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Is social work a stressful career?

Social workers have one of the highest risk jobs for chronic stress and burnout among healthcare professionals, especially when workloads are high and they don't feel valued.

choosingtherapy.com - Social Worker Burnout: Signs, Causes & 15 Tips to Manage Self-care

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How to Prevent Social Worker Burnout: 15 Self Care Tips

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent or manage this type of stress, including caring for one’s mental and physical health, setting limits and boundaries, and seeking out professional support and consultation. Social workers can reduce their burnout and deal with feeling overwhelmed by prioritizing self-care, support, and stress management in their personal lives.

Ways to prevent social worker burnout include:

1. Practice Physical & Emotional Self-Care

Social workers have all heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup” but this is more than a cliche. It is critical to recharge (or refill) physically and emotionally in order to be able to stay healthy and continue to help others.

2. Leave Work at Work

It can help social workers to have rituals when they transition from work time to personal time. This can be especially important when working from home. For example, social workers can get to a stopping point with current tasks and write down a list of all of the things that need to be taken care of the next morning. If commuting, it might help to identify a boundary like a river or highway, and think about leaving work on the other side once that boundary is crossed. Employers may have several resources available including supervision, EAP counselors, coaching, and other support services. Social workers are encouraged to find out about and take advantage of these resources.

4. Keep an Open Dialogue With Your Boss

Oftentimes, employers will say that they are blindsided when they find out an employee was struggling with burnout, and they had no idea. It is a good idea for social workers to talk to their employers about their concerns before burnout becomes more serious.

5. Ask For What You Need

Social workers tend to put their own needs last. To avoid burnout, social workers need to be able to identify their own needs, and communicate them clearly and directly.

6. Eat Healthy

Physical and mental health are directly related. Eating healthy food will give social workers more energy and vitality to face the challenges of the day. Since social workers are often booked up or on the run, it’s a good idea to pack healthy nutritious snacks and lunches.

7. Set Realistic Goals

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Social workers can burn themselves out by setting too many goals at once, seeking perfection or simply being unrealistic about what can be accomplished in a day. There may be times when social workers need to lighten their to-do list and set reasonable goals and expectations.

8. Take a Vacation

Nothing beats a true vacation for unplugging, recharging, and leaving stressors behind. It’s helpful for social workers to have a trusted colleague cover their phone and emails so they can leave the office with confidence. Everyone needs to be able to unplug sometimes, and social workers are no exception (though plan wisely to avoid the post-vacation blues).

9. Build Self-Care Into Your Day

Social workers can build self-care micro-strategies into their busy day so they don’t have to wait for their next day off or vacation to take care of themselves. Ideas to get started include keeping a full water bottle handy all day, starting the day with a 2-minute meditation, standing up to stretch or move between clients, or listening to music.

10. Connect With Family & Friends & Tap Into Their Support

Like everyone else, social workers need support from people who care about them. Since they are often the ones doing the helping, it can be a struggle to ask for support. Try scheduling a regular date with a friend or family member to help you stay connected. 11. Observe How You React to Client’s Traumas & Make Changes as Needed Social workers are at risk for secondary trauma due regular exposure to their clients’ traumatic experiences, pain, and struggles. Signs of secondary trauma including intrusive thoughts or images, increased startle response, and avoidance of places or people that remind them of the patients’ traumatic events.

12. Meditate

Meditation helps many people feel more calm, grounded, and present. Formal meditation is setting a time and sitting for a specified period of time, and informal meditation is noticing the present moment through the senses. Both types have excellent mental and emotional benefits and are good additions to the daily routine.

13. Exercise

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The link between exercise, improved mood, and reduced workplace stress is supported in research. 30-60 minutes per day, five days per week is generally regarded as a great place to start.6

14. Laugh

Finding ways to laugh, be silly,and have fun is a great way to de-stress. Laughter releases endorphins, the feel-good chemical that helps people feel happy and content.

15. Seek Out Peer Support & Consultation

Social work can be isolating because it is hard for those not in the field to understand the struggles. Confidentiality restrictions also prevent social workers from talking about their work. Peer and consultation groups can be a great way to process work stress with others who understand and still protect confidentiality.

When to Seek Professional Help

Social worker burnout can require additional help to overcome. Telltale signs of this are insomnia or sleeping too much, changes to appetite or weight, severe anxiety, and thoughts of death or suicide. Other signs that a social worker should seek professional help are being easily startled, having intrusive thoughts/memories/dreams, and avoidance of triggers. There are many modalities of therapy that can help with stress and burnout management, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), internal family systems therapy (IFS), and mindfulness. Eye movement desensitization reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is also helpful for vicarious trauma. For help finding a therapist, start your search through a free online online therapist directory.

Final Thoughts On Social Work Burnout

Social workers tend to put the needs of others before their own, taking on their clients’ stress and putting them at risk for burnout. It’s critical to practice self care in social work so that you can more effectively provide great care for others, as well as enjoy your own work and personal life. With self-care in place, social work can be an incredibly rewarding, purpose-driven and fun job!

choosingtherapy.com - Social Worker Burnout: Signs, Causes & 15 Tips to Manage Self-care

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