Care for the Caregiver

Working directly with people who frequently are in crisis takes a toll on everyone in the "helping professions." As a profession, social workers are notoriously lax about caring for themselves as well as they care for others. Balancing personal and professional responsibilities is often an ongoing struggle. Therefore, "Care for the Caregiver" has been included in the First Year Academy for all staff. Following are a few thoughts on topics covered in that training:

On Sleep

The seasons are changing, and our evolutionary need for additional sleep soon will envelop us like a thick comforter. This year, world events may exacerbate that feeling. Sufficient and regular rest is important to our well-being!

"More than half of the adult population of the United States" experiences significant sleep deprivation, because "they get less restorative sleep than they need. Between the seventh and eighth hour is when we get almost an hour of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the time when the mind repairs itself, grows new connections and puts it all together. REM sleep occurs about every 90 minutes, and the periods of REM sleep get longer as the night progresses."
Power Sleep by Dr. James B. Maas

People who don't get enough sleep not only "struggle to stay awake," 42 percent also report an increase in pain, such as headaches, backaches and muscle aches - especially at night. "Of those who experienced pain and sleeplessness, 40 percent attribute the increased pain to the physical or mental stress of their job... the leading reasons for sleeplessness were stress (34 percent) and anxiety/worrying (14 percent)."
Sleepy Heads Will Never Prevail: You can't move up if you don't regularly bed down by Kathy Simmons

Of people who experience sleeplessness, "63 percent struggle more with handling stressful situations on the job; 57 percent experience more difficulty listening to what others are saying, 55 percent have a harder time solving problems, 48 percent report reduced ability to make decisions, and 43 percent have more trouble relating to their co-workers... 23 percent admit to falling asleep while driving."

In the year 2000 "...more than 100,000 traffic accidents and 1,500 traffic fatalities can be attributed to falling asleep while driving each year in the United States."
National Sleep Foundation

Individuals who sleep "fewer than six hours each night had a 70 percent higher mortality rate than those who slept seven or eight hours a night."
Desperately Seeking Snoozin' by John Weidman

Speaking of Stress

If stress is a primary culprit in sleep deprivation, what are some ways to reduce stress? Everyone has his or her own ideas, and, in fact, each of us really does need to develop our own strategies.

Here are a few "quickies:"

• Relax. Even if you can take just 30 seconds at a time, be active in your relaxation. Send your mind on a half-minute vacation to some special mental place where nobody e-mails you, beeps a horn or asks about dinner, a place with no telephones or beepers.
  
  
• Breathe. Breathe deeply. Become aware of each breath and allow your body to be calm for a moment. Breathe.

Reducing Stress, or How to Be Your Own Bomb Squad Before You Get Ticked Off: Some Useful Steps to Keep Your Day in Line by David Fiegel

For further information and resources, contact Karen Bartis, Training Coordinator (ckbartis@caseyfamilyservices.org).