Self-Care Plan: Learning from Reflective Exercises in Social Work

This report details a self-care maintenance plan designed for social workers, drawing from reflective exercises and class readings to enhance personal and professional well-being. The plan analyzes learning experiences, including insights from exercises on current practices of mind, body, emotions, spirit, and work, alongside readings emphasizing the importance of self-care in managing stress, building relationships, and balancing workload. The report outlines how these learnings strengthen the individual, improve relationships, and contribute to better health, emotional and spiritual well-being. Professionally, it focuses on time management, work organization, and balancing workload with school. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and continuous improvement for a successful social work career. The report also includes a list of references from books and journals.

Self-Care Maintenance
Plan

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. LEARNING FROM REFLECTIVE EXERCISES AND CLASS READINGS.........................1
Learning from reflective exercises..............................................................................................1
Learning from class readings.......................................................................................................2
2. LEARNING HELPS PERSONALLY.........................................................................................2
Strengthening myself...................................................................................................................2
Building relationships..................................................................................................................2
Improving my health....................................................................................................................3
Improvement in emotional and spiritual well- being...................................................................3
3. LEARNING HELPS PROFESSIONALLY................................................................................3
Managing time.............................................................................................................................3
Organizing work in schedules.....................................................................................................3
Balancing workload and school...................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Self- care maintenance plans is a tool that helps in enhancing personal health and well-
being. It is associated with activities being undertaken at work as well as outside work so that
holistic well – being is achieved (Monk, 2011). The present self-care plan summarizes the
professional as well as personal aspects that I have learned about myself as a social worker. It
reflects upon the learning gained from reflective exercises as well as class readings. Further, the
plan analyses the ways in which the learning helped me personally and professionally in regards
to self-care in social work career.
1. LEARNING FROM REFLECTIVE EXERCISES AND CLASS
READINGS
Learning from reflective exercises
A number of reflective exercises were undertaken, that helped me to learn about myself.
The exercise of Current practice of Mind, helped me to learn that I have not spent time with my
family since a long time and so I should do so as early as possible. Moreover, I also learnt that I
have developed an addiction with my phone. Hence I learned that I should focus on the current
task that I am doing and stay away from my phone once every week.
From the exercise Current Practice of Body, I learnt that it is important to get some
massage in order to de-stress. I also learnt the significance of visiting steam rooms and sweating.
This further provided me knowledge about detoxification and its relevance in one’s life.
Following it I decided to obtain a massage and visit steam room on a regular basis.
Through Current Practice of Emotions, I learnt about the importance of friends and close
ones with who I can share my issues. Through this exercise, I learnt that crying or screaming
when alone is not something unusual and thus can be done to release the emotions. As I usually
do not do this, I have learnt that I should cry as it would make me feel better. Similarly, Current
Practice of Spirit helped me to learn to read about people who I admire, for example, Prophet
PBA.
With the exercise of current practice of Work, I learnt that I should maintain a balance
between workload and school. I also understood that it is important to be supervised by someone
so that feedback could be obtained about the performances. Moreover, I also learnt the
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importance of balancing school work and family. The exercises helped me to develop a new
practice of Relationships. I learnt about the importance of maintaining and strengthening
relationships. I also learnt that I should give time to my relationships.
Overall, from the exercises, I learnt that I should do proper planning rather than leaving
the tings to the last minute. Further, I should organize my time wisely.
Learning from class readings
The class readings such as those by Monk (2011) helped in learning that self-care among
social care workers is a precious commodity. One of the key aspects of health and well- being of
social workers is to reduce and heal stress. Similarly, the reading by Austin and et.al. (2005)
helped me in learning that moral distress can be dealt through steps such as silence, acting
secretively and sustain one to attend to the clients. I learnt that if one recognizes moral distress,
then there is a shift in the perception regarding moral choices. Also, one is able to understand the
moral context of practice. In contrast to this, the reading by LaRowe (2007) helped me to learn
that one’s ability to connect with the clients emotionally helps in understanding their experience.
This would further assist me in developing better relationships with the clients.
2. LEARNING HELPS PERSONALLY
The learning obtained from class readings and reflective exercises would help me
personally in regards to self care in my social work in the following ways:
Strengthening myself
The learning obtained from class readings and reflective exercises will help me
personally by strengthening myself. It will help me to obtain mental peace by giving time to
those aspects that I had been neglecting for a while. The learning will make me realize the
importance of self and family. Hence, I will start giving time to myself and the things I like to
do. Hence this will help me to become strong mentally as a person.
Building relationships
The exercise and class readings will help me to build better relationships with myself, my
family as well as friends. As I would be able to develop better relationships with the people close
to me, I would be able to perform better as a person in my social work career. As a social
worker, I need to act upon situations by understanding the problems of people. The learning
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obtained will assist me personally to build better relationships and maintain them by nurturing
them and giving time to them.
Improving my health
The learning will assist me personally in regards to self- care in my social work career as
it would encourage me to de – stress and detoxify myself. I have learnt the importance of
massage and visiting a steam room. Further, I will also go to a recreational center to have a walk.
Moreover, the as I learnt that I need 8 hours of sleep daily, it will help in improving my health.
Improvement in emotional and spiritual well- being
The learning will assist in improving my emotional well being as I have learnt that it is
good to let out one’s emotions. I no longer feel awkward to cry alone and will do so once in three
months to manage my emotions. Hence, the learning will help me in becoming emotionally
strong and balanced.
The learning will also assist in strengthening myself spiritually as it will encourage me to
spend some time on reading about people I admire the most. It will give me spiritual strength and
will help in refining my thoughts.
3. LEARNING HELPS PROFESSIONALLY
Managing time
The learning will assist me professionally with regards to social work career in managing
time. This is because, I have learnt that I am not able to manage time properly. So I will work in
the direction of using my time wisely and strategizing and prioritizing the tasks. Further, as I
learnt that panning is the key to success, this learning will assist me in planning the tasks
properly rather than completing them at the last moment.
Organizing work in schedules
The learning will help in professionally for organize my work by making schedule. This
will lead to completion of important and urgent tasks prior to tasks that could be taken at the end
of the day. Ability to organize will enable to take care of professional as well as personal aspects.
I will be able to compete my duties and responsibilities towards others as a social worker, as well
as towards myself.
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Balancing workload and school
The learning that I am unable to balance workload and school and it leads to ignorance
towards my self-care plan will assist in developing myself professionally. I will make efforts to
balance the workload and school so that I am able to pay enough attention to self- care.
Balancing the work and family life will lead to satisfaction in personal as well as professional
aspects.
CONCLUSION
From the self – care plan, it can be concluded that reflective exercises and class reading
have helped me to analyse my strengths and weaknesses. These have also assisted me to develop
understanding regarding various aspects of personal as well as professional life. Further, I have
gained useful learning from the exercises and readings regarding my thoughts, emotions, work
life, my body, mind and spiritual aspects. This learning will assist me personally and
professionally in regards to self-care in my social work career.
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REFERENCES
Journals and Books
Austin, W., Rankel, M., Kagan, L., Bergum, V. & Lemermeyer, G., (2005). To Stay or To Go,
To Speak or Stay Silent, To Act or Not To Act: Moral Distress as Experienced by
Psychologists. ETHICS & BEHAVIOR, 15(3), 197–212
Monk, L., (2011). Self- care for social workers. Perspectives.
Online
LaRowe, K., (2007). The care giving personality. [Online]. Available Through:
<http://compassion-fatigue.com/index.asp?PG=81>. [Accessed on 2 November 2017].
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