Social workers and social care professionals provide support to some of the most vulnerable adults and children in our society. It’s inevitable that during your career you will experience difficult situations and demanding workloads. Around 22% of the social care workforce struggles with low mental health and wellbeing. However, you can reduce the impact of stress by having the tools at your fingertips to manage your own self-care and wellbeing, and by knowing how and when to ask for help.
Looking After Your Mental Health & Wellbeing
By looking after your own self-care and wellbeing you can continue to offer the best support to those in your care. When you feel good, you provide better support because your well-being affects how well you can understand and communicate with others. Having good self-care and stress-management skills also helps prevent burnout.
Spotting Signs of Stress
It's crucial to learn to recognise signs of stress in social care early on so that you can access the help you need or be able to offer help to your colleagues. Watch out for indicators like increased irritability, changes in mood, or a decline in performance. You might also experience some physical symptoms such as headaches or fatigue. One recent study found that 63% of care workers struggled to sleep, 35% used alcohol to cope with stress and 56% felt emotionally exhausted.
If you do notice signs of stress in yourself or others, you should be proactive about accessing support from your supervisors or workplace assistance programs. Having a strong network of peers or a mentor who understands the unique pressures of working in the social care sector can also be a valuable resource for getting help with your self-care and wellbeing at work.
Key Self-Care Skills to Develop
You should also develop some key skills that will help you manage stress, self-care, and wellbeing throughout your career in social care.
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Planning & Time Management
Knowing how to prioritise tasks and allocate your time appropriately will help you manage your workload effectively and reduce the stress and anxiety that comes from having too much to do. By learning to set realistic goals and deadlines you’ll avoid feeling overwhelmed. There are lots of time management tools and apps available but the simplest and most effective are dynamic calendars and to-do-lists.
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Emotional Intelligence
Many situations in social care can be emotionally charged. Developing your emotional intelligence – the ability to recognise, understand, and manage your own emotions, as well as navigate and respond effectively to the emotions of others – will help you navigate these situations with empathy.
By recognising and regulating your own emotions, will also help you establish healthy boundaries, preventing burnout and emotional exhaustion. Being emotionally intelligent can also help you build positive relationships with clients and colleagues making for a more supportive work environment.
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Communication
Improving your communication and collaboration skills can be incredibly valuable in helping you manage your self-care and wellbeing at work. You’ll be better able to express your needs and concerns effectively to your supervisor and establish boundaries and priorities with your colleagues.
Strong communication skills and good relationships with your co-workers will also help you should you need to delegate tasks or ask for help with a demanding workload. Your colleagues can help you solve problems more effectively, access services and provide positive feedback and motivation.
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Resilience
We can’t always avoid stress! Resilience means being able to bounce back from setbacks and adapt well to changes. You can do that by cultivating a positive mindset that is focused on finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Resilient people often see challenges as opportunities for learning and development not as roadblocks to success.
To develop your resilience further it’s important to be able to spot sources of stress on the horizon, whether they are work-related or personal, and have techniques on hand to address them. Healthy ways to cope with stress include practicing stress-reducing techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness and knowing how to establish boundaries to prevent work from taking over your personal life.
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Self-Reflection
Having insight into your thoughts, feelings and behaviours is a key self-care skill that will help you understand what causes stress for you at work and why you react the way you do. Self-reflection lets you assess your work-life balance and make any changes needed. Set aside a regular time to reflect on your day-to-day experiences and long-term goals and take time for self-care activities that bring joy and relaxation. Don’t forget to celebrate your successes and achievements as well.
With these skills as part of your toolkit you’ll be better able to manage any stressful or challenging circumstances you experience, and they are valuable soft skills to have as part of your career development too.
Other Ways to Support Your Wellbeing at Work
It’s likely that your employer has procedures and policies in place to help you with your wellbeing and work as well as mental health and wellbeing support available as well. Make sure to check your employee handbook or ask your supervisor for any information available. Some examples of support your organisation may have available include:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Training
- Employee Assistance Groups, Employee Resource Groups, or other peer support groups
- Wellness Action Plans
- Counselling
- Exercise or Meditation Classes
- Financial Advice Services
- Quiet Spaces, Prayer, or Meditation Rooms
- Pastoral Support Services
- Flexible Working
As you start your career in social care it’s important to remember that these support services are available to you, and to remember that it’s OK to ask for help if you are struggling with aspects of your role or your mental health and wellbeing.
At Vetro we offer expert advice and recruitment support in the supported care sector. Learn how to develop your career, grow your abilities, and find the perfect roles for you with the help and guidance of our industry-expert consultants.
If you'd like more information on how Vetro could help you find your next social care role, get in touch or explore our hundreds of live vacancies across the UK.
