Hey up jugglers,
It’s turning pretty Autumnal here in lovely Leicestershire, I tend to have mixed feelings about this change. I love the colours in nature and I love a chunky boot, yet there is something about the energy shifting that can be a challenge. To look after myself, I’ve been focussed on the things I do outside of work that I love, the hobbies that keep my energy up and replenish me. In work, I’ve been making sure that I connect with peers, aka there is always time for a quick coffee!
I’m recognising that I’m not alone.
What are you doing to protect your wellbeing?
This years theme for World Mental Health Day is ‘workplace mental healt’. As professional helpers we are often called on to offer support for organisations that want invest in their staff, or work with people who tell us about being stressed at, or because of work. Hands up who works with folks with burnout?
But instead of focussing on them, of course, I’m going to focus on you! Workplace mental health means our workplace too! If you, my fellow jugglers, are like me, and your professional role is to help others with whatever they are facing, this can create all sorts of conflict, and curiosity about our own vulnerabilities. Are we ‘allowed’ to need help? Who do we go to if we do need help? The ‘who do we go to’ question is a tricky one, we often want someone outside of our usual support circles, someone experienced and someone who gets it. But it can sometimes feel like finding a needle in a haystack!
The thing is, the expectations that others have of us, about our ability to look after our wellbeing, will often overlap with our own beliefs about ourselves - these beliefs don’t always serve us well. We can feel shame and guilt in needing assistance with our own wellbeing. So, remember, in order to help others, we must help ourselves and it doesn’t need to come with a side-helping of guilt. The reality is, many professional helpers struggle too, and that is ok.
Let’s not wait until we’re running on empty, or burnout before we seek support.
If you are looking for some support, here’s my tips. Whilst I'm here, there is a great book called ‘The Resilient Practitioner’ by Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison, the 4th edition will be out at the end of the month. It’s packed full of thoughts, ideas and tips to help us all be more resilient and is one of my ‘go-to’ books, well worth a read. Here’s the link if you want to pre-order.
Think about all areas of your corner of the world - what do you really need help with? What is your top priority?
What’s your ‘wishlist’ for who the helper might be and the skills/experience they have? Are there any recommendations?
Check the helper out - what training & qualifications do they have, are they affiliated with a professional body?
What’s your budget? How much time can you commit to get the support regularly? What financially can you commit to and over what timeframe do you want the support?
Can you have an informal chat with the person you have in mind before you commit? How will you know they might be a good fit for you?
I hope you have what you need to support you, or at least to get going with finding this, but do let me know if you need any further pointers.
See-ya!