Ready, Set, SMART—Your Ticket to Successful Social Worker Self-Care in the New Year, in One Brief Blog!
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
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already making efforts toward self-care. Congratulations! And, you’re likely realizing self-care can be hard! Looking toward 2019, let’s consider how to work even SMARTer (not harder!) on self-care!
Ready, Set
Prior to the new year, Get Ready to (Re)Set for Self-Care. Share this reflection and resources with others—your team, supervisor, professional colleagues, and/or personal supports.
Here are some suggested preparation resources. Review steps for Resolutions, not Regrets. Reflect on how to Relax, Reset, and Rediscover YOUR self-care. Use the A Plus Study Guide to identify core aspects of self-care!
SMART
Then, devise a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant, Time-Limited) self-care plan. The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook provides detailed discussion on the importance of and how to do a structured, SMART self-care plan. The partial example below can be modified to fit your individual self-care. Typical plans include physical, social, psychological, professional/academic, and spiritual. Add areas that apply to your particular situation. For instance, the plan below adds financial and practical self-care.
Establish accountability, which includes people and tools. For instance, I keep a “dot diary” to track my self-care commitments. (For more on tracking methods, see Gretchen Rubin’s Resolution chart and “Bullet Journaling.”)
Get Smart-er
Each area can be expanded with more SMART objectives. But, be cautious: too many items can be overwhelming. Also, run each objective through the “SMART screen,” multiple times. Using the above example: Is “schedule daily walks” specific and time-limited? Going for 20-minute walks each morning is SMART-er! Is it realistic to leave work by 5:30 every day? Maybe start SMART-er with just Tuesdays?
Review your plan with accountability partners to ensure success. What are anticipated barriers and how will you address those? Then, pilot your plan for a couple of weeks! Piloting allows for establishing a baseline and informing SMART-er self-care. What do you learn to be SMART-er? For instance, maybe the gratitude plan is too ambitious; start with Sunday lunches, instead. Maybe tweak accountability measures, too? It’s a work in progress!
Look to this blog to provide ongoing strategies and resources for SMART-er self-care! And, we’re all SMART-er when we expand ideas and perspectives. So, please, share your SMART self-care strategies, successes, and, yes, continued struggles in the self-care movement. Let me know if you want to write a guest post!
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!