Do you take care of someone else as part of your job or as part of your personal life? The WWHF recently hosted a webinar called, “I Feel Your Pain: The downside of being a helper”. As a caretaker, YOU are the tool used to help others, and that can be tiresome! Dr. Ann Rolling, Counseling Manager from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, presented the webinar, which focused on the importance of self-care and enhancing overall well-being.
Why is it important to manage self-care? Well, as caretakers, we are only able to provide the best care for others if we are at our best. More Help is needed at the vulnerable stage. It’s not only encouraged but necessary! As caretakers, we are also more vulnerable. We’re emotional and empathetic, and likely to experience that which the people we care for are going through. Examples are:
Vicarious trauma– Like living vicariously through someone, but not in a good way. Happens when you care about someone who has been hurt, so you feel responsible to help them.
Secondary traumatic stress– Stress that happens as the result of re-experiencing or re-living someone else’s trauma.
Compassion fatigue– The physical, emotional and spiritual fatigue that comes from constantly helping.
Burnout– The exhaustion and disconnect that we can experience when put under frequent stress and difficult situations.
Other warning signs could be feelings of hopelessness, loss of meaning, increased errors, poor sleep, and toxic negativity.
So what can we do about it? Dr. Rolling promotes the ABCs:
Awareness: Be aware of your thoughts, feelings and physical reactions.
Balance: Learn to balance your work load and personal time.
Connection: Better connect with yourself and with others.
Want to learn more about self-care and resiliency? The webinar included many great examples and exercises to put into your everyday practice. The webinar can be found in its entirety on the WWHF YouTube page.