Self-Care

What is Self-Care?

Have you ever invested yourself in something so deeply that you forgot to eat a meal? Have you stayed up all night studying for an exam, even though you know you shouldn’t? How about avoiding your friends and family to finish a huge project last-minute? Sure, we’ve all done at least one of these things… or can think of a few times in our lives when we’ve felt like we’ve needed to forgo our own self-care to get the job done. However, if you feel like you’re putting the needs of others before your own physical and mental well-being on a regular basis, it might be time to reexamine your relationship with yourself, your work, or your life.

Self-Care is exactly that – it’s the act of taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally. In this fast-paced, ever-moving world, it’s important to stop and recognize the things that YOU need in life (food, sleep, shelter, hygiene), and the things that make YOU feel better (time with friends, talking to family, hobbies and fun activities). All of these things are IMPORTANT, and contribute to how you feel on both a day-to-day basis and overall in this chapter of your life.

What is Compassion Fatigue?

Is it possible to care too much? To invest too much of your energy and time in the work that you do? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, especially if those investments come at a cost to your own health. If you are a caregiver, social worker, educator, or work in in a highly compassionate position, at some point you will be at risk of experiencing what’s known as compassion fatigue.

Compassion fatigue is the name given to a suite of symptoms related to the chronic stress of working in a social service role. When you invest more in caring for others than caring for yourself, you are at risk of compassion fatigue.

Signs of Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue takes many forms and can be physical, emotional or mental in nature.

  • Physical, emotional, and/or mental exhaustion

  • Decreased interest in interacting with others or in hobbies

  • Lowered concentration or work ethic, general apathy

  • Disillusionment and negative feelings, emotional numbing

  • Irritability, hopelessness, a feeling of loss of control

Strategies for Practicing Self-Care

Practice Mindfulness – Check in with yourself regularly throughout the day and ‘be in the moment’. Recognize how you are feeling and be OK with that (don’t judge or criticize yourself for it). Journaling can be great for this, or even talking to yourself out loud.

Be kind to yourself – Practice positive and uplifting self-talk, be mindful of negative people in your social groups and negative thoughts.

Accept who you are AND where you are in life – Growing up is a process, not a destination. Try not to think about where you ‘should’ be right now, or compare yourself to others. Everyone is on a different path in life! Some days will be hard and you will feel like you didn’t do enough. Remember your best is enough and it’s okay to have hard days. It’s life.

Make time in your day for YOU – Set aside some time after work each day to do whatever you want (make sure it’s a positive activity). Give yourself a pedicure, get a new book from the library, play a silly game on your phone, or give your best friend a call. Even taking 10 minutes out of your day to stretch is a positive and impactful self-care activity. Do something that makes you HAPPY, and don’t worry about how productive it is!

Practice single-tasking– multitasking stresses us out! Our brains are not equipped to handle lots of complicated tasks at once. Find a calendar, planner, or notebook that works for you, and write things down. Then, prioritize your tasks, and tackle them one at a time. No one expects you to remember everything, or get everything done at the exact same time.

Set boundaries for your life – both in your personal life and your professional life. Doing this work can take over your life if you let it. When you leave work, turn it off. Turn off your emails and your phone. Let your time outside of work be for you and only you. Don’t think that you have to say ‘yes’ to everything you get invited to. Don’t worry about FOMO (fear of missing out), because really, you’re selling yourself short on your own recharge time. Chances are, you’ll be in a better state of mind to enjoy the experience next time!

Surround yourself with understanding people – People change, and as a result, so do your friend groups. Keep in mind that your best friend from high school may no longer be the right person to turn to when you need to talk. Seek out others who are living the same life experiences as you – you’ll have more in common and be able to empathize with each other better. Your fellow AmeriCorps will totally get it. They understand what you are doing and what you are feeling. Use each other as a resource to debrief and be heard.

I Need to Talk to a Professional

If you think you might be experiencing compassion fatigue, or need help managing your work/life balance or stress, that’s OK! No one expects you to figure this all out on your own.

A benefit of being an AmeriCorps is having access to the Member Assistance Program. They provide free, confidential, 24/7, telephonic counseling services.

Some Austin AmeriCorps programs have an Employee Assistance Program which is similar to the Member Assistance Program. Contact your program staff to find out which option is available to you.

The Austin Travis County Integral Care Helpline can help connect you to others who can help.

The crisis helpline provides 24/7 access to qualified staff. Hotline callers receive immediate assessment, crisis intervention services (if necessary), and referral to additional community resources. (512) 472-4357

Want to Know More?

Here are just a few of the resources available online:

Other Resources

Choose Healthier – free app that makes accessing local health-focused info, activities & events easy

Fightmaster Yoga – YouTube yoga

Headspace – free mindfulness meditation app

Yoga with Adriene – YouTube yoga channel with new videos every Wednesday (local yogi)

Center for Formative Action & Reflection – offers free/low cost wellness activities to social service workers in the San Antonio area

East Communities YMCA – generous need-based scholarships to access all facilities. All YMCAs have discounted gym memberships for low income – 15$ per month, I think

Free workout classes – free fitness opportunities in Austin

Gym Memberships

  • Austin Bouldering Project (AmeriCorps discounted rate)

  • Planet Fitness: around $15 / month

  • Gold’s Gym: around $36 / month

  • YMCA: $36 if 26 or younger, $57 if above 26

  • Classpass 30-day free trial