Self care is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. Unfortunately, it is what we most often forget to practice. Compassion fatigue is a very real struggle that many of my patients experience. Compassion fatigue is when you quite literally care too much. Do you find yourself trying to help others at the expense of your own well being? Do you ignore your own emotions and put the feelings of others first? If so, you can be on the path to burnout.
Think of self care as driving a car. If you constantly fill everyone else’s gas tank, and neglect your own, you’ll eventually run out of gas and will stop functioning. In order to prevent this from happening, self care needs to be exercised. Here are 5 reasons why it’s important to take a mental health day:
1. You'll sleep better.
If you consistently neglect your own feelings and well being, you’re likely to suffer from insomnia, nightmares or inconsistent sleep. Most likely because you’re worrying about everything and everyone else around you and neglecting yourself.