NASW Social Work Talks - EP48: Self-Care for Social Workers During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Episode Date: March 17, 2020

We speak with NASW member Kristen Lee, Ed.D., LICSW, about how social workers can practice self-care during the coronavirus pandemic. Lee is a professor of Behavioral Science at Northeastern University, and is the author of "Mentalligence" and "Reset." She has more than 20 years' experience as a clinician, educator, researcher and parent.

Welcome to Social Work Talks. My name is Greg Wright. Our nation and the world are dealing with a coronavirus outbreak. Across the nation, schools are closing, public events are being canceled, and restaurants are being asked to not open their dining rooms to the public. This pandemic will offer new challenges to social workers who are trying to help their clients. But what should social workers do to help themselves? Today's Social Work Talks speaks with NASW member and author Kristen Lee. Lee is an expert on self-care. Kristen, hi, welcome to Social Work Talks podcast. Glad to have you back. It's great to be here, Greg. Thanks for having me.

Now, we are in a very stressful time now with a coronavirus pandemic upon us. And if you're a social worker out there and you're working with a client that might have it, what are ways that they can't be so, like, worried or upset over this? Yeah, indeed. It's certainly a sobering time, and I think it's bringing out a lot of good in people. I think as human beings, we are wired for resilience and we're capable of enormous acts of solidarity and kindness and wisdom and demonstrations of resilience. But I think particularly for the social work community where, you know, our ethos and our mandate is to really show up and to be of service in times of trouble and obviously with a particular desire to protect the most vulnerable. So I think for any of our fellow colleagues out there that are in the front lines, and not only are they doing emotional labor, but they also might be feeling they're putting themselves at a particular risk, and, you know, our hearts go out to all of you as colleagues. And I think it's really, you know, a time where an extra measure of self-care is prudent.

And so, you know, just a sense of harnessing all the resources that are available to each of us to protect ourselves. And that can come in a lot of forms, like obviously excellent health protocol. But then also, you know, the mental health aspect, how do we especially think about what we could put into place, given the fact that we can't necessarily isolate or social distance because of because of our call for service? yeah so is it an important thing to like have as much information as like possible or is it possible to have information overkill here where you're just like overwhelmed with it yeah this is an interesting time i think if we think about you know like our grandparents and great-grandparents and the different levels of crisis or pandemic they've had to endure in their generation, what the World Health Organization has called this current state as an infodemic,

which I find just a great framing and a way that I've been framing it in my writing and my public work is hype contagion or, you know, information contagion. I think, you know, there comes a point where it becomes really challenging, right? Because we want to be apprised of what's happening so we can have the latest information and be able to make really thoughtful decisions. But having said that, you know, even before this crisis, you know, we're very much tethered to our technology. We're always under kind of the barrage of breaking news alerts, having to kind of take in a lot of information and make sense of it very quickly. I think at this time, you know, again, we do have to use prudence and make sure that we know what's happening so we can protect ourselves and those

we influence and those we love and take care of. But we also have to make sure we're setting boundaries around information. And I think, Greg, one thing I think a lot about is, you know, we're meant, you know, we're social workers, we're trained, we have a particular training that's very versatile. But I know for myself, I don't have a dual expertise in public health, for example. So I can certainly do my due diligence and research and, you know, try to go to the best experts and the best sources like WHO or CDC and others, you know. But I think in that, I think we have to have a measure of intellectual humility and to realize that we have to be careful who we're getting information from.

So, you know, if we're just looking to our feeds and we're looking to just everybody else's information, it might kind of put us into too much of a panic attack. And that can, you know, what's interesting is sometimes with panic, it can actually sort of have like a reverse effect and cause extremes in denial. So I think at this time, it's wise for us to not be in an extreme of panic or an extreme of denial, then we have to take the threat of this very seriously, and we're lucky to be in a time where there's great advances in medicine and science, and to be able to recognize that we have to take all the measures that are being recommended, but also, you know, not to let it just erode the

quality of our thinking and our mind's eye and, you know, all day long just be kind of stewing or marinating in the anxiety, because that's not going to help protect our well-being and protect the well-being of those that we're serving either. Yes, so you are actually recommending that at the end of the day that we just like turn off the news, just have a quiet moment at the end of our days now. Yeah, I love how you put that, and I think it's almost like a way to think about it is like there's a sense that we've all been kind of put on a collective time out right now, and I think of it like, you know, timeout isn't always a punishment. And maybe we do have to take those moments to just shut it, shut it down, get off our screens. You know, I think mindfulness

is just a phenomenal aspect of self-care, you know, being in the now, focusing on what is, not what isn't, focusing on what we can control, not what we can't. And we can always, you know, just get in that moment and work on our breathing and work on relishing in what's around us. So I'm a big advocate. Lots of science shows nature. And that's kind of one of the things that we can still do right now. And the throes of this when we're speaking is, you know, get outside, breathe that fresh air, take in the sun, you know, just be in that moment. And with technology, it can be a real vice because it can just make us feel like, you know, that we have to stay tethered to it all the time in order to be protected. But it could, you know, create us a situation where our minds

just get too overstimulated. And we kind of get thrown into that state of perpetual anxiety. And I think that's something we all have to really be aware of. And the other thing is because of social distancing, you know, in a time where we were already talking about it being the age of loneliness and loneliness being the new smoking, now we're going to be relying on our technology more to stay connected. I think it's another reason to be careful and cautious about our news intake and just making sure that we're using technology to really advance our well-being and to help cultivate resilience during these very tumultuous times. Yeah, we have a lot of questions coming in from social workers who are wondering if

telehealth is an answer here. So are you anticipating that there will be more social workers who are using technology in order to keep in contact with their clients? Absolutely. I've been in touch with a lot of my clinician friends this morning who are in the front lines and trying to make sense of how they can really, you know, stay in absolute service to those that they're working with in clinical and therapeutic context. So I think there's going to be a learning curve. You know, everyone has different range of skill and exposure to this kind of thing. And for many, it's a brand new concept to try to have to tackle in the middle of all this. So it's a bit of a tall order. Right. And I think for anyone just, you know, being generous with yourself, appreciating that there will be a learning curve, that you'll be learning along with your clients and patients and those you're serving. And, you know, there's just, I think, going to be an ongoing evolution in terms of resources that will help support everyone get through it. I mean, tele-mental health isn't a new thing. It started, I think, in California in response to lack of rural access. and so we have a lot of good tools and we have a lot of good evidence-based frameworks but I think

everyone has to be a bit patient and it's hard because when folks lives are on the line and and they need us we want to be immediately available and it might just take a little bit to get you know fully acclimated and situated but I think we really are fortunate you know think of the converse if we didn't have any access at all what that would mean for us the kind of angst that that would create for everyone so I think we have to you know appreciate that we have the tools but also appreciate it just takes a bit of time to sort of get our bearings with it and um you know to try to think thoughtfully about how we can make the experience the therapy experience and the treatment outcomes um be really stellar even with the shift of uh format and modality

yeah but um i also worry that um a social worker might have um a client who's like older or um a client who is homeless, like sometimes or oftentimes these folks don't have access to all other technologies. So there's an isolation happening or a loss of contact with a social worker. Is that a thing that you're worried about at all, Kristen? Oh, absolutely. You put it so well. I think it's something that we have to prioritize in our collective action and how we're really strategic about serving those that do not have access. I think that has to be our number one call to action and priority. And I guess, you know, it's not my main area of expertise, but what I would say is that I think even just, you know, the use of telephone, if that's a

possibility, you know, we're going to have to, you know, use the best of our creative resources to think strategically about the needs of each person we're serving and what the particular barriers might be. And then, you know, like we always do in any situation, we advocate. We advocate for more resource allocation. We use our creative resources to come together and share in our best practices and our solutions together as a community as we make our way through this together. Yeah. Now, I was wondering if you could offer a few tips on how a social worker might do uh self-care um just um a few like easy um in expensive things that a person can like do at home since we're social isolating we are going to be able to be out at at um a gym or at

um a beauty parlor or um a restaurant so what um are things that a person could do at home yeah i think that's a great question i think it's it's on all of our minds uh you know as we're making these big adjustments, these monumental adjustments. So, the first thing I would say to any social worker, especially, because I think, again, we're often so focused on everyone else, is to give yourself permission, you know, to make sure you're adding it into your new routines and your new, you know, rhythms. I think just some of the best practices include mindfulness. So, that's, again, working to just stay in the moment. I think this is a time, one of the positive outcomes is so many times we're so busy um you know there's just not a lot of room in our

schedule but if you have a little bit of time at home that you don't typically have think creatively you know like is there some kind of artistic thing uh for example like you might just want to practice 15 minutes of journal writing in a day or creative expression writing a poem or it could be again 15 minutes of deep breathing and just focusing on your breath and adopting that non-judgmental stance as part of mindfulness practice um also you know we can still even if we can't go to the gym we still can work up a sweat at home and um i know i love like i have a nike fit app um just as an example of just kind of short workouts that are high impact and kind of get my heart racing and just elevate me um so i think you know there's a lot of good options on

youtube or other apps where you can find uh workouts that you could do right within the throws at your home. And then, you know, if you're in a situation and you're able to do it, they're really recommending the fresh air, the sunshine, getting out and taking walks. We know that even a 20-minute walk can be very recalibrating. But I do believe self-care really starts with permission, that we have to make sure that we allow ourselves to know the importance of our own sustainability through this type of monumental crisis. I also say just staying connected with folks through the phone and technology is really important. And one thing I would say for any social worker is, again, because oftentimes the role is very much nurturing,

you know, those you're serving and those in your life, it's important to have co-nurturing relationships or what I might also call reciprocal relationships. So you oftentimes are in a place where you're holding space for those you're serving and those you influence and those you care for. It's important that you have someone to do that on your side of things too. And again, that's part of the self-advocacy piece that we can also include in our own ways of operating through this. Because again, I think a key word is sustainability. We know that this is an intense situation. We have to be hypervigilant. And so just these small things can make a big difference in our lives too. They have a cumulative effect, just like too much news or, you know, just that

kind of stuff can also build up and have an effect on us. So can these small steps that we take to really preserve ourselves to ensure we can sustain ourselves and, you know, to try to do well and be well within a really complex situation. Now, a final question for you. Most of our schools aren't open. A lot of colleges aren't open or they are like offering online only. So a lot of kids are now at home, active, pinned in. What's advice for like parents, both social work parents and just a parent who isn't a member of the profession on how to deal with that? Yeah, I think this whole adjustment is really somber for folks. It's very sobering to just kind of have, you know, spring break be it, you know, like folks are just having to make big adjustments in their routines. And I

think for any parent and or social worker, like you said, it could be kind of both things, both roles. It's upsetting because, you know, when you have your children, you know, you love them and you want to, you know, it's just you see their disappointment. And a lot of times you're processing your own fears and your own emotions all while really wanting to be present and help them through that. And I think especially for young college students, you know, because college students can be every age and we should think about all learners at this time because at every level they're affected, but I think if you have sort of a student who's moving back home, there's a big adjustment, and then, you know, you want to see them kind of resume an activity, but sometimes,

quite frankly, the anxiety can be, feel like paralysis, and it just feels like it takes time to grieve, so I would just encourage everyone to just try to create a bit of that space right now. I think a lot of times our tendency is to kind of want to spring into action or have a quick solution or whatnot. But I think right now, you know, it just takes a little time for us all to process what's at hand, to get our heads around it, to reconstruct our routines. I think in my research, I focus a lot on human resilience and identity. A lot of our identity is tied into what we do and to our daily activities and those kinds of structures. They mean a lot to all of us. So when that gets reconfigured so dramatically, it can really press upon us in hard ways. And I think

as parents and social workers, it's hard because we want to sort of have, you know, provide help quickly and have that really help resolve. But sometimes it takes a while. And, you know, the last thing I want to say is that, you know, I think a lot of never to minimize or oversimplify this and the gravity of the situation. And everyone has unique variables and circumstances within this. But I would say that it can create bonds for us. It can help us, you know, improve our relationships. It can be a time of human solidarity where we come together with love and loving acts and acts of solidarity and kindness. It's a time for us to develop the skills of resilience, to be able to endure adversity and to continue to, you know, make our way through that

and, you know, to use these lessons of what's important, you know, in this moment in time, you know, what's important to us. It can be a time of clarification and kind of coming, you know, again, to this, these moments of deep reflection around life meaning and life purpose and what we have control over and what we don't. And I think those are also important aspects that we can leverage right now to really, you know, kind of come to that deeper wisdom and use that as a way to, you know, help ourselves and those we serve and those that we love.

Wow, thank you for all of this wonderful advice, Kristen, really. I appreciate it greatly. I plan to use it, too. So thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Please take care in all ways. And to all of our fellow colleagues, you know, our hearts and hearts are with you. And, you know, I think that we have an enormous legacy of resilience and we will continue to have that. Thank you. Thank you. Take good care. You have been listening to NASW Social Work Talks, a production of the National Association of Social Workers. We encourage you to visit NASW's website for more information about our efforts to enhance the professional growth and development of our members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.

You can learn more at www.socialworkers.org. Don't forget to subscribe to NASW Social Work Talks wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks again for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next episode.