As a helping professional, you work hard to stay up-to-date on the latest and most effective interventions to deliver to your clients.You put forth long hours and your utmost effort and dedication to your job, which is highly rewarding, but can also take a lot out of you physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Helping professionals give a lot of themselves, but do you also give priority to self-care and replenishing your mind and body on a regular basis?
We have all heard about the serious consequences of burnout – a cluster of symptoms and mounting levels of stress that can impact health and well-being rather immediately once it has set in and taken effect.
Even mild cases of burnout can take a serious toll on your well-being, as well as your ability to perform at your job. The long-term consequences can be chronic and debilitating, causing all sorts of health issues.
Burnout is an issue that everybody can face throughout the lifespan, but as a helping professional, you are at a far greater risk compared to the average person.
When your work involves assisting others through life struggles, stressors, and emotional concerns, you inevitably absorb much of that energy and pain. As a helping professional, you have the opportunity to see people through their life difficulties, as well as witness their eventual growth and healing – but not without taking at least a small piece of the struggles of others with you.
You have the ups and downs of your own life to manage while also having to serve as a leader, guide, and source of support to others.
For these reasons, helping professionals must prioritize their own self-care and be very mindful of their need to continuously heal and seek out support for themselves. These important actions will not only ensure that you can continue in your service to others for years to come, but they also contribute greatly to your effectiveness as a helping professional.
The treatment and recovery of your clients depend on your own state of self-awareness and the quality of your own well-being.
