Jenni Osborn

Self Care Campaign

Self Care Campaign

This summer I’ve been running a Self Care Campaign over my social media platforms. Here’s the full list on one blog post.

Week 1: Regular time off is essential for our mental health and wellbeing. This is especially true when we work in a helping profession like youth/children’s/families work. We should have at least one whole day a week when we are not working (that won’t be a Sunday for those working in a church!). We also need extended time off at various points in the year.

Why not start the new academic year by booking your time off for the whole year?

If you manage a youth, children’s or families worker then ask that they book the time and then hold them accountable for taking that time.

If this is difficult to do then get in touch with me and I can be your accountability partner as well as your practice supervisor! 

Week 2: Immerse yourself in a story that doesn’t require anything from you.

Spend a good amount of time regularly on reading or listening to a story that takes you away from your regular life.

I know that reading isn’t everyone’s favourite thing to do, so if listening to podcasts or watching films is more your thing then please, have at it!

If you have recommendations for stories or series or films to watch, do tell me. I’d love to know!

 

Managers: I can support your youth worker with self-care and avoiding burnout through practice supervision. Book a free chat with me to find out more

Week 3: Hands up if you really dislike paperwork!

For many of us it can feel like paperwork keeps us away from the work we want to do with young people. But it is a necessary evil. Increasingly we need to keep track of funding, safeguarding and other issues which require paperwork.

 

So, this is your reminder to get it done. There are different hacks you can use to trick yourself into getting it done depending on how your brain works.

The one I recommend is getting yourself a body double!

No, that’s not someone who will stand in for you in leadership meetings. A body double is a friend or colleague who will help you keep on track with tasks you’ll otherwise keep putting off.

Try it, see if it helps. You might be surprised.

If you’d like to learn more about your strengths and how your brain works, then I can help with that as your practice supervisor. Book in a free chat with me www.jenniosborn.org/useful-links

Future you will thank you!

Managers: consider adding practice supervision in to your youth worker’s regular schedule. Book a chat with me to discuss further details on the link above!

Week 4: Decluttering is an excellent way of lowering our stress levels. Getting rid of excess stuff can benefit your mental health by making you feel calmer, happier and more in control.

 

It also helps to keep our overflowing ‘that’ll come in handy someday’ spaces under control.

 

 

This isn’t always an easy task to approach so my tip for this is to break it down into small chunks of time. This can be as small as 5mins or a slightly longer ‘small chunk’ of 30mins. Neuroscience tells us that building habits works best when we begin small, rather than ‘go big or go home’.

 

Begin today by blocking out time to begin the decluttering in the coming week.

 

Managers: how can you best support your youth worker in this? Maybe it’s holding a team day for decluttering of workspaces in the summer.  

 

I can support your youth worker with self-care & avoiding burnout via practice supervision. Book a free chat to find out more www.jenniosborn.org/useful-links

Week 5: Keeping a diary ranges from a task that is scheduling orientated to a way of coping with stress and looking after oneself. It can be a written task or a creative one (or both!) and how you use it will depend on how your brain is wired.

 

If this is not something you normally do, start small: get yourself an A6 academic diary and record 3 good things from each day. 

This regular act of reflection and gratitude will itself gradually become a habit. No-one else needs to read it, there are no prizes for handwriting or spelling here!

Daily recording is the ideal but it doesn’t need to be a detailed retelling of the day. Take 5mins to record highlights.

If writing really doesn’t work for you, try recording some video footage of something you’re doing each day. Use the 1 second a day app or something similar.

Managers: I can support your youth worker with self-care & avoiding burnout via practice supervision. Book a free chat to find out more www.jenniosborn.org/useful-links

Week 6: As the new term begins, let’s take a moment to review all the tips from the summer:

 

* Book your time off in advance

* Read or listen to a book

* Get outstanding paperwork done

* Declutter the cupboard

* Start a diary for the year

 

What else have you done this summer that has helped you take care of yourself? Self-care is not always about taking a bath or getting outside. It’s also about getting your stuff in order so that you can work efficiently and live well, avoiding burnout and overwhelm!

 

And if you’d like to chat to me about practice supervision for this year then book a free chat www.jenniosborn.org/useful-links

 

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