Dear Social Workers, Please Take Care of You

When I decided to become a Social Worker, I imagined it would be a lot like giving back to others in ways that I once needed myself. I thought I’d be fulfilled by my work at all times and change the world one person at a time. 

Fast forward through working in high-stress pediatric hospital units, listening and sitting with trauma-filled stories day in and day out, witnessing trauma firsthand, working in school settings with students who were facing insurmountable grief, loss, and trauma with a great lack of resources and I saw myself dwindling over time. My health began to suffer, I was losing contact with friends and did not have the capacity to do much else besides work, sleep, and eat. 

I asked myself, “Is this what they meant when my professors said that our job was to help others? Does helping others mean sacrificing yourself? If I don’t sacrifice myself, am I doing enough? What if I can’t fix everything? Isn’t that what I’m being called to do?” 

The result: I hustled. 

I worked hard to fix the problem and when I couldn’t, I grieved. As mental health professionals, no one tells you what’s waiting for you on the other side. No one prepares you for what happens when your clients need you and you need yourself more. 

As I look back now, I wish I had a mentor, teacher, or colleague tell me that I could pace myself. That my job was to be present. That the job was to be able to sit in the dark with someone else without expectations. In order to make this my life’s work, I had to breathe life into myself. 

As we honor Mental Health Awareness Month, I am reminded of the ways that we neglect our own needs more often than not. How burnout leads to some of the most incredible Social Workers and mental health workers leaving the profession forever. 

Each of you is so needed, and there is so much work to be done, but we can’t do it unless you’re here and well cared for. 

So, here’s your permission slip. Give yourself permission to sit with the work you’ve chosen to do, to make space to process the hard days, to celebrate the good days, and to step away if and when you need to without guilt, without pause, without ‘what if.’

If you’re looking for resources to support yourself, please consider visiting my dear friend’s website, Ample + Rooted and grab their Mindfulness Guide. It’s a sweet gift from one therapist to another.