The Importance of Self-Care for Burnout Prevention from a Burnout Therapist
One of my favorite things to do with clients is to explore their world of self-care, brainstorm together, and add to their routine. This is extra fun because I get to hear all of these incredible and creative ideas that people have found ways to be intentional about; some clients have built their self-care routine in session from the ground up and it is incredible! The value of self-care is a great one and worth every drop of energy you utilize for it.
Burnout can take down even the most capable people. What always amazes me is how long people find themselves sitting in burnout… a devastatingly long time. This is why we aim to act early in hopes of preventing burnout.
This is one of those moments that I can’t help but think of riding on a plane. The flight attendant gets on the speaker and always spends time explaining that incase of an emergency, it is important for you to put your mask on yourself first and then help those around you because, man, are you worthless if you can’t breathe! That is an incredible metaphor for the significance of self-care. If we do not prioritize our self-care, we become worthless to those around us.
Allowing ourselves to back-burner our self-care routine increases our risk of getting ill (mentally and physically) and decreases the ability to maintain healthy relationships with yourself and achieve a healthy work/life balance. Research shows us that people who manage their self-care effectively literally live longer and manage stress better. Sounds like figuring out our self-care balance is totally worth it!
In balancing our self-care routines to avoid burnout, we explore options that can impact a variety of areas within our worlds: the mental, physical, emotional, environmental, recreational, social and spiritual areas of life. Ideally, we find a way to balance our self-care among these seven pillars. Burnout overwhelms us emotionally, mentally, and physically and sits in our bodies as a prolonged stress. This is why we feel so incredibly exhausted, empty, and overwhelmed while coping with our daily lives during those times of burnout.
Not only are we more effective when we spend time prioritizing our self-care routines but this time and energy is also enabling better health, increasing feelings of empowerment and our self-esteem, increasing our emotional and physical stamina and building resilience. Those are significant benefits to upping a self-care routine!
“What if I’m already there? I am IN the pit!”
On it! Give us a call! Establishing a support system is a key piece in fighting burnout. It is also necessary to identify stressors and spend time tracking them - how do you feel and when? As we identify stressors, we are building up your coping skills tool belt and figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot - it is alot and we know that. Climbing out of the pit is exhausting because everything is daunting at that point. The difference is that THIS feeling of exhaustion actually brings the reward of recovery and peace.
No matter where you currently are in your journey with self-care, there is always value in checking in with yourself and seeing if there may be room to grow. I have had many conversations where I ask my client to tell me about their self-care routine and they can’t help but give me a laugh… if that feels like something you might do, now is the time to act. Give us a call today, let’s start building your team!
My name is Jaimi Douthit and I’m a Licensed Professional Counseling Associate at the Center for Couples Counseling. I love working with couples and individuals who are ready and motivated to make changes in their lives and relationships, who can handle feedback and encouragement, and engage in using the tools I teach in therapy outside of the therapy room. At the Center for Couples Counseling, we specialize in couples therapy, infertility counseling, postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, self-care and burnout, and perfectionism. We help couples and individuals in the League City and Houston areas in person, and all residents of the State of Texas online. Call us at (832) 827-3288 to schedule a free phone consultation.
Begin Self Care and Burnout Therapy in Texas
Burnout can affect anyone if we’re not careful. At Center for Couples Counseling, we want to provide you with the support and guidance to help you learn self care techniques to prevent burnout from happening to you or from happening to you again. To get started in self care and burnout therapy follow these simple steps:
Meet with one of our skilled therapists
Begin to work on yourself and begin your healing journey
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
Other Services Offered at Center for Couples Counseling
Our team understands you might be facing different mental health challenges. To best accommodate you, our Texas practice offers both in-person and online therapy. Our team of therapists specializes in individual relationship therapy, infertility counseling, postpartum anxiety and depression counseling, perfectionism counseling, affair recovery and infidelity counseling, and couples therapy. For more about us check out our FAQs and blog!