Crucial Self-Care in the Coronavirus Crisis
by Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, lead co-editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals
As helping professionals, we may be tempted to downplay our own self-care during this pandemic crisis. However, it’s actually an even more crucial time to attend to self-care. For more than a decade, I’ve avidly promoted self-care as an essential element for effective, ethical practice. Now, it’s beyond essential, it’s urgent.
Time for the “Mask”
Literally, self-care can save lives—our own and/or others. In promoting self-care as a lifestyle, I’ve critiqued the popular metaphor of self-care as the mask to put on when in crisis—e.g., a crashing airplane. This mask metaphor limits self-care to being something “extra.” Breath is a more apt metaphor for integrated, wholistic self-care. That is, self-care is what keeps one breathing, most freely and fully. That metaphor holds true during any circumstances.
Yet, at times such as this crisis, putting on the mask is the “extra” needed to breathe. (That the coronavirus is a breathing crisis has layers of meta-messages for exploration.) Urgently, we need to put on the mask, i.e., take measures for basic safety and well-being. Being intentional and vigilant about self-care to protect our health is vitally important, both individually and communally.
Safety Is a Foundational Aspect of Self-Care
For those required by job roles to be in their workplaces, these measures must include limiting physical contact, using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and other precautions. However, anyone—perhaps especially students in field placements—must consider critically any expectations regarding providing services in a manner that puts you (or others) at risk. Do NOT fall into the fallacy prevalent in our profession that “clients’ needs come first.” If settings are resistant to maximizing physical distancing, challenge those assumptions. In times of stress, “group think” arises. If one person asks questions or challenges an assumption, it can help all concerned.
For instance, “Shonda’s” office was continuing “business as usual.” Shonda reasonably concluded that—especially as the crisis escalated—her work as a policy analyst/advocate could readily be done from home. She collected needed materials, informed her supervisor why she would be working from home, and urged that everyone do so. The next day, the administration sent an email that all staff should work from home, as a matter of policy, until further notice.
It may be necessary to respectfully push back regarding expectations that put people at risk. “Amber” was anxious because her role in a domestic violence shelter continued to put her in direct contact with residents. She felt guilty for wanting to “distance” from them. However, by not quickly instituting stringent measures, she and other staff were putting themselves and clients at more risk.
Be critical. Rethink protocols. Challenge assumptions. Give yourself and others permission for critical brainstorming. Ask for and provide, as you can, clarity and support. Critically consider ethical implications. And, advocate for basic risk minimization. Self-Care: Safety first!
Know Your Role—Is It to Rush In or Slow Down?
As helping professionals, we’re accustomed to seeing our work—and if we’re honest, often, our self-worth—in our Doing! Many of us feel compelled in this urgent time to rush in and do something! In crises, the phenomenon of need complex should be critically understood and intentionally addressed. Role clarification is a self-care strategy that is particularly relevant in crises.
Instead of rushing in, our role may be to slow down, stay home, and attend to the well-being of ourselves and families. Perhaps our priority is to respond to Elisa Kawam’s encouragement to practice the self-care of being. This imposed isolation can be an ideal time to engage self-care strategies. As Gretchen Rubin advises, outer order can bring inner calm. Giving attention to our homes can help us cope with the outer chaos of this crisis and calm our spirits. For instance, in transplanting work to home, setting up an office workspace (even if it’s a closet!) can provide helpful structure for more productive work.
We might feel guilty about our own care, when others are in more dire circumstances. Like any existential phenomenon, this crisis has critical lessons. One clear message: We’re connected by collective energy and literal physicality. Some are required to go physically into the center of the crisis; others are required to keep the outer layers strong. Staying home is good self-care and collective care.
Back to Basics
Especially now, self-care is part of the work—not separate from it. Whether required to rush in or slow down, we’re all compelled to be even more intentional about basic self-care. Admittedly, hand-washing is not typically on our self-care list. However, this crisis accentuates basic hygiene’s impact on well-being. Similar basics apply, whether staying home or going to workplaces. Rest, movement, fresh air, hydration, and nutrients for health are basic building blocks for self-care. These basics are magnified now because they affect immunity.
Likewise, this crisis amplifies another aspect of self-care: Be informed and engaged; but limit exposure to news. Guard against being obsessed by the crisis and accompanying angsts—such as political and cultural phenomena affecting the crisis. “Diet” is the “D” entry for the A-Z Self-Care Handbook; diet isn’t just food—it’s what we bring into our bodies, minds, spirits. Along with important information about the crisis and broader world, fill your feed (online and in your daily diet) with positive messages of coping, hope, compassion, humor, and humanity at its best.
Along with ensuring a balanced “diet,” a basic element of self-care is our social connections. We’re, thankfully, changing the language of “social distancing” to the more apt framing of physical distancing. As Linda Grobman writes, especially during this crisis that calls for physical isolation, we must ensure social connections.
Connection applies to self, as well. In crisis mode, we can become disengaged from our own selves. Wade Drury’s compassionate advice about self-grounding applies—perhaps especially for those whose roles require being in the center of the crisis. Wade suggests regular check-ins with oneself: What do I need? Physically, emotionally, socially, professionally, spiritually, practically? Simply identifying what you need is a crucial step in self-care, especially in these days that can be an overwhelming onslaught of information and emotions.
As we navigate this crisis, I hope you know of our human connection and stay grounded in your self-care. As we slow down and rush in, may we be together in Peace, Love, & Self-Care, Erlene
Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC. This LLC provides evaluation, training, and consultation for organizational wellness and practitioner well-being. Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. As a former faculty member and graduate program director, she and a small (but mighty!) group of colleagues implemented an initiative to promote self-care as part of the social work education curriculum. Previously, she served in clinical and administrative roles. She has experience with navigating toxicity and dysfunction, up-close and personal! Likewise, as an educator, she saw students enter the field and quickly burn out. As a dedicated social worker, she believes the well-being of practitioners is a matter of social justice and human rights. Thus, she is on a mission to promote self-care and wellness!