“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Most of us have heard that saying. And it’s a truth that holds weight both literally, and figuratively. But what about when it’s your job to pour, and the work often leaves you empty? That can many times be the case when you’re a mental health professional. And unfortunately, that can have some extremely taxing consequences, both personally and professionally. The work of many of us in the mental health field is full of daily challenges and stresses; the weight of important decisions, paperwork and the wellbeing of others (many times children) rests on our shoulders day after day. We have tough jobs! We have emotional jobs. But I’d be willing to bet that for many of us, taking care of ourselves in light of our tough, emotional jobs is a wishful thought somewhere near the bottom of our to-do list.
In this field, you may find yourself frequently having conversations with other people about their challenges and needs, both clients and friends. And many times the conversation lands on the topic of self-care. We may stress the importance, inquire about what they routinely do to care for themselves, give suggestions and promise to follow-up about what works and how it made them feel. But if you’re anything like me, regardless of how often you have these conversations with others, you may find that this is an area of yourlife that may be lacking. Why is it that we can identify and encourage the need for taking care of oneself to others, but struggle to embrace it as part of our own lives? Are we really that busy? Or are we often just used to being so helpful and giving that we forget we matter too?
I would imagine that many of us who were attracted to the field of mental health were so because of our desire to help, and in many cases that may be because we ourselves were injured and wanted to help others heal. Through our work we provide a safe space for that healing; we are a resource for so many out there, I wonder how many of us are “sipping our own Kool-aid?” In other words, how many of us as therapists (or other mental health professionals) are in therapy? How many of us are actively attending to our wellness- mentally, emotionally and physically? If we know empty cups can’t pour, are we making sure we’re filling up during our time away from work? The giving nature of what we do affects each of us differently, and so the caring of each of ourselves will be different as well. But whether a nightly bubble bath, daily prayer, or a bi-weekly sit on the couch of a colleague does the trick, it is my hope that we continually stay in-touch with ourselves and make sure the stuff that fills us up is part of our routine. We encourage each of our clients to take advantage of the resources we can offer, both in and out of session. Let’s make it our goal to do the same for ourselves!
