Week 11, DQ 1

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Volume 6 Issue 1 Article 5

9-29-2020

Weaving in Wellness: Infographics for Self-Care Weaving in Wellness: Infographics for Self-Care

Adair Finucane SUNY University at Buffalo, [email protected]

Mickey Sperlich SUNY University at Buffalo, [email protected]

Whitney Mendel Daemen College, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Finucane, Adair; Sperlich, Mickey; and Mendel, Whitney (2020) "Weaving in Wellness: Infographics for Self- Care," Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice: Vol. 6 : Iss. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/jhstrp/vol6/iss1/5

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Abstract

Human service professionals are at risk for burnout, vicarious trauma (VT), and compassion

fatigue (CF) throughout their careers, and contemporary levels of burnout, VT, and CF suggest a

need for interventions. Engagement in mindfulness and self-care has been found to buffer these

risks while increasing worker wellbeing. This article presents infographics intended for

facilitating practical self-care engagement. The accompanying infographics provide guidance for

mindful self-care behaviors woven into daily transitions. They present a low-cost means of

promoting self-care strategies throughout agencies and organizations. This, along with minimal

time commitments for each practice, makes these infographics an accessible intervention for

human service professionals. These infographics may also act as a primer for more involved

mindfulness and self-care training.

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Weaving in Wellness: Infographics for Self-Care

Challenging working conditions such as large caseloads, limited resources, and work

stress in many human services positions may increase the likelihood of burnout, vicarious trauma

(VT), and compassion fatigue (CF) (Hensel et al., 2015; McFadden et al., 2014; Miller et al.,

2017). However, simply being a provider of human services may be the greatest risk factor for

developing professional burnout (Newell & MacNeil, 2010), as well as CF (Alkema et al., 2008).

Further, human service professionals need not have long careers in the field before experiencing

VT, CF, and burnout. For instance, students in health service psychology doctoral programs were

found to have higher levels of stress and lower levels of self-care and quality of life than

graduate students in other professions (Ayala et al., 2017), and social work students in field

placements are at risk for VT, CF and burnout at rates comparable to other helping professionals

(Harr & Moore, 2011). Similarly, a study of graduate students in psychology found that 38% of

students reported experiencing CF and burnout (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Thus, even in optimal

environments and with those just beginning their careers, it is critical for human service workers

to have methods for addressing these factors. The present article briefly examines the risks of

burnout, VT, and CF along with the concepts of self-care and mindfulness among human service

professionals. We then introduce a set of infographics, which are visual representations of data or

information, intended to promote holistic self-care practices. These infographics provide a low-

cost opportunity to promote self-care for human services professionals.

Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and Compassion Fatigue

Burnout is defined as a negative experience, primarily psychological in nature, that

workers experience in response to job-related stress (Acker, 1999). This experience is often

characterized by exhaustion, workers’ lack of engagement, and depersonalization of clients

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(Acker, 1999). Burnout can include emotional, physical, and interactional symptoms. A

systematic review of the literature related to burnout among psychologists (in a variety of

settings) found that emotional exhaustion, a main dimension of burnout, was reported across the

literature, as well as confirmation of a robust relationship between high workload and burnout

(McCormack et al., 2018). One recent study of clinical and counseling psychologists found that

nearly 48% endorsed moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion, with the challenge of

work-life balance and managing distressed clients with chronic or complex issues causing the

most severe clinician distress (Simpson et al., 2019). Social worker burnout is also common

across various facets of the profession (Kim & Kao, 2011). Burnout for hospice social workers is

exacerbated by death anxiety (Quinn-Lee et al., 2014). In both child protective work and hospice

social work, burnout is frequently associated with higher workload and difficult cases (Balbay et

al., 2011; McFadden et al., 2018). The physical impact of burnout has been documented in the

nursing field: it is associated with increased risk of poor general health (Khamisa et al., 2016).

Across human service professions, worker burnout is an abiding feature, and threatens not only

the individual worker’s experience but also organizational functioning; a recent meta-analysis of

studies found that clinician burnout is related to lowered levels of patient safety (Garcia et al.,

2019).

McCann and Pearlman (1990) conceptualized VT as an issue faced by clinicians and

other helpers that can follow working with clients who have experienced trauma. VT involves

the practitioner experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms following engaging with

traumatized clients, in spite of not having directly witnessed traumatic occurrences. Negative

affective changes in reference to client experiences, in addition to intrusive thoughts, nightmares,

and disturbing imagery, are common reactions to vicarious traumatization (Dunkley & Whelan,

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2006). In some contexts, the prevalence of VT can be quite high; for example, one study of

domestic violence victim advocates found a VT prevalence of approximately 50%, with risk

factors including hourly length of workweek, hours of direct service, and working with adult

survivors of child sexual abuse (Benuto et al., 2018).

The term “compassion fatigue” is used in the helping professions to describe clinicians’

responses to client trauma and distress (Adams et al., 2006). Psychometric data gathered from

social workers with a traumatized client base suggests that burnout and VT are actually

underlying dimensions of compassion fatigue (Adams et al., 2006). Whereas vicarious

traumatization tends to refer specifically to symptoms of PTSD, CF considers the impact of

client experiences on the clinician more holistically, referring to the emotional, physical, and

spiritual depletion social workers and other helpers can experience following exposure to client

trauma (Pfifferling & Gilley, 2000). Among a random sample of clinical social workers and

clinical psychologists who identified as having some expertise in trauma treatment, six percent

endorsed compassion fatigue, and 12% endorsed burnout; with increased risk among those who

had high caseloads of clients with PTSD, and who did not used evidence-based trauma

treatments (Craig & Sprang, 2010). Practice context was also influential in an investigation of

compassion fatigue in oncology nurses; finding that CF is more common for those who have

worked longer in clinical nursing, those working in secondary hospitals, and those with passive

coping strategies (Yu et al., 2016).

Self-Care

Human service professional’s self-care may be one way to prevent and redress effects of

burnout, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Self-care involves behaviors that aid in

balancing personal and professional facets of life, as well as healthy lifestyle practices (Bamonti

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et al., 2014). Dorociak et al. (2017) offer a broad definition of self-care: “a multidimensional,

multifaceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning

and enhance well-being” (p. 326). It has been conceptualized as the process of giving oneself

permission to take time for navigating professional challenges (Riley & Wachs, 2003), and

includes adapting, rather than accepting, work environments (Keidel, 2002).

Professional self-care, defined as “the process of purposeful engagement in practices that

promote effective and appropriate use of the self in the professional role within the context of

sustaining holistic health and well-being” (Lee & Miller, 2013, p. 98), is used relatively

infrequently, especially when compared with personal self-care practices such as spending

quality time with loved ones and participating in enjoyable activities (Loeffler et al., 2018). Yet,

some have argued that self-care is in fact an ethical imperative, in that self-care works to prevent

personal problems a human service professional may have from interfering with their ability to

perform work-related activities (e.g., Barnett et al., 2007; Maranzan et al., 2018).

Underutilization of self-care practices may be explained by having limited perceived or actual

access to self-care opportunities, for personal or economic reasons. Cultural ideals of self-care

(e.g. eating a nutritious diet, reducing stress, and getting plenty of rest) have been critiqued as

being bound in socioeconomic privilege (Nichols et al., 2015). Thus, these practices are more

available to those with access to means. Also, in spite of being necessary due, at least in part, to

the difficulties of professional work, self-care is frequently represented as something human

service professionals engage in during their off-work hours (Lloro-Bidart & Semenko, 2017).

Demands on human service professionals outside of work may be considerable and leave limited

time and financial resources for devoting to wellness. This reality highlights a need for

accessible opportunities to engage in self-care (Loeffler et al., 2018).

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Self-Care Strategies

There are a wide variety of self-care strategies that human service professionals might

employ. One 2015 study of 786 social workers from throughout the United States found that

from a list of 45 self-care activities across 5 domains (physical, professional, emotional, spiritual,

and psychological), participants reported journaling, practicing yoga, participating in stress

management training, and negotiating one’s needs as least often practiced self-care activities. In

contrast, they reported laughing, quality time with friends and family, and connecting with co-

workers to be the most commonly used self-care practices (Bloomquist et al., 2015). In this

study, the professional, emotional, and spiritual domains were most likely to buffer against

burnout and increase compassion satisfaction. Researchers looking at self-care among

psychologists also see a role for self-care in mitigating stress and suggest that self-care activities

are most beneficial when woven into daily practices and routines, rather than being added to the

clinician’s already full list of professional obligations (Wise et al., 2012).

Mindfulness

Wise, Hersh, and Gibson (2012) also suggest mindfulness as a foundational strategy for

promoting well-being among psychologists. Based on our inherent capacities for relaxation and

insight, mindfulness is a systemic approach to living that focuses on awareness of the present

moment (Kabat-Zinn & Hanh, 2013). In the social work literature, mindfulness is also frequently

cited as an effective self-care strategy (Gockel et al., 2013; McGarrigle & Walsh, 2011). A self-

care guide for practitioners, supervisors, and administrators has been developed that frames self-

care not as occasional activities, but as a state of mind, and essential to social worker training

(Cox and Steiner & 2013), and books have been written outlining self-care strategies aimed at

building resilience against burnout (Grise-Owens et al., 2016; Smullens, 2015). Similarly,

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mindfulness has been cited as an important way to promote well-being among professional

counselors (e.g., Coleman et al., 2016), psychologists (e.g., Wise et al., 2012), and nurses (e.g.,

Bazarko et al., 2013).

Self-Care for Mitigating Risk

There is empirical support for the notion that education and engagement in self-care

mitigate the emotional risk factors associated with human service provision (Lewis & King,

2019). For instance, social workers report that engaging in self-care practices is helpful in coping

with VT and alleviating job-related stress (Bober & Regehr, 2006; Bloomquist et al., 2015), and

can lead to lower levels of burnout (Salloum et al., 2015; La Mott, 2017). Thieleman and

Cacciatore (2014) found that traumatic bereavement volunteers and professionals who engaged

in increased levels of mindfulness practice were at less risk of compassion fatigue.

The need for increased training and expanded curricula in self-care for human service

professionals is also becoming clear. Butler et al. (2017) found that among 195 MSW students,

all students reported being faced with or reacting to trauma exposures in the course of their

training; those with lower levels of self-care reported higher levels of burnout and secondary

traumatic stress symptoms, while those who reported higher levels of self-care experienced

higher levels of compassion satisfaction. Other human service professions are also recognizing

the need for more self-care instruction, including for professional counseling programs (Coaston

& Lawrence, 2019; Nelson, Hall, Anderson, Birtles, & Hemming, 2018; Shapiro, Brown, &

Biegel, 2007), clinical psychology programs (Bachik & Kitzman, 2020; Pakenham & Stafford-

Brown, 2012), nursing programs (Ashcraft & Gatto, 2018; Nevins & Sherman, 2016), and

medical schools (Ayala et al., 2018).

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Given the direction of the emergent literature on self-care and its promising potential for

ameliorating the effects of burnout, VT and CF, the time is ripe to consider how to better

promote and foster self-care practices in workplaces that employ human service professionals.

Workplace Culture: Room for Improvement

In the workplace, employees receive subtle and overt messages about which behaviors

are and are not condoned or considered appropriate. Workplace culture in non-profits also tends

to promote the agency’s mission at the expense of self-care for individuals and the organization

as a whole (Kanter & Sherman, 2017). These messages can have a direct impact on which - if

any - self-care practices human service professionals choose to engage in during work hours.

McGarrigle and Walsh (2011) discuss the importance of a work environment that unambiguously

allots time, gives permission, and offers space for social workers to engage in self-care practices.

We also find that building a workplace culture that actively promotes self-care requires that the

values and behaviors of those in leadership positions reflect this respect for time, permission, and

space. Critically, their research suggests that organizational leaders be involved in supporting

human services practitioners in integrating self-care practices into their daily routines. Such

support demonstrates another claim supported by McGarrigle and Walsh’s (2011) findings: the

importance of the workplace and individual social worker sharing responsibility for a

practitioner’s incorporation of self-care. When agencies value self-care, providing education and

resources that enhance social worker well-being and performance, they create an opportunity to

benefit clients and agencies over time (Xu et al., 2019). These findings are echoed by Wise,

Hersh, and Gibson (2012) for the promotion of self-care among psychologists, in envisioning a

future in which self-care is “truly valued, supported and promoted by the profession in a manner

that complements and sustains our ongoing well-being and professional competence” (p. 487).

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Infographics as a Self-Care Intervention

Sharing responsibility for promoting self-care in the workplace might take the form of

agencies facilitating worker involvement in mindfulness practices such as those in Mindfulness-

Based Stress Reduction (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn & Hanh, 2013) and Acceptance and Commitment

Training (ACT; Hayes et al., 2004; Hayes et al., 1994), which have shown effectiveness in

decreasing stress and burnout levels in social workers (Brinkborg et al., 2011; Shapiro et al.,

2005), psychologists (Eriksson et al., 2018), as well as oncology nurses (Duarte & Pinto-

Gouveia, 2017). While interventions of this nature may be instrumental in shifting the tide and

creating a culture geared towards wellness, they require considerable time and financial

resources, as well as buy-in from both leadership and organizational staff.

Infographics offer a clear way to guide the viewer in visualizing a concept. They have

been referred to as “tool[s] for your eyes and brain to see what lies beyond their natural reach”

(Cairo, 2013, p. 10). When compared to text-based messages, infographics have a greater

likelihood of inciting cognitive elaboration (e.g. active learning and critical thinking) (Bice &

Faith, 2019).

Research on the effectiveness of posters depicting infographics promoting wellness is

scant. However, what literature does exist on the topic suggests that infographics are a helpful

way for communicating ideas and catalyzing behavior change. One study, for example, assessed

effectiveness of infographics promoting the Double Pyramid nutritional model, which promotes

healthy eating choices with the goal of decreasing environmental impact (Ruini et al., 2016).

When posters depicting infographics promoting this model were placed around company

cafeterias, employees were found to have increased their whole grains, fruit, lean meat, and

vegetable consumption, while decreasing their red meat consumption by 77%. These findings

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were congruent with the tenets of the Double Pyramid infographics. In addition, a study

involving hospital nurses found that self-care posters intended to help the nurses increase their

physical activity levels. The posters, hung in break rooms, led to a statistical increase in the

nurses’ physical activity levels when compared with the pretest control period, as well as the

post-intervention phase when the posters were removed (Raney & Van Zanten, 2018).

The realities of limited resources, as well as demands on human service professionals’

full schedules, suggest that embedded, brief, and accessible daily reminders and practices can

help promote practitioner wellness. As such, we have created infographics to serve as daily

mindful self-care reminders (see Appendices A-F). While such infographics are not a substitute

for more intensive training like MBSR and ACT, or expanded curricular offerings in self-care,

they do offer numerous avenues to exploring mindful self-awareness, and small changes that

human service workers can weave into their day-to-day routines. Our hope is that human service

workers will find these techniques to be of practical value and use them as a starting point for

deeper exploration of mindful self-care practices.

In creating these infographic posters, we considered the emerging evidence that human

service professionals who engage in self-care efforts are more insulated from the effects of VT,

CF, and burnout. The wisdom of yoga was the founding inspiration for the creation of these

infographics. The philosophy of yoga provides structure for mindfulness practice: it is “a

technology for arriving at the present moment…a way of remembering our true nature, which is

essentially joyful and peaceful…it is a means of staying in intimate communication with the

formative core matrix of yourself and those forces that serve to bind all living beings together”

(Farhi, 200, p. 5). We believe this is a powerful ethos for supporting those working in human

services, a field where wellness and human connection are fundamental values. We also

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grounded the posters’ creation in a model of wellness proposed by the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2010), which proposes that wellness exists

across eight dimensions: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical,

social, and spiritual.

Using Infographics to Weave in Wellness

Infographics are eye-catching, and provide information in a direct, simplified fashion.

Promoting self-care as a state of mind (Cox & Steiner, 2013), the accompanying infographics

provide invitations for human service professionals to engage in simple, mindful behaviors that

can easily be woven into day-to-day schedules. These infographics were developed by the lead

author, who is a yoga educator and social worker. Using her own self-care practices and those

referred to as helpful by colleagues as inspiration, she created them in response to observations

of burnout, VT, and CF in social workers.

The Infographics: Rationales and How to Use Them

Morning mindfulness and intention-setting is the goal of the infographic in Appendix A.

Purposeful breathing and intention-setting are excellent ways to ‘set the rudder’ and steer the day

in a particular (ideally positive) direction. A day at work for people in human services can

include all kinds of unexpected and potentially destabilizing experiences. Taking time in the

morning to pause and create direction for the day offers a buffer against factors that might

otherwise be emotionally or mentally disruptive and stressful. Further, when we choose to focus

our attention and become present with ourselves on a regular basis, we can condition activation

in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with mental well-being, happiness, and

belonging (Cameron, 2018). In addition to being displayed on the walls in workspaces and break

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rooms, this infographic can be printed as a small poster and placed on the human service

professional’s bedside table, or the wall near their bed.

The purpose of the Got 30 Seconds? infographic (Appendix B), is to present brief and

potentially refreshing opportunities for self-care that can be woven into the human service

professional’s day. This weaving of brief, mindful self-care throughout the day encourages

professionals to be present to how they are going about their rather than adding activities to

professionals’ to-do lists, which Wise et al. (2012) note may not be helpful in alleviating stress.

Everyone, no matter how hectic their schedules, can make a choice to breathe, pray, or send

positive energy to someone for 30 seconds. Regular use of prayer is associated with increased

activity in areas of the brain associated with control of emotion and attention (Galanter et al.,

2015), and thus has the potential to mitigate stress. Having a reminder to be intentional about

this, instead of defaulting to checking one’s phone or email may be the key to success in weaving

in small mindfulness breaks throughout the workday. This infographic can be printed and hung

on the wall or used as a screensaver in workspaces and break rooms.

The Work-to-Home Transitions infographic (Appendix C) offers an opportunity for

human service professionals to attend to various aspects of their wellbeing. Stretching the body

provides a mental, emotional, and physical reset. In nurses, mindful stretching has been

associated with more self-caring attitudes during stressful experiences (Slatyer et al., 2018).

While hydration is critical to maintaining cognitive performance and avoiding symptoms like

headaches, tension, anxiety, and fatigue (Cian et al., 2000; Shirreffs et al., 2004), dehydration is

common in human service professionals. In one study 36% of 87 doctors and nurses were

dehydrated at the beginning of their shifts. By the end of their shifts, 45% of participants were

dehydrated (El-Sharkawy et al., 2016). Proper hydration is essential for keeping human service

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workers resourced at work. This infographic also recommends using affirmations, a popular

positive psychology technique, that has been shown to mitigate burnout in nurses (Luo et al.,

2019). This infographic can be printed and hung on the wall or used as a screensaver in

workspaces and break rooms. It can also be printed and kept in workers’ cars or bags that they

carry home.

A regular deep-breathing practice such as the one offered in infographic D can have a

significant impact on reducing stress (Kravits et al., 2010), which is a fundamental requirement

in promoting holistic human service professional health. Further, burnout prevention for nurses

including long deep breathing has led to significantly decreased levels of personal exhaustion

(Kravits et al., 2010), and more recently, has been found to reduce stress while wearing a mask

for protection during the COVID pandemic (Tian et al., 2020). This infographic can be printed

and hung on the wall or used as a screensaver in workspaces and break rooms. Human service

professionals can also use it printed out at home.

The omnipresence of technology, in addition to busy lives within and outside of human

service work, create myriad distractions that can cause poor sleep habits. The blue light that

comes from the use of smartphones at night can lead to a decrease sleep quantity and quality

(Lanaj et al. 2014). Impaired sleep is a common factor in occupational burnout (Epstein et al.,

2020). The Transitioning to Sleep infographic (Appendix E) addresses this, encouraging human

service professionals to hone skills like slowing down in the evenings and practicing relaxing

breathing techniques (Telles et al., 1994) to create the restful sleep that is essential to human

service professionals’ ability to remain engaged at work. In addition to being displayed as a

poster or screen saver at work, this infographic can be printed and placed in human service

professioanls’ kitchen, the bathroom, or the bedroom.

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The Workday Transitions infographic (Appendix F) offers the mindful practices of

noticing the breath, body scans, deep breathing, and emotion awareness. Taking these brief

pauses can mean the difference between a human service professional unintentionally bringing

their stress home with them and allowing some work-related stress to dissipate throughout the

day. Interventions using mindful breathing have been shown to decrease symptoms of distress

(Beng et al., 2016), and when used regularly, body scans have been found to decrease humans’

biological stress markers (Schultchen et al., 2019). This infographic can be printed and hung on

the wall or used as a screensaver in workspaces and break rooms.

Conclusions

Similar to those reported by Raney and Zanten (2018), most of the infographics include

step-by-step suggestions for daily moments of mindful transition (e.g. waking, breaks during the

workday, leaving work, and preparing for sleep; Appendices A, B, C, E, & F). Transitions are

ideal times for brief moments of awareness and setting intentions for whatever tasks lie ahead

(David & Sheth, 2009). Research has shown that people working in various professions who

report higher levels of mindfulness throughout the workday (e.g. those who found it easier to

focus on the present moment, and those who reported being unlikely to rush or move

automatically through tasks) are more likely to detach from their workday upon arriving home,

and more likely to have a higher quality of sleep (Hülsheger et al., 2014). Practices like

becoming aware of the breath, taking the time to affirm our own accomplishments, and making

sure to hydrate consistently may sound too simple to have an impact on our sense of wellness.

That is, until we begin to realize how easy it is to let these simple behaviors fall by the wayside

in the midst of busy schedules.

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Printing these infographics as posters and placing them throughout the work environment

(e.g. in staff break rooms) or using them digitally as computer screen savers, or as digital visual

reminders via email or text communications provides persistent reminders of ways for

professionals to care for themselves, and making them visible in spaces where workers see

clients also offers the additional benefit of promoting wellness and self-care practices to those

they serve. Making these infographics available as posters for workers to take home is also an

important consideration, as the Waking with Intention, Work-to Home Transitions, and

Transitioning to Sleep infographics (appendices A, C, and E) are likely to occur outside the

workplace.

If we consider human service professionals’ engagement in self-care practices according

to the stages of change (Prochaska, 2013), encountering these infographics (e.g. via verbal

promotion and distribution from peers or supervisors, or seeing them displayed on the walls in

the workplace), could offer an opportunity for those in pre-contemplation – those who are not

taking many opportunities to check in with themselves during the workday – to become aware of

how they might benefit from self-care practices. Incorporating practices like mindful breathing

or more regular hydration would indicate shifts into further stages of the model: contemplation,

preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. Saturating human services environments with

visual cues like these may also counter stigma towards self-care by signaling support for these

activities in the workplace. Such efforts may aid in burnout prevention (Bell et al., 2003), and

could lead to greater uptake of these practices by organization staff, and a contribute to a shift in

agency culture towards one that actively promotes wellness. It should also be noted that these

infographics are offered for general consumption by human service professionals, and their

effects have not been empirically studied. One direction for future research includes evaluating

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the impact of these self-care infographics on workers’ wellbeing. One viable approach to

measuring the impact of these infographics would be to replicate the methods used in the Raney

and Van Zanten (2018) study. Human service professionals’ engagement in the activities noted

in these self-care infographics could be measured prior to implementation of the infographics,

during implementation when they are hung on the walls in break rooms and practice areas, and

after removal of the infographics.

Implications for Practice

Active attention to self-care for human service professionals, whose work exposes them to

various emotional risk factors, can be likened to ensuring that those working in construction are

given proper safety training, as well as protective equipment. Avoidance, and even passive

attention to self-care (e.g. verbally promoting wellness while failing to provide time, space, or

permission for active engagement) is akin to an employer knowing that a work zone is a

dangerous place, requiring construction workers to perform their duties without proper safety

training and protective gear, and hoping that they do not get hurt.

These infographics provide an accessible, time- and resource-friendly platform for

professionals to weave mindful habits into their day-to-day routines at home and at work. As

such, they offer an opportunity to demonstrate organizational values around worker wellness.

Engagement (especially by those in leadership and management positions) in the activities

offered can create and encourage culture shifts that prioritize workers’ wellness. Human service

professionals operating in an environment that supports their pursuit of mindful well-being will

be better able to serve their clients. Further, workers who are better insulated against vicarious

trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue and engaged with promoting their own wellness at

work may be more likely to maintain their jobs. These factors might help increase the overall

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quality of organizations’ provision of human services and may encourage lower turnover rates

among the professionals who provide such services.

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Appendix A

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Appendix B

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Appendix C

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Appendix D

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Appendix E

Transitioning to Sleep Tips for winding down

A restful sleep starts with mindful preparation. Try adding one or more of these tips to your

evening routine to settle in and increase your sense of relaxation before bed.

Slow down

As your evening progresses towards bedtime, pay attention to the speed of your actions and speech. Consciously slow down to create a gentle transition.

Breathing through the left nostril activates the parasympathetic (i.e. “rest & digest”) nervous system. ² Try blocking the right nostril and breathing through the left for 3 minutes.

Try stretching, or practice a short evening yoga sequence (5+ minutes) to wring out the experiences of the day and relax your mind and body.

Limit Tech Use

Spend a moment acknowledging what you did well today. Seriously! If regrets/self- criticisms crowd in, try to find what you can do differently next time.

Or sit up on a cushion or lie down and take some long, deep belly breaths.

Journaling, or even voice-recording about the your feelings, thoughts, and interactions can be helpful in releasing the day and preparing the mind for rest.

Using smartphones at night can decrease sleep quantity and quality.¹ Try limiting how often

you check your phone after a designated time, or leaving it outside of your bedroom.

Filters in the iPhones Night Shift settings, and the Flux app (can be used with both iPhones

and Androids) change the light quality on your phone, making it more conducive for sleep.

Attend to the breath

Attend to the body

Acknowledge your accomplishments

References:

1. Lanaj, K., Johnson, R. E., & Barnes, C. M. (2014). Beginning the workday yet already depleted? Consequences of late-night smartphone

use and sleep. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 124(1), 11-23.

2. Telles, S., Nagarathna, R., & Nagendra, H. R. (1994). Breathing through a particular nostril can alter metabolism and autonomic activities.

Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 38, 133-133. © Adair Finucane

[email protected]

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Appendix F

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