You're juggling urgent client needs and time constraints. How can you still prioritize self-care activities?

I find it difficult to say no and then I end up working extra time unpaid. I'm learning to say no so I have time for me and my welfare. It is difficult but you have to be firm with management and not let them abuse your caring nature and tell them you are not working or travelling for free and let them deal with it. It's not easy but management need to learn that if they don't appreciate or reward you or give you recognition it's time to move on for your own wellbeing

Even in sensitive areas, 24/7 availability is not possible or should not be required - even with open flexitime. In my practice, I have agreed with clients when they can easily reach me and when they should expect to have to wait for a response. So at a certain time and on weekends I had my cell phone turned on, but pre-programmed in silent mode. This meant I could control when I engaged in work.

This is something I feel passionately about. I do however, accept that it is easier said than done when working in the world of social care. Sometimes we have to recognise that it is actually our unhelpful thinking preventing us from being able to do so.

Setting limits, no matter how minimal, is crucial to maintaining good mental health. In this way, you avoid embarrassing situations and even emergencies that may arise along the way.

Urgency is primarily a subjective assessment. As an expert in the social sector, it is therefore recommended to prioritize clients' urgent concerns. A financial emergency situation that has existed for years and is not currently causing an escalation (such as the final eviction) should be dealt with thoroughly and not under time pressure in order to achieve sustainability.

Setting boundaries is essential for self-care. Scheduling specific periods in your day solely for self-care, treating these time blocks with the same importance as work meetings. Make sure you set clear boundaries for responding to messages or emails outside of working hours.

Having plan and strategy help to classify tasks according on urgency,you can focus on the most urgent client needs.Self care require strategy for promotion of health and prevention of disease and it needs knowledge and understanding own ability and barriers so setting healthy boundaries is vital because if you don’t like yourself,you can’t like others but it needs self awareness about own expectations and client’s demands.Clear communication build honesty &clear boundaries build trustful relationships and understanding self care boundaries help to express your expectations.Being straightforward but at the same time consider client request, respect their urgent needs,seek help from colleagues &utilize your skills to answer their needs.

According to a recent CE article of the American Psychological Association on Burn out Radico,Schwartz- Mette and other Psychologists share a number of things we can do to avoid Burn out.A couple of them was "Change the way we think about work"and "seek Support" This point could apply for meeting client needs with time constraints.It says ' it's important to explore personal resources....'.Personal resources will help us know our strengths weaknesses keeping the job role in mind and such as prioritising the work we have on hand and planning on a day to day basis. Seeking Support from other professionals to know how they have handled such a situation will show the way forward.

Scheduling specific periods in your day solely for self-care and treating these time blocks with the same importance as work meetings will help ensure that you have committed time away from your desk/computer. Do something for you - read, check social media, go for a walk etc. Prioritise you

As important as delegating tasks is, monitoring is also necessary. In practice, I often experience that social problems are outsourced to other specialized institutions - and rightly so. However, if there is no case management (ideally by one body), it cannot be ensured, for example, whether the client docks at all, what the work progress is and how the individual steps can be put back together.

Flexibility is vital in social work, and this extends to self-care. Be prepared to adapt your self-care plan as circumstances change

Reflecting regularly helps me remember “my why.” If I forget why I joined this field, I find myself getting burned out. It’s another way to calibrate myself.

Refletir regularmente sobre suas práticas de autocuidado é fundamental para garantir que elas estejam realmente atendendo às suas necessidades. Ao reservar um tempo para avaliar o que está funcionando e o que não está, você pode fazer ajustes necessários e melhorar continuamente sua rotina de autocuidado. Uma revisão semanal das metas e conquistas pode ser uma abordagem eficaz para essa reflexão. Além disso, reconhecer os benefícios alcançados por meio dessas práticas reforça seu valor e ajuda a manter a motivação para continuar priorizando o autocuidado, mesmo em meio às demandas de sua profissão.