President’s Letter: Investing in Self-Care

You became a school counselor because you want to make a difference, you love children and you enjoy building relationships and helping others. It is that passion that makes you a great counselor – and that same passion can lead to burnout. Avoiding burnout is one reason self-care is important. You cannot take care of others if you do not take care of yourself.

Self-care is an important component of a school counselor’s mental health. However, some have misconceptions about what self-care is. Educators may dismiss self-care as selfish or superficial. Self-care is not selfish. It is taking care of yourself so you can be the best possible school counselor for yourself and your students.

With increasing pressure and responsibilities to give our students our very best work, we often push self-care to the back burner – or off the stove completely, if we’re honest. If you are tired, either emotionally or physically, you cannot do your job well. Self-care allows us to model good balance and healthy boundaries to our students and team members.

Because every person’s schedule and needs are different, practicing self-care can look different for everyone. A list of self-care activities for counselors could include the following ideas:

• Set healthy boundaries. Say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. Recognize your limits and do what is important.
• Take breaks often. You would be amazed what a five-minute break will do. Set a goal to take a five-minute break at least once an hour.
• Exercise. Research shows that exercise can help increase energy, improve concentration and decrease stress and depression.
• Know your own threshold of stress. Recognize the first signs of stress. Pay attention to what triggers stress for you and either avoid those situations or learn relaxation techniques to help you manage your stress effectively.
• Find at least three activities that relieve stress for you. Planning ahead of time to prevent stress can help decrease burnout.
• Start your day on a positive note. Begin your day by doing something that lifts you and makes you feel good. What you do first can set the tone for how you manage your entire day.

Self-care is about taking care of your health and making sure you have everything you need to thrive as a school counselor. Self-care helps to keep you at the top of your game and ready to handle any challenges that may come your way.

Keep calm and practice self-care!

Veronica Douglas-Johnson is a school counselor at University Elementary School and president of the Louisiana School Counselor Association. Contact her at Jarelle2npower@aol.com.