Burnout Please? No Thank You!
Taking Care of Yourself One Day at a Time
Therapist burnout is a huge problem across the field. After the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we saw therapist burnout rise to a whole new level. Not only did we have to care for ourselves and our family members, but we continued to serve and support our clients through a worrisome and sometimes frightening time.
Post-pandemic, many therapists cut back on their time or left the field altogether. This left The remaining therapist to not only pick up the slack but also to take on the increased need of people seeking mental health support for the first time.
The last few years have been challenging, and we're not entirely out of the woods. That being said, self-care, which has now become a very overused word, is necessary to ensure the mental health of the workforce.
So, how do we manage existing burnout or prevent burnout in the future?
When I think about burnout, my training always takes me back to the DBT skill, PLEASE. The PLEASE skills are literally about getting back to basics.
Take Care of Physical Illness
Treat physical illness and take medication as prescribed. Take care of your body if you have a cold, rest. If you live with a chronic disease, take care of those needs. If you take medication, ensure you are taking it properly, including the right amount and timing. Make sure that you're not mixing it with substances that could counteract your medication.
Eat Well
Balanced eating is essential to avoiding mood swings. When we feel stressed, worried, or hurried, it is very easy to choose convenience foods. While choosing fast food or prepackaged foods on occasion may be helpful, ensuring you have filled most of your diet with lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help maintain your physical and emotional health.
Avoid Substance Use
Avoid mood-altering substances and have mood control—everything in moderation. A glass of wine with dinner or a drink with friends once or twice a week is not harmful for most people. However, excess alcohol and other mind-altering substances make it more difficult to manage mood and be fully present even when not under the influence of the substance.
Sleep Well
Maintain good sleep so that you can enjoy your life. We've all woken up after a late night, groggy, sluggish, and still tired. Adults require 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is only one part of the equation. Ensuring that you get high-quality sleep is crucial. According to The Cleveland Clinic, adults should sleep between seven and eight hours per night, approximately 25% being REM sleep and 25% deep sleep.
Create a sleeping environment that is conducive to deep sleep. Consider using guided meditations at night, such as yoga Nidra for sleep.
Exercise and Move Your Body
Get exercise to maintain high spirits. Some people love a good run or the challenge of a good yoga class, but for some, movement getting enough movement is more of a struggle. The Mayo Clinic advises that we exercise at least 30 minutes daily at least 5 days per week, but sometimes that is difficult. As therapists, we spend much time sitting in a chair, either in session with a client or completing paperwork. So in addition to increasing exercise in your life. Consider taking five-minute mini breaks between sessions to stand up, stretch, and walk around to get your body moving and your blood flowing.
It can feel overwhelming, especially when you feel burnt out, to consider incorporating these changes. We often think about changing how we complete our documentation, developing better solutions for managing case management duties or scheduling clients better so we aren't overwhelmed. Still, before we can do that effectively, we need to ensure that we are taking care of our bodies, so please take care of yourself this year and work to prevent or reduce burnout.