Self-Care Plan and Reflection

Name

Winona State University

SOCW 440: Topics in Social Work: Self Care – Helping Professions

Instructor:

Date:

Introduction

Healthcare professionals, including nurses, are usually passionate and dedicated to their work. However, a sense of powerlessness and frustration can happen when they are delivering care to patients. Additionally, nurses may face challenges to self-care such as hectic schedules, competing demands for attention, work-related stress, shift work, and availability of resources. Work environments can expose nurses to discourteousness, depression, fatigue, and stress (Muhlare & Downing, 2023). Balancing multiple roles – as a registered nurse (RN), a nursing student, a mother, and wife – can be immensely demanding. Adopting self-care can help in maintaining physical, emotional, and professional well-being against the challenges. This self-care plan outlines strategies to promote wellness across various dimensions, identifying strengths, addressing barriers, and creating a sustainable approach to self-stewardship.

Why Self-Stewardship is Important

Self-stewardship is the adoption of deliberate responsibility for one’s professional, physical, and emotional well-being, to make it possible to care for others effectively for a long period of time. Emphasis is on the need for self-awareness, setting boundaries, maintaining personal integrity, and preventing burnout (Rushton, 2024). Self-stewardship helps manage stress and maintaining overall health. Besides, it allows professionals to prioritize their well-being, ensuring they have the capacity to care for others effectively. For nurses, it improves patient care, improves emotional resilience, and supports long-term career satisfaction. Through intentional self-care, nurses can sustain a healthy balance between personal and professional demands.

Current Self-Care Strengths

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of self-care as nurses. As an individual, I have been doing my best to care for myself while delivering my mandate as a nurse, caring for my family, and pursuing my professional ambitions. My existing self-care strengths include: a) Physical wellness – I incorporate short walks during work breaks and maintain a balanced diet every time I am having meals. b) Emotional wellness – I also regularly journal to process emotions and maintain strong family connections. c) Social wellness – I prioritize family time through regular get-together events, where we invite members of the extended family. We also have weekly movie nights with my husband when the schedule is not packed, and maintain meaningful conversations at home. d) Spiritual wellness – I regularly attend church service on Sundays and faith-based community meetings, as these events help me to stay grounded and focused. These practices have been quite helpful as part of my self-care efforts, and I believe they form a solid foundation for a building a more comprehensive self-care routine.

Identification of Barriers to Self-Care

The main barrier to self-care that I face is time management. Work, school, and family commitments usually consume much of my time, leaving so little for personal wellness activities. Besides, there are times when I experience feelings of guilt about prioritizing self-care over family responsibilities, and this tends to hinder consistency. Our African cultures tend to be collectivistic – with priority given to others over self. Most of the time, one ends up doing more than they can manage especially in the context of marriage. As a mother and wife, I have to prioritize my child and husband, and it does not stop there, there is a family back in Zimbabwe that needs attention – the competition for attention can be overwhelming. Inconsistent sleep patterns also affect physical and emotional health.

Negative Coping Strategies and Actions

Self-Care Strategies for Each Dimension of Wellness

1. Social Wellness – Strengthen workplace relationships by engaging in monthly gatherings with coworkers. In addition, continue nurturing family connections through planned activities, such as monthly date nights with my husband.
2. Emotional Wellness – Practice gratitude by noting three positive events daily and incorporate mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes, each morning and evening to manage stress.
3. Intellectual wellness – Dedicate 20 minutes weekly to learning a new skill or a hobby unrelated to nursing, such as creative writing, cooking, or crocheting.
4. Spiritual Wellness – Reflect weekly on personal values and purpose through meditation and prayers. Participate in volunteering to foster a sense of connection and contribution.
5. Physical Wellness – Increase exercise to 30 minutes three times a week, focusing on activities like yoga. Create a consistent bedtime routine to improve sleep quality.
6. Environmental Wellness – Maintain a clutter-free workspace at home and actively recycle to contribute to a healthier environment.
7. Financial Wellness – Allocate a small portion of income monthly to an emergency fund to reduce financial stress. Learn about investing in stocks, real estate, and cryptocurrency.
8. Occupational Wellness – Schedule regular check-ins with a mentor to discuss career goals and seek feedback from supervisors to enhance professional growth.

Insights from Relational-Cultural Theory

From the Relational-Cultural Theory, I learned that connection and relationship with others can help us understand ourselves better. Interactions with coworkers and mentors can provide greater insights into our areas of growth, strengths, and values. We can then build these relationships to support personal development and emotional resilience, which are essential for self-care. Building relationships based on mutual empathy and understanding can reduce feelings of stress and isolation. Addressing disconnections early and promoting trust in these connections at work and home can maintain bring the balance and well-being that we need (McCauley, 2013).

Emergency Plan

1. What to Do When Upset – Practice breathing exercises, take a walk, listen to calming music, or practice journaling. Engage in activities enjoyed during good moods, such as watching a comedy and cooking.
2. Support Contacts – Reach out to close friends, family, a mentor, or a therapist for emotional support. Lean on a trusted colleague for encouragement.
3. Positive Self-Talk – Use affirmations like “I can do all things through God, who strengthens me,” “I am doing my best, and that is enough,” or “I can take things one step at a time and still succeed.”
4. Avoid – Stay clear of negative people and social media content. Avoid isolating for long periods of time because the loneliness can encourage the development of negative moods.

Conclusion

Self-compassion is a foundation for self-stewardship. It is by acknowledging our personal limitations, seeking support, and giving ourselves a chance to recover from stress that we can remain effective and resilient in our demanding work environments. A self-care plan is a necessary step towards the realization of self-stewardship, and achieving balance and resilience in the face of life’s demands. Integrating the strategies into my routine can help me enhance my well-being and sustain my ability to care for others effectively. This course has exposed me to the value of proactive self-care and the importance of meaningful relationships, which I plan to prioritize moving forward. My objective is to remain committed to professional and personal self-care, ensuring a fulfilling, rewarding, and balanced life.

References

McCauley, M. (2013, March). Relational-cultural theory: Fostering healthy coexistence through a relational lens. Beyond Intractability. https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/relational-cultural-theory

Muhlare, M. L., & Downing, C. (2023). Self-care behaviours and practices of professional nurses working in primary health care clinics. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v15i1.4188

Rushton, C. H. (2024). Self-stewardship: An ethical imperative for nurses. AACN Advanced Critical Care, 35(2), 193-198. https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2024727