Good Night's Sleep
There is enough evidence out there suggesting that getting adequate sleep can improve your mental health and also combat anxiety. Although the duration of sleep varies for each person, the golden number is usually between 6 and 8 hours.
Sleep is a great way to replenish your body after a tiring day and restore hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine. It is also crucial for creating serotonin, the hormone linked to well-being, appetite control, and good mood.
Getting all the benefits of sleep requires a schedule that you can follow: going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time. It is tempting to scroll some social media, but it won't help you sleep well. So, try to practice mental rest by disconnecting from screens at least 30 minutes before sleep.
2. Eat Healthy
Healthy food is key to great health, a proven mantra you must often have heard. Eat nutritious food if you are addicted to fast food to kickstart a healthier lifestyle. Research shows that eating a healthy diet significantly lowers one's risk of developing depression.
When you're having back-to-back therapy sessions, it is understandably difficult to focus on your diet. Generally, you should eat healthy and drink an ample amount of water to maintain a healthy weight and keep yourself going. Try scheduling breaks in between sessions to eat and drink water.
3. Maintain Healthy Boundaries
Building and maintaining healthy boundaries is critical to achieving sound mental health. A healthy boundary for each person may vary, but it's important to determine the boundaries that best align with your well-being and mental health needs. Here are a few common boundaries that therapists explore:
The number of clients you see each week
Which problems you can address and which you cannot
The hours you want to practice
When you refer clients out
Your fees
Cancellation or no-show policy
Everyone will answer these questions differently. Therapists define their boundaries according to their situation and their needs.
If you're working in an agency, it might be difficult to set all the boundaries, such as the caseload amount and work hours, but it’d be important to continually assess what caseload amount allows for the most balance and peace, what presenting issues/topics do you feel most ignited and passionate and which topics feel more draining. These are all important questions to help you explore what feels right for you so you can determine and communicate the best boundaries and fit that will help you create the life and business that feels good to you.
4. Schedule Breaks
One great way to improve your mental well-being is to take breaks throughout your workday. You might have a packed day with one client knocking on the door as soon as the last one leaves, but even the shortest of breaks can make a significant difference.
Even if you have just 10 minutes, meditation or a walk outside can greatly improve your mood and help you release the heaviness from the previous session. According to the American Psychological Association, people who perform just half the recommended amount of physical activity for adults—that is, 75 minutes of brisk walking per week—lower their depression risk by 18%. You might feel out of energy to walk, but giving yourself a small push at that critical moment can make a big difference.
5. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a great way to get your mental health back on track. It is the idea of repeatedly focusing your mind on the present moment. The best thing about mindfulness is that you can practice it formally through meditation or everyday activities like cooking and cleaning.
It should start as soon as your day begins. Instead of thinking about the tasks you have to accomplish during the day, start with gratitude and grace mantras. List everything you're grateful for, or even the things that you’re proud of yourself, or how you’re going to give yourself grace today.
Then, when the day kicks in, you should focus on one thing at a time instead of multitasking to complete everything simultaneously. Multitasking sounds good on paper, but it leaves you frustrated and anxious in practice.
6. Talk Positive to Yourself
Developing the habit of positive self-talk each day can greatly improve your mental health and outlook on life. Research suggests that positive self-talk has the potential to enhance cognitive performance.
The first step in engaging in positive self-talk is identifying the trap of negative self-talk. Some situations, such as work events, increase the likelihood of falling into that trap. Figure out such incidents so that you can prepare well for them.
Here are a few simple things you can do to engage in positive self-talk:
Laughter is a great way to reduce stress. When you find yourself falling into negativity, watch funny videos on the internet to cheer up.
Surround yourself with positive support and a community that pushes you upwards
Seeing positive images and words, and wearing shirts with a positive message can greatly enhance your mood. Post positive notes and pictures in your office and home, where you spend most of your day.
7. Keep Personal Life Detached From Work
It can be incredibly hard to separate personal life from this work because we are so passionate about helping others. That is why we got into this field to help others, but often it has come to the detriment of us caring for ourselves or completely skipping over our own need for support.
One of the most effective ways to do this is having your own support such as a therapist and additional spaces where you can take off the therapist hat. It’s important to get to know yourself outside of being a therapist and what you do for a living. Some tips on taking off the therapist hat can be found here.
8. Enjoy Your Hobbies
When was the last time you enjoyed the hobby you loved years ago? A therapist has several responsibilities, but taking time out for activities you love is so essential to caring for yourself. Think about the following activities:
Hiking
Riding a bike
Gardening
Cooking and baking
Doing art
Going to movies
Visiting museums
Gaming
The answer solely lies in what you like, so pick the activities you love and do them whenever you have some free time.
The Essential Self-Care Quiz
We are constantly checking in on the needs of others, but when was the last time you checked in on your own NEEDS? Just like our physical health, our mental health requires regular check-ins. Assessing your stress levels, emotional well-being, and self-care practices helps you identify areas that need attention.
Ready to Discover Your Self-Care Needs?
Try our comprehensive self-care assessment and receive personalized recommendations to boost your mental and emotional well-being.
It is a well-crafted quiz that covers a broad range of factors contributing to therapist well-being, including physical health, emotional regulation, boundaries, workload management, and social support. Questions in this assessment explore topics such as sleep quality, stress levels, leisure activities, and time spent with loved ones.
Taking Off the Therapist Hat: Your Companion to Restorative Self-Care
While these self-care tips provide a practical start to your well-being journey, Taking Off the Therapist Hat contains a wealth of quality information and strategies.
In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover a range of quality self-care practices:
Myth Busters
Crucial Reflections
Self-Care Practices
Self-Care Checklist
A Comprehensive Self-Care Plan
So, join our mailing list today to download our comprehensive and completely free eBook to begin a highly rewarding self-care journey.
The Bottom Line
Being a therapist has its rewards but we also hold lots of emotional and mental labor daily while dealing with the systemic challenges which can ultimately take a toll on your well-being. We as therapists must have support and someone to care for our mental health too, just like we do for so many others.
Therapist to Therapists leads the mission of supporting mental health professionals personally and professionally. We have created a free therapist self-care e-book containing detailed guidance on how to prioritize your mental health and “take off the therapist hat”. It has various helpful practices, a checklist, and a sample self-care plan.
Download it from our website today, where you can shop for other digital products to transform your therapist journey.
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