New to self-care?

An important consideration too is that whilst self-care is vital to working in recovery, and beneficial to everyday life regardless of whether there has been a disaster, many report not having previous need or experience of self-care practices. Workers find themselves attempting to learn and implement self-care strategies, which feel foreign, whilst under pressure with competing priorities and very little time.

I had a supportive manager but I was told off for not looking after myself. But self-care was not something I understood as it had never been a part of my life – it felt foreign and self-indulgent. Jodie Bowker – formerly of EACH

I didn't have emotional health practices. You often don't have it unless you've gone through something previously. I understand now that it is proactive and not reactive. Kate Riddell - Firefoxes

Self-care is important but it is difficult because there is no previous knowledge, no skills, no feeling for it. Dr Toshiharu Makishima – Japanese Red Cross Medical Center