sparkie
11-07-2005, 09:22 PM
SELF-CARE DURING RELIEF WORK
Make every effort to engage in the following:
? Self-monitoring and pacing
? Regular check-ins with colleagues, family, and friends
?Working with partners or in teams
? Brief relaxation / stress management breaks
? Regular peer consultation and supervision
? Time-out for basic bodily care and refreshment
? Acceptance that you cannot change everything
? Fostering of flexibility, patience, and tolerance
Make every effort to avoid engaging in:
? Working too long by yourself without checking in with colleagues
? Working "round the clock" with few breaks
? Feeling like you are not doing enough
?Excessive intake of sweets and caffeine
Common attitudinal obstacles to self-care:
?"It would be selfish to take time to rest."
?"Others are working around the clock, so should I."
?"The needs of survivors are more important than the needs of helpers."
?"I can contribute the most by working all the time."
?"Only I can do x, y, z."
Returning home, expect a readjustment period upon returning home.
You may need to make personal reintegration a priority for a while.
Make every effort to engage in the following activities:
? Seek out and share social support
? Check in with other relief colleagues to discuss disaster experiences
? Increase supervision, consultation, and collegial support
? Schedule time for a vacation or gradual reintegration into your normal life
? Prepare for worldviews that may not be mirrored by others in your life
? Participate in formal help to address your response to relief work if stress
persists for greater than two to three weeks
? Increase leisure activities, stress management, and exercise
? Pay extra attention to health and nutrition
? Pay extra attention to rekindling close interpersonal relationships
? Practice good sleep routines
? Make time for self-reflection
? Practice receiving from others
? Find things to make you laugh
? Try at times not to be in charge or the "expert"
? Increase experiences that have spiritual or philosophical meaning to you
? Anticipate that you will experience recurring thoughts or dreams, and that they'll decrease over time
? Keep a journal to get worries off your mind
? Ask help in parenting, if you feel irritable or are having difficulties adjusting to being back at home
Make every effort to avoid engaging in:
? Use of alcohol, illicit drugs or excessive amounts of prescription drugs, which all interfere with sleep cycles and prolong recovery
? Making any big life changes for at least a month
? Negatively assessing your contribution to relief work
? Worrying about having trouble readjusting for at least a month
? Engaging in personal obstacles to better self-care
**Keeping too busy
**Making helping others more important than self-care
**Not wanting to talk about relief work experiences with others
Make every effort to engage in the following:
? Self-monitoring and pacing
? Regular check-ins with colleagues, family, and friends
?Working with partners or in teams
? Brief relaxation / stress management breaks
? Regular peer consultation and supervision
? Time-out for basic bodily care and refreshment
? Acceptance that you cannot change everything
? Fostering of flexibility, patience, and tolerance
Make every effort to avoid engaging in:
? Working too long by yourself without checking in with colleagues
? Working "round the clock" with few breaks
? Feeling like you are not doing enough
?Excessive intake of sweets and caffeine
Common attitudinal obstacles to self-care:
?"It would be selfish to take time to rest."
?"Others are working around the clock, so should I."
?"The needs of survivors are more important than the needs of helpers."
?"I can contribute the most by working all the time."
?"Only I can do x, y, z."
Returning home, expect a readjustment period upon returning home.
You may need to make personal reintegration a priority for a while.
Make every effort to engage in the following activities:
? Seek out and share social support
? Check in with other relief colleagues to discuss disaster experiences
? Increase supervision, consultation, and collegial support
? Schedule time for a vacation or gradual reintegration into your normal life
? Prepare for worldviews that may not be mirrored by others in your life
? Participate in formal help to address your response to relief work if stress
persists for greater than two to three weeks
? Increase leisure activities, stress management, and exercise
? Pay extra attention to health and nutrition
? Pay extra attention to rekindling close interpersonal relationships
? Practice good sleep routines
? Make time for self-reflection
? Practice receiving from others
? Find things to make you laugh
? Try at times not to be in charge or the "expert"
? Increase experiences that have spiritual or philosophical meaning to you
? Anticipate that you will experience recurring thoughts or dreams, and that they'll decrease over time
? Keep a journal to get worries off your mind
? Ask help in parenting, if you feel irritable or are having difficulties adjusting to being back at home
Make every effort to avoid engaging in:
? Use of alcohol, illicit drugs or excessive amounts of prescription drugs, which all interfere with sleep cycles and prolong recovery
? Making any big life changes for at least a month
? Negatively assessing your contribution to relief work
? Worrying about having trouble readjusting for at least a month
? Engaging in personal obstacles to better self-care
**Keeping too busy
**Making helping others more important than self-care
**Not wanting to talk about relief work experiences with others