Know

Imagine you wake up, go to work, and have the best day ever. This does not mean that everything went perfectly that day, but that you left feeling hopeful and with energy. What happened that day to make you feel good mentally, emotionally, physically, socially, spiritually, and professionally? In Lesson Three, you learned that the work environment has a strong impact on personal wellness, especially in child care centers, preschools, and primary schools. When working with children and youth who experience trauma, the risk of secondary traumatic stress is high. Awareness of our own behavior and its impact on children and youth and creating a self-care plan that prioritizes wellness helps decrease the impact of secondary traumatic stress and creates a positive working environment for you, your coworkers, and the children and adolescents you serve.

Awareness of Our Behavior and its Impact

Children and adults that have been exposed to trauma often experience “trauma reminders” or “triggers” during their interactions with people and the environment. A trigger can be defined as a stimulus that sets off a memory of a traumatic experience. Potential triggers can include noises, smells, temperature, visual scenes, physical sensations, locations, seasons, or certain times of day. These trauma reminders may lead to intense emotions and behaviors in children and youth. Program staff should understand children’s individual trauma triggers including how their behavior can trigger trauma responses in children and youth. In Lesson One, the CAPPD (calm, attuned, present, predictable, and don't) model was explored regarding ways to manage our own stress and reactions. For example, think about how children and youth who have experienced trauma may react to raised voices and harsh words from a stressed adult. Using wellness strategies throughout the day can help program staff to be more mindful of how their behavior influences the children and students in their rooms.

One of the most important influences on a child’s development and their ability to overcome adversity is the presence of a positive, supportive, stable caregiver. A strong, healthy, stable relationship with a caregiver that provides love and support, helps children learn that the world is a safe place to learn and grow. As a caregiver, for you to foster this critical relationship with children you must first take care of yourself. By engaging in self-care strategies, you can combat secondary traumatic stress and enhance your relationships and interactions with children and families.

Creating a Self-Care Plan

Self-care is an unselfish act that allows a person to maintain good health and optimal wellness. It can be challenging for caregivers and educators to take the time to fit in self-care activities every day. However, life’s daily stressors, both work related and non-work related, can often leave one feeling depleted of energy. This can become an even larger problem for caregivers and educators dealing with secondary traumatic stress. To combat this, it is recommended you create a self-care plan that incorporates the following six areas, at minimum:

• Psychological: The things that we think and how we process those thoughts, including all positive and negative thoughts that can influence our behaviors
• Emotional: The feelings that we experience in response to our thoughts, situations, or behaviors
• Physical: Our body and how it functions
• Personal: Our interactions and relationships with others, including family, friends, and coworkers
• Spiritual: A connection or belonging to a higher purpose; not to be confused with religion, which is a set practice of beliefs
• Professional: Our level of satisfaction and compatibility with our work

The Virtual Lab School course on Social Emotional Learning for Teachers is a great tool for digging deeper into the mental, emotional, physical, and professional to identify strategies to cope with stress impacting your health.

Developing daily routines that incorporate self-care activities can help reduce the effects of job dissatisfaction and burnout. To complete a self-care plan, it is important to look at what positive and negative coping skills you currently utilize. In reviewing current coping skills, you can develop an understanding of your reaction to negative experiences or crisis situations. Once you have a list of ideas, it is also important to consider barriers that might keep you from engaging in self-care, such as time restraints or guilt. Address these barriers in a way that works for you. Self-care is an individual activity that is meant for you! If you are struggling to create a list of self-care activities, here are some ideas from the National Alliance for Mental Illness:

Developing a Wellness-Focused Environment

One aspect to consider in creating your self-care plan is how you can incorporate components of your plan into your workday. Consider developing a wellness focus into your program or educational setting. Lesson Two discussed program environments that are trauma-sensitive. Connecting trauma-sensitive practices is an easy way for caregivers and educators to incorporate self-care coping skills to help the children they serve. Consider also reviewing the Virtual Lab School course on Learning Environments to learn more about how to increase engagement with proper design and a sense of safety by establishing predictable routines. When considering the design and routines of your environment, be sure to use the trauma lens when thinking about items or materials that could trigger a traumatic response. Our environments should serve as a safe space for children and youth so they feel comfortable and empowered. Some features of trauma-sensitive environments may include (Schwartz-Henderson, 2016):

• Have fewer materials on the shelves
• Change materials more frequently
• Provide a space for one child to work independently
• Provide a soft space to relax, if needed
• Minimize visual messages on walls and floor
• Provide décor that is culturally sensitive
• Lower or diffuse lighting and sound
• Provide self-serve snack without restrictions
• Sequence learning activities for all competencies

See

Listen as experts explain why it is critical that professional caregivers take care of themselves in order to care for others and the importance of individuals creating self-care plans that meet their specific needs.

Do

Comprehensive Self-Care

There are many ways to support one’s wellness as an individual, as a professional, and on a program-wide level. To create a comprehensive self-care plan, consider these strategies:

Individual

• Pack a healthy lunch and snacks and have access to water throughout the day
• Schedule times for quiet reflection and breaks, both when children and youth are and are not present
• Walk outside of your room or building or do restorative yoga poses, with or without children or youth
• Use a gratitude journal for thoughts about your workday; you can include children in this process or complete during alone time
• Incorporate soothing music and scents into your routine
• Practice breathing techniques, imagery, and positive self- statements

Feel free to refer to the course on Social Emotional Learning for Teachers, Lesson Four, for more information on these ideas.

Professional

• Develop a wellness newsletter for program families that includes some of the wellness strategies you implement with their children and provide ideas for wellness activities they can do at home
• Create a network of peers to share thoughts and feelings about your work, be mindful to balance problems with solutions
• Identify when work stress becomes job burnout and seek professional help

Feel free to refer to the course on Social Emotional Learning for Teachers, Lesson Five, for more information on these ideas.

Program

• Establish a clear method of communication with administration regarding the importance of self-care in your workday; be proactive and assist in creating a wellness team as a leadership initiative
• Implement staff-wide initiatives that encourage gathering as a community for wellness practices, such as a morning mediation or take a day of the week or month to celebrate self-care
• Incorporate children’s families into wellness activities, such as hosting a self-care night for families to participate in wellness activities together