5 Ways To Protect Your Mental Health As A Disability Support Worker
Being a disability support worker can be challenging but it is also highly rewarding. Disability support workers help people who need additional care to live as independently as possible. Support workers may provide physical assistance and emotional support to people with disabilities. Often times, support workers also provide emotional support to the family members of people with disabilities. While being a support worker is highly rewarding, it is vital that these individuals take steps to protect their own mental health and prevent burnout. When it is your job to provide care to others, you must make time to care for yourself too!
That being said, here are 5 quick tips to help disability support workers protect their mental health:
Tip 1. Cultivate A Work-Life Balance
Create boundaries for yourself around work and do your best to stick to them. One of your boundaries could be that you don't check your work email after 5pm each day. These boundaries look different for everyone and you need to decide what works best for you. It could be as simple as making sure you have a work-free weekend!
Tip 2. Release Your Stress
Develop strategies that you can use to relax and calm yourself. Many people find it useful to practice mindfulness, meditation or yoga. Others use exercise, a relaxing bath or a good book to help them de-stress.
Tip 3. Celebrate The Little Wins!
Being a support worker involves working collaboratively with parents, carers and allied health professionals to achieve the client's goals. Achieving these goals often takes a lot of time and sustained effort on everyone's part. We can't complete a new, massive goal every single day! Therefore, it is important to celebrate each small step and find joy in watching your client slowly progress.
Tip 4. Limit Your Drive Time
If possible, work for clients who live nearby. Cutting down your commute and limiting excess driving allows you to have more time for yourself. If you work for an agency, speak to your manager about working with clients who live close by.
Tip 5. Prioritise Your Own Health
This tip is relevant for anybody in any profession. When you prioritise your own diet, physical health and sleep schedule, you are less likely to face burnout. Doing little things for yourself every day that improve your health will give you more energy for your job and your personal life.