Three Steps of Self-Care

Taking care of yourself in the face of sometimes challenging work involves three main steps:

1. Stress Awareness, which we addressed in the Knowing Yourself section. This includes understanding your symptoms of Secondary Traumatic Stress, possible triggers, issues in your organization, and knowing your typical Stress Response.
2. Decrease Stress Responsivity This is done through activities or practices that elicit the Relaxation Response.
3. Adaptive Strategies These include ways to reframe thoughts toward healthy coping and health-promoting behaviors, such as healthy eating, exercise and sleep.