Taking time to look after yourself

Taking time to look after yourself

As social worker burnout becomes increasingly prevalent; we investigate some of the ways that you can look after your own health and wellbeing. we speak exclusively to Sam Cleaver, Director of Stoic Performance to find out how we can reduce our stress levels and manage our waistlines.

In October 2018, the British Association of Social Workers revealed that almost two-thirds (61%) of practitioners and managers were planning on leaving the profession within the next 16 months. With resourcing more challenging than ever before, employers need all of the help that they can get to proactively support the overall health and wellbeing of their staff.

Health and fitness coach Sam Cleaver, Director of Stoic Performance believes that it's important to take a holistic approach to ensure that social work managers are looking after their teams effectively. As a qualified personal trainer and health coach, Sam regularly works with clients to help them understand the impact that ongoing stress can have on the body. He believes that the body can only cope with a certain amount of stress before it starts to have a detrimental effect on your overall health. Poor digestion, sleeplessness, and weight gain can all be indicators that the body is not coping, and in a highly-pressurised environment such as social work, it’s no wonder that social workers are complaining of increasing health problems.

In an exclusive chat with Social Work News, Sam explains how social workers can make small changes to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Social Workers are notorious for their busy schedules and their stressful working day. What advice can you give to help someone reduce stress?

There are many different facets to the nervous system, but in this context, we have the sympathetic side and the para-sympathetic side. Our sympathetic side is our ‘flight or fight’ response mode which is all based upon survival. If this side of our nervous system takes control, it explains why we may feel bloated or have digestive issues when stressed.

In contrast, the para-sympathetic mode is the rest and digest side of the nervous system. It controls our stress levels, our sleep patterns, and our digestion. In an ideal world, we need to ensure that our nervous system spends up to 85% of our time in this mode.

Because social work is such a hectic environment, it stands to reason that many social workers may be spending far too much time on the sympathetic side of the nervous system. This could lead to developing a variety of health concerns. It is possible to manipulate the body to revert to the para-sympathetic side – I often recommend “box breathing” to calm down. All you need to do is inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four and hold for a count of four – repeated ten times in a row. This will naturally calm your body down and help it reset back to the para-sympathetic state.

I’d also recommend making use of a variety of free apps which can support meditation practices. Apps like Calm or Headspace are a great tool to use as they can enable you to take a few moments out of your day to focus upon yourself.

In a recent post on his website, the popular blogger Social Work Tutor recently lamented that 'social work was making him fat'. Many of his readers expressed agreement and felt that busy shifts, poor catering facilities, and emotional eating were affecting their bodies. What would you say to this?

No work makes anyone fat, it's just a matter of perspective. When people get guidance and methods on how to manage stress, burn more calories (without realising it) and have the tools to prepare quality food (or at least grab good options on the go) it becomes easy.

We can change our environment if we acknowledge it and start to make a movement. Without accepting the situation, we simply won’t try to attempt anything new. Compound this with the feelings of hopelessness and potential depression etc then we have a huge group of people who will struggle to lose weight because they psychologically aren't in the right head space. With support plans and guidance from someone who can provide them with what they need, it offers an opportunity which will create an environment of success. As a result, the brain chemistry will be positively affected, meaning healthier, happier and more productive work staff.

Social workers often work irregular hours making it difficult to schedule regular exercise. How can they incorporate move exercise into their weekly routine?

Whilst shift work does make it harder to stay healthy, it shouldn’t be used as an excuse for unhealthy habits to creep in. I always say that the most important thing anyone can do to improve their health is to simply move as much as possible. It may be that you take the stairs rather than use the lift, or you park at the furthest end of the car park to increase your step count. The important thing is to change your habits and turn it into a routine.

If you find that you struggle to get to the gym, then why not take advantage of technology? There are numerous workout routines that you can follow on YouTube which have been designed to be completed in your living room. There are also nutrition plans available online which will help you to change your eating habits and give you support.

Personally, I offer an online coaching service which allows me to work closely with clients across the UK with full training sessions complemented by exercise video tutorials. Along with my own recipe books (which are compatible with MyFitnessPal), there are also a series of “survival guides” for restaurants and outlets such as Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, Nando's and Greggs.

How does nutrition link in with overall health? Can eating the right foods help you to look after your wellbeing?

Nutrition plays an important part in keeping you healthy. After all, emotional eating is a real thing. After a tough day at the office, it can be incredibly tempting to reach for the nearest biscuit tin or to call for a takeaway because you don’t have the energy to cook. But in the long run, that’s not a great choice for your health or your purse.

Good nutrition doesn’t need to be about eating ‘clean’ 100% of the time – realistically there are times when you do need to relax with a glass of wine. Instead, it’s about making small changes to help you feel that you are taking control of your food choices. Drinking plenty of water, achieving your five portions of fruit and veg a day and eating plenty of protein will help you to manage your weight effectively.

Social Workers rarely have time for lunch breaks and often eat their lunch ‘on the go’. How can they still eat good food during the working day?

Preparation is key to help you during the working week. I know that social workers lead busy lives but if you have a rough plan of what your week is likely to be, then you can prepare accordingly. For example, if you know that you’ll be heading to court then you’ll know that you’ll need to take something with you that is easy to eat ‘on the go’.

There is a real trend for meal prepping – if you’ve seen this on Instagram or Pinterest then you’ll know that many people try to prepare several days’ worth of meals in one go. This means that it’s all ready and prepared for your convenience. It’s not always necessary, but if you find that this is a trend which works for you, then you should continue to do so.

As part of my downloadable recipe books, I’ve created some delicious lunch menus which can be prepared in advance – not only do they taste great, but all the ingredients can be picked up from your nearest Aldi, Asda or Lidl, making them low cost too.

The Salmon Quinoa Bowl is a favourite and should keep you feeling energised for the rest of the day.

Can you work with social work teams to help improve their health and wellbeing?

Yes, as part of my online training portfolio, I’ve set up a system where I can work with entire groups of people (such as social work teams) to help them collectively improve their overall health and fitness. This is a great option for social work managers to tap into – after all, if their entire team can manage their stress better, and they are feeling fitter and healthier then it stands to reason that work output will be far more effective as stress levels and sickness levels fall.

Corporate coaching works well because it enables everyone to motivate each other and work more effectively as a team. And as employers are expected to make more efforts to support employee welfare, then it can have positive knock on effects upon staffing levels, recruitment and reputation. It’s a real win-win situation.

Find out more.

If you would like to download one of Sam’s free recipe books, or request a ‘Costa Coffee survival guide’ then visit stoicperformancedownloads.co.uk

To find out more about Sam’s online personal training or corporate coaching programmes, visit stoicperformance.co.uk or you can simply email sam@stoicperformance.co.uk