Workshop

Self-care for health educators

Samuel kimbowa, JRS Kampala, Uganda

Outline of the workshop:

• Theoretical introduction

• Group discussion
Introduction
• We live in stressful times—times of uncertainty and a “new normal
• 2020, our attention shifted to how we stay safe and healthy and
continue living our lives as a community while in isolation.
• Experts warn that infectious diseases, climate events, and other
tragedies may continue to occur as earth’s resources are stressed
• Educators have a responsibility to prepare for, work to prevent, and
respond to these situations.
• Our strength, kindness, compassion, competence, and resiliency are
being tested by the many concerns we face today
• Educators today, like all of us, are affected by global catastrophes.

• To help alleviate their stress and improve their well-being, we will be

required to consciously consider these circumstances, Even as we
seek to understand more about their job-specific stresses.
Staff Stress and Trauma Are at an All-Time
High
• Although teaching engaged students who are eager to learn can be
rewarding, teaching is a physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing
job, and today students who are disruptive, apathetic, or turned-off
add to the burden that teachers shoulder.
• Education and the school and administrative environment are strong
predictors of teacher turnover.
• Unfortunately, too many teachers currently feel overwhelmed and
under supported
Staff Stress and Trauma Are at an All-Time
High
• Many schools struggle to create healthy and productive environments for educators and
students many fail to recognize the importance of and invest in educator well-being may
face higher turnover, more teacher and staff health issues, and greater burnout, all of
which lead to higher costs, lower stability for students, and lower student achievement

• Educators want to feel that administrators have their best interests in mind and that they
will stand behind them and support their actions.

• Schools with more students living in poverty, or who are low performing are more
vulnerable to educator turnover.

• This in turn impacts trust, teacher morale, and attrition

But you can also become too touched by it…

• Vicarious traumatization

• Compassion fatigue

• Burn-out
Secondary trauma or vicarious trauma

• Vicarious trauma is an occupational challenge for people working in for example stressful settings due to their
continuous exposure to stories of anxiety, depression, trauma, violence and suicide.

• This work-related trauma exposure can occur from such experiences as seeing severe trauma in institutions,
listening to individual clients recount their victimization; hearing about or responding to the aftermath of violence,
suicide and other traumatic events day after day.
Secondary trauma or vicarious trauma: symptoms

Each individual may experience the effects of vicarious trauma differently. Some of the potential negative reactions
include, but are not limited to:
• difficulty managing one’s own emotions
• feeling emotionally numb or shut down
• fatigue, sleepiness, or difficulty falling asleep
• physical problems or complaints, such as aches, pains, and decreased resistance to illness
• being easily distracted, which can increase one’s risk of accidents
• loss of a sense of meaning in life and/or feeling hopeless about the future
• relationship problems (e.g., withdrawing from friends and family, increased interpersonal conflicts, avoiding
intimacy)
• increased irritability; aggressive, explosive, or violent outbursts and behavior
• destructive coping or addictive behaviors (e.g., over/under eating, substance abuse, gambling, taking undue
risks in sports or driving)
• lack of or decreased participation in activities that used to be enjoyable
• avoiding work and interactions with patients
• a combination of symptoms that comprise a diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Compassion fatigue
Burnout
Where do you start from?
Burnout among educators

• Factors contributing to burnout in health care professionals include:

• demanding therapeutic relationships with your patients

• multidisciplinary challenges
• high workloads
• threats of violence and aggressive behavior from students, some administrators
• suicide and self-harm among your patients secondary or vicarious trauma
Self-care

Self-care for professionals is about actively looking after your own mental health and wellbeing so that you can
more effectively support the people you work with.
Self-care

Self-care for professionals is about actively looking after your own mental health and wellbeing so that you can
more effectively support the people you work with.
Self-care

• Self-care is not simply about limiting or addressing professional stressors because that is not always possible.

• It is above all about enhancing your own overall well-being.

• Self-care is a personal matter. Everyone’s approach will be different.

• There are different aspects to self-care (not limited) :

• Workplace or professional
• Physical
• Psychological
• Relationships
Workplace or professional self-care

• Engage in regular supervision or consulting with a more experienced colleague.

• Set up or suggest a set-up of a peer-support group if it does not exist in the setting you are working in.
Physical self-care

Activities that help you to stay fit and healthy, and with enough energy to get through your work and personal
commitments:

• Develop a regular sleep routine.

• Aim for a healthy diet.

• Take lunch breaks.

• Go for a walk at lunchtime.

• Get some exercise before/after work regularly.

Psychological self-care

Activities that help you to feel clear-headed and able to intellectually engage with the professional challenges that
are found in your work and personal life:

• Engage with a non-work related hobby you enjoy.

• Turn off your phone sometimes outside of work hours to have time for yourself.

• Make time for relaxation.

• Make time to engage with positive friends and family.

Relationship self-care

This is about maintaining healthy, supportive relationships, and ensuring you have diversity in your relationships so
that you are not only connected to work people:

• Prioritize close relationships in your life e.g. with partners, family and children.

• Attend the special events of your family and friends.

• Leave in time every day so you have time for your social network.
Creating a self-care plan

Learn how to build your own daily self-care plan! 

• Step 1 | Evaluate your coping skills

• Step 2 | Identify your daily self care needs

• Step 3 | Reflect. Examine. Replace.

• Step 4 | Create your self-care plan

Creating a self-care plan
Step 1: evaluate your coping skills

Examining your own habits is an important first step in developing a self-care plan:
• How do you typically deal with life’s demands?
• Can you identify when you need to take a break?
• When faced with challenges, we can use either positive coping strategies or negative coping strategies. Below are a few examples
of each. Which strategies do you use?

Positive Negative

Deep breathing Yelling

Listening to music Smoking

Exercising Drinking alcohol to excess

Going to church / spirtuality Substance abuse

Reading Skipping meals

Connecting with others Overeating

Engaging in a hobby Avoiding duties

It’s important to be honest when evaluating your behaviours. If you find yourself unable to cope with a situation or you use
mainly negative coping skills, it may be time to re-evaluate your current coping skills.
Creating a self-care plan
Step 1: evaluate your coping skills

What are you doing to support your overall well-being on a day-to-day basis? Do you engage in selfcare practices now? Are you more
active in some areas of self-care than others? Use the table below to help you determine which areas may need more support

Areas of self-care Current practices Practices to try

Physical: e.g. eat regular and healthy meals, good sleep habits, regular
exercise…
Emotional: e.g. engage in positive activities, acknowledge my own
accomplishments, express emotions in a healthy way…
Spiritual: e.g. self-reflection, spend time in nature, meditate…

Social: e.g. healthy relationships, make time for family/friends, schedule

dates with partner/ spouse, ask for support when needed…
Professional: e.g. maintain work-life balance, positive relationships with
co-workers, time management skills
Psychological: e.g. take time for yourself, disconnect from electronic
devices, learn new skills
 Creating a self-care plan
Step 2: Identify your daily self care needs

• Take a moment to consider what you value and need in your everyday life.

• Then consider what you value and need during difficult times, e.g. when you face strong emotions during your internship.
Get an emergency self-care plan in place.

• Remember that self-care extends far beyond your basic physical needs; consider your psychological, emotional, spiritual,
social, and workplace wellbeing.
 Creating a self-care plan
Step 2: Identify your self care needs when faced with a crisis

When you are faced with a crisis, you likely won’t have time to create a coping strategy. Take time to develop a plan in advance
so it’s there when you need it. Preparing such an emergency care plan will help identify your unique self-care needs during
times of distress. Adapt this plan constantly.

Emergency self-care strategies Helpful Unhelpful

Relaxation and staying calm

- Which activities help you to relax? e.g. deep breathing, taking a walk
- Which activities make you more agitated or frustrated? e.g. yelling,
swearing, or drinking
Self-talk
- Helpful self-talk may include, “I am safe/I can do this.”
- Harmful self-talk may include, “I can’t handle this/I knew this would happen/I
deserve this.
Social support
- Which family members and friends can you reach out to for help or support?
- Which people should you avoid during times of stress? Be honest about
who helps and who zaps your energy
Mood
- Which activities support a positive mood? e.g. listening to uplifting music,
enjoying the sunshine
- What should you avoid when times get tough? e.g. staying in bed all day,
avoiding social activities?
Creating a self-care plan
Step 3: Reflect. Examine. Replace.

Reflect
Reflect on the existing coping strategies you have identified. What’s working? What isn’t working? Keep the helpful tools and
remove anything that is unhelpful.

Examine
Are there barriers to maintaining your self-care? Examine how you can address these barriers. Start taking steps toward
incorporating new strategies that will benefit your health and well-being.

Replace
Work on reducing, and then eliminating, negative coping strategies. If you find yourself using negative strategies, then begin by
choosing one action you feel is most harmful and identify a positive strategy to replace it. Positive coping skills are an important
part of your self-care toolkit.
Creating a self-care plan
Step 4: Develop your self-care plan

• Once you’ve determined your personal needs and strategies, write them down.

• Your self-care plan can be as simple or as detailed as you need it to be.

• You may choose to keep a detailed plan on your desk and carry a simplified version in your wallet, in your purse, or on your
phone.

• Look at it regularly, keep going back to it and refining it.

In summary: find an approach that SETTLES the mind

• Stay tuned in with yourself. Take time to monitor your mental and physical health every day.

• Engage and stay connected to friends, family and support networks.

• Thoughts are thoughts, not necessarily facts. Be alert to negative thoughts and don’t give them power.

• Treat yourself with kindness.

• Limit activities that are unhelpful or even harmful (smoking, drinking,….).

• Exercise is key, focus on good sleep and eating as well.

• Seek help, if you are concerned about yourself talk to your supervisor, coordinator or with other services.
Questions and
Thank you