Self-care is the practice of taking intentional actions to protect and improve your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, enabling you to maintain balance and resilience in both work and life.

Looking After Yourself in an Emotionally Demanding Job 

Self-care becomes particularly important when you work in a job that requires a lot of emotional energy. Often, the day-to-day nature of this work can leave you feeling that you have few resources to take care of yourself and little time for the people who are important in your life. It can be common to feel tired and lethargic by the end of the day or week. Sometimes switching off from work can be difficult. Jobs that typically require a lot of emotional energy are also often very rewarding and involve making a positive difference to individuals or communities, and there are ways you can make this work sustainable for you. 

Signs that you need to take care of yourself better may include: 

• Too little or too much empathy for others 
• Resentment toward your job 
• Adopting a negative view of people in general 
• Difficulty controlling your reactions to others 
• Reduced job satisfaction 
• Harmful behaviour to avoid or escape thinking about work 
• Distancing yourself from people 
• Increase in complaints or conflict at work 

There are things you can do to take care of yourself to ensure that you can keep up the meaningful work that you’re doing now and into the future. 

10 Tips for Self-Care: 

1. Recognise that this is a common reaction to your type of work, and learn from your peers about different ways of building resilience. 
2. Look for the good in people and situations.
3. Allow time for healthy distractions away from work e.g. a “feel good” movie, listening to comedy, hobbies, sports, and social outings. 
4. Keep your body healthy through a good diet and exercise. 
5. Remember your personal values and qualities that motivated you to choose this job.
6. Make note of the positive impact you have through your work. 
7. Be clear about your role and purpose at work, and maintain appropriate boundaries. 
8. Ask for help and support as soon as you notice yourself struggling. 
9. Schedule regular opportunities to formally debrief, e.g. professional supervision. 
10. Look for ways to manage or minimise stress in other parts of your life.