SELF-CARE FOR PROVIDERS Taking Time Out to Manage Stress and Maintain Balance A nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
OBJECTIVES Define stress Identify what our personal stresses are & discuss how they manifest and impact our lives Explore what options/resources are available to assist us in being effective in the work we do Use a Stress-Free Commitment to help maintain personal care, boundaries and compassion
AGENDA The origins of stress and its impact Recognizing personal signs and symptoms Self-care strategies and techniques Categories of self-care Statistics (age, sexual orientation, sources of stress) Planning & utilization of resources Making a personal commitment
A COUNSELOR S JOURNEY I do not want to get out of bed, so I press snooze on my alarm again. I feel nauseated and think about calling in sick. Finally, I drag myself out of bed and take my time getting dressed for work. I leave my house reluctantly. On the drive to work, I find myself wishing that I could turn around. I dread going to work. I arrive 15 minutes late.
YOUR VIEWPOINT
SELF-CARE TERMINOLOGY Compassion satisfaction Compassion fatigue Emotional hygiene Eustress Distress Burnout Work-related traumatic stress
STRESS... The term stress originated about 60 years ago.
THE MEANING OF STRESS Webster s Definitions: Constraining force or influence, such as: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium such as jobrelated stress.
STAGES OF BURNOUT Enthusiasm Stagnation Frustration Apathy
BURNOUT SIGNALS Working long hours Exhaustion and fatigue Dread going to work Loss of appetite, frequent illness, muscle tension Bored and detached Impatient and irritable Unable to concentrate, lower quality of work Negative, cynical, hostile Low self-esteem, no confidence Blaming others
STRESS LEVEL STATISTICS
MENTAL HEALTH IN NY STATE Adults with Poor Mental Health (In last 30 days) NY 35.3% US 34.2%
SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND STRESS
SOURCES OF STRESS Source Very Significant Somewhat Significant Not Very Significant Money 37% 29% 20% 13% Work 31% 35% 22% 12% Relationships 21% 26% 26% 27% Family Health 20% 30% 28% 22% Family Responsibilities 21% 32% 25% 22% Housing Costs 21% 27% 23% 30% Economy 20% 30% 31% 19% Job stability 18% 20% 19% 44% Personal Health 20% 31% 29% 20% Personal Safety 11% 19% 34% 36% Discrimination 9% 12% 22% 57% Not at all Significant
IT S ALL ABOUT YOU! Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. -Audre Lorde
THE COGNITIVE MODEL Crush the ANTs! (Automatic Negative Thoughts)
THE COGNITIVE MODEL
NOW WHAT? COGNITIVE STRATEGIES Alter Avoid Accept
QUALITY OF LIFE
MINDFULNESS STRATEGIES Awareness Moment-to-moment awareness without judgment Decreases rumination and negative affect Disciplines Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong Meditation = a state, not a trait Benefits Decreases emotional reactivity Improves cognitive focus Increases immune functioning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ndrelmwwk
CATEGORIES OF SELF-CARE Emotional Spiritual Mental Interpersonal You! Physical
PHYSICAL SELF-CARE Physical Care food, exercise, sleep, medical care
MENTAL SELF-CARE Mental Care stimulating your brain, having creative outlets, practicing what you preach.
INTERPERSONAL SELF-CARE Interpersonal Care friends to lean on, nurturing relationships, boundaries, accepting help
EMOTIONAL SELF-CARE Emotional Care acknowledging and experiencing feelings, self-compassion
SPIRITUAL SELF-CARE Spiritual Care practicing what feeds your spiritprayer, meditation, a special place to just be
LEARNING TO MEET OUR NEEDS Spiritual Emotional Social Interpersonal Physical Maslow told us so...
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES You can t burn out if you re not on fire. -Jim Morrison
USEFUL TOOLS Healthy Relationships Self-Compassion Community Resources Supervision, mentors Awareness The places I go Family Do unto myself Counseling for the counselor Friends Self-preservation Special interests, hobbies
PERSONAL THERAPY Increasing empathy Practicing patience and tolerance Facilitating therapy Decreasing the stigma of psychotherapy Going beyond supervision Doing no harm
ACA CODE OF ETHICS Counselors (Helpers) are alert to the signs of impairment from their own physical, mental or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing professional services when such impairment is likely to harm a client or others. They seek assistance for problems that reach the level of professional impairment. - ACA Code of Ethics: Standard C.2.g.
RELAXATION TECHNIQUES 0-2 minutes Breathe 5 minutes Listen to music Doodle Stretch Jot down dreams Cleansing cry Laugh Daydream Step outside Sing
EXPRESSING YOUR NEEDS Yes saying it when we really mean it. Saying yes when we don t mean it builds resentment and anger. Getting comfortable with delaying a request before we respond. No it really isn t a bad word. Saying no is declining a request, not rejecting a person. It s not what we say, it s how we say it.
SELF-CARE PLANNING Scheduling Results Interruptions Starting? Do not disturb Responding Impossible? 20/80 Rule Between time
COMMUNITY & OTHER RESOURCES Summer Self-Care Take frequent walks they can be long or short Try mindfulness using nature Spend time beside a body of water (creek, lake, river, pond) Gardening Biking trails Winter Self-Care Join a gym Take regular mall walks Try ice skating, cross country skiing or snow shoeing Play in the snow Spend a day hibernating Allow yourself some free unscheduled time!
WHAT AM I DOING? Seeking community Naming burnout Making the most of each season Exploring spirituality
SELF-CARE COMMITMENT The Gift of Therapy, by Irvin D. Yalom, M.D.
THE JOURNEY I m still excited but more self-aware... Learning to fly Free-falling Catching fire Rebirth Rising from the ashes
REFERENCES How to practice emotional hygiene TED Talk with Guy Winch https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene#t-196201 A case for personal therapy in counselor education https://ct.counseling.org/2010/08/reader-viewpoint/ Stanford new studies of human brains show stress may shrink neurons http://news.stanford.edu/pr/96/960814shrnkgbrain.html Definitions https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical* Viktor Frankl Quotes https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2782.viktor_e_frankl Workforce Resilience Part I: Helping the Helpers: Occupational Stress and Self-Care http://ctacny.org/training/workforce-resilience-part-i-helping-helpers-occupational-stress-and-self-care
REFERENCES Hans Selye and the Birth of Stress https://www.stress.org/about/hans-selye-birth-of-stress/ Professional quality of life scale http://www.proqol.org/proqol_test.html Hans Selve Effects on the body http://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/22/obituaries/dr-hans-selye-dies-in-montreal-studied-effects-of-tresson-body.html Stress Awareness Tool https://www.recharge4resilience.org/sites/default/files/slides/stress%20worksheet%20-%2002-07- 2017.pdf Shame and Empathy by Dr. Brene Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqiffa7kff0 America s health rankings http://www.americashealthrankings.org/