Week 6

Successful Self Care
By
Ammu Prashantini, MSW
Staff, NASW-NYC


Self care.  It’s a term often touted by our community of social workers but what exactly does that
mean?  Our jobs involve caring for others in some form or another and for some, the idea of caring for themselves doesn’t often rise to the forefront of daily thought.  Another term we often hear throughout our careers is burnout. 

I felt passionately about the welfare of my friends and coworkers and wanted my colleagues to be able thrive in their careers without losing the spark that ignited them into this field in the first place.
We all know, whether we’re in school, new to the profession, or well-seasoned, that social work is indeed a draining profession, both emotionally, psychologically and physically…and for some even spiritually.  I tend to prefer a focus on the positive aspects of our profession, because we all entered this profession by choice.  Something about social work resonated deeply within us and what I think we need to hone in on is how to prevent burnout and how to incorporate practices into our daily lives that will help keep us going strong to be able to do the best for those communities we serve. 

I found this article very interesting.

In my career a little bit similar but not quite, I found that self care is important to able to cope with clients stressful life situations. Social work sounds more overwhelming since there is more things to look after and be done.  I am learning from other social workers experiences in class and blogs.