Selfcare For Therapists

Are you feeling run down? Is it difficult to leave your clients’ problems at the office? Are you often anxious and stressed due to your work? As empathic therapists, we cannot help but be affected by our clients’ tumultuous lives and mental illness; therapists can be bombarded by negative, even painful, energy on a daily basis. We work as hard as we can to care for our patients, but how many of us put in the same energy when it comes to caring for ourselves? Self-care is essential in our line of work. If we neglect our own physical and mental health, we cannot properly care for our patients. By adopting just a few of the following common sense suggestions into our lives, we can become healthier, more effective therapists. Which is exactly why my feelings caught me off guard. I had not been prepared for the onslaught of negative, even painful, energy with which my patients bombarded me on a daily basis. My busy schedule left me little to no time for myself. I began to feel fatigued and overwhelmed. I realized that while I was doing a commendable job of caring for my patients, I was not simultaneously taking care of myself. After consulting with several established therapists, I was able to compile a list of methods, most common sense, but also a few `new age,’ that mental health providers use to maintain both their mental and physical health. I hope that by sharing the following suggestions, I will help other new therapists avoid some of the pitfalls I experienced. First of all, and most obvious, are diet and exercise. Several therapists I interviewed prepared their meals ahead of time and kept healthy snacks in their offices to prevent themselves from making poor food choices throughout the day. Also, the benefits of exercise cannot be overstated: Exercise helps reduce stress and create endorphins. Regularly allotted time for exercise must be included in our weekly schedules.
Meditation and massage were also high up on the therapists’ self-help list. Meditation is a healthy way to rid negative energy, and to relax and focus. In the morning, meditation can help clear our minds so that we can focus on healing our patients. At the end of the day, before heading home, a few minutes of meditation can help us leave our patients’ troubles at work. Massage is also an `easy fix:’ an hour of forced relaxation and positive distraction that quiets the mind. Therapy is also important for new therapists. Investing the time and energy in our own therapy helps us be healthier and more effective in healing our patients. Moreover, an established therapist’s wise counsel is invaluable.
Vacations are another way to protect from fatigue. Planning a vacation every quarter, no matter how modest, is renewing. Taking walks, deep breathing, bubble baths, daily affirmations, visualizations, and prayer also made the list. Ultimately, each new therapist must find his own preferred self-help techniques and incorporate them into his daily schedule. As therapists, we dedicate our lives to helping others. As new therapists, we must be proactive in taking care of ourselves in order to overcome the stress and fatigue that can accompany our profession. We must invest in ourselves and maintain our own health so that we can be successful mental health providers. And…we are worth it!