The concept of self-care begs two questions of all counselors:

What plans do you have to improve your overall self-care?

My current plans to improve my overall self-care include increasing the time I spent engaging in physical activity, increasing the time I spend meditating, and managing my resting schedule better. Working in a job that requires irregular hours, even overnight on a regular basis, I occasionally grapple with exhaustion. I am aware that a both higher level of discipline and greater acumen when planning will be needed to navigate this. I recently initiated a gym membership; this provides me with the means to increase the amount of time exercising. As much of my day is mentally engaging, it will be nice to physically engage while letting my mind relax. My mind can also relax by meditating.

How do you feel you are doing regarding self-care currently?

I prioritized self-care throughout my graduate program, particularly regarding my mental health. It was not simply a matter of want, but it became essential years ago. As I’ve been attending therapy for nearly 7 years now, certain self-care regimens have been added or adjusted regularly throughout that time. Spending intentional time with my support system and box breathing are powerful self-care mechanisms I upon which I rely. I have a solid understanding of what I must do to keep myself well, but I am open to trying new things, as needed. I recognize that without some of these regimens, my work, academic, and social lives would all suffer significantly. I know this because I’ve slacked off on these self-care regimens before, and the consequences were significant. If there is one intervention I hope to include more in the future, it is physical activity.

Self-care is an essential part to a counselor’s psychological fitness and empathy and relationship-building skills. Self-care goes beyond the benefit of the individual counselor; the American Counselor Association provides an ethical imperative to counselors to make reasonable efforts to establish self-care to prevent burnout and reduce the likelihood of harm to others.

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