Alongside transitioning to a new role with Moorestown Integrative Wellness, I’m using this time to assess and reset my self-care practices. Why would I take the time to check in about what’s working, what needs an adjustment, and what else needs to be added? Besides the fact that I’m human and not immune to the common barriers that challenge maintaining self-care routines, there is also evidence supporting that attention to self-care is crucial. In their 2020 review, Posluns and Gall found that mental health practitioners’ self-care was associated with increased well-being, reduced stress, and compassion satisfaction.

So, the evidence is there and insight isn’t enough. There are many logistical (e.g., my other responsibilities, financial and time commitments) and psychological (e.g., low energy, low motivation) barriers to prioritizing self-care activities. Not to mention the direct or indirect messaging many of us have received about prioritizing our own needs first whether it was from our families of origin, our educational or work environments, or society at large. Often what happens is I’ll find myself with a chunk of unstructured time and opt to tackle a household chore, review my budget, or get something done for work instead of engaging in self-care. Of course, there will always be some task or project to complete so the move is to consistently remind myself that self-care is just as (if not more) important as (than) those other tasks.

Posluns and Gall (2020) categorized self-care for mental health professionals to include topic areas of awareness, balance, flexibility, physical health, social support, and/or spirituality. I’ll start with awareness. Since I’m a clinical psychologist, I’ve been sold on self-care for some time and I’m aware of the importance of self-reflection and self-monitoring. That said, the busyness of the world sometimes challenges even the most steadfast devotee. One avenue for fostering or returning to awareness includes practicing mindfulness. I think of mindfulness like a muscle that needs consistent training if I’m going to ask it to be available when I need it, much like physical exercise. It helps me notice important physical sensations or emotions that need attention or to intentionally engage in any activity. So, when I notice an imbalance within my self-care activities, I reset with more structured mindfulness practice. One way I link mindfulness to adopting a caring stance towards self (Posluns & Gall, 2020) is to engage in guided meditations that specifically remind me of my worth and the importance of self-care. I use InsightTimer: Insight Timer – #1 Free Meditation App for Sleep, Relax & More. Two guided meditations that I’ve listened to in the last couple of weeks are: “Self-worth” by Caroline Aylward (9 minutes) and “Self care” by Ashley Mills (11 minutes). Also, one of my favorite meditation scripts is the Mountain Meditation, this is a well-known script so there are many different versions of it. I’m committed to engaging in this practice this upcoming week.

Next time, I’ll speak to balance and trying some new activities as well as returning to old activities and integrating these into my routine.

Posluns, K. & Gall, T.L. (2020). Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: a Literature Review on Self-Care. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 42, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w