The Importance of Self-Care in Social Work and Social Work Education

“Self-care is fundamental for everyone. It is part of self-regulation, the physical and mental processes through which we create inner and outer balance. If we cannot self-regulate, we are prone to overwork, overplay, burn-out, and unhealthy living. As small children, we must learn to regulate our feelings and behaviors (e.g., find better ways than throwing tantrums to get needs met). We need to maintain these skills across a lifetime so that we recognize our feelings (sadness, worry, fear, happiness) and our physical needs (for rest, healthy food, play, pleasant environments) and respond accordingly. The lesson we learn to live by is that we must take care of ourselves before we can take care of anyone else.”
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