No matter where you are in your journey to becoming a physical therapist, whether you’re an undergrad, in your doctorate program, studying for your licensing exam, or an experienced physical therapist taking continuing education courses, the course and workload associated with being a physical therapist is daunting. Finding ways to prioritize your mental health and well-being is important to prevent yourself from burning out. In this blog, we’ll discuss some self-care strategies you can implement to help you find a balance between work, studying, and your personal life that can help you have a more well-rounded and fulfilling physical therapy journey.
Set Necessary Boundaries
One of the hardest but most important lessons to learn throughout your educational journey is how to set appropriate boundaries. You need to establish rules for yourself to ensure that you aren’t giving too much of yourself to other people and obligations. Take some time to focus on what is important to you and what you need to prioritize to feel your best. Whether it’s not taking work home, not studying past a certain hour, saying no to extra obligations, or leaving a certain day of the week completely free, setting boundaries that support your well-being is incredibly important.
Prioritize Sleep
Prioritizing sleep is often easier said than done. When it comes to studying, finishing homework, cleaning, or taking care of personal errands, it’s natural to want to find extra time in the day by taking away from your sleep. While this can feel harmless every once in a while, it can set you up for failure long term. One bad night of sleep can lead to brain fog and drowsiness the next day. Now, you might have a harder time focusing on your work so it’ll take you longer to get it done. This further continues the cycle of needing to steal more time from your sleep and before you know it you’ve developed some detrimental sleep habits. Prioritizing sleep can sometimes feel like a “waste” but it’s a vital part of staying physically and mentally healthy.
Exercise & Physical Care
As physical therapists we know the importance of staying active and taking care of our bodies; however, when life gets busy it can be easy to push being active to the back burner to clear up time in our schedule. However, deprioritizing physical care can be detrimental not just to our bodies but our minds. Being active is so important for our bodies, especially in times of high stress. It serves as a healthy outlet for some of the tension that will otherwise just sit in our bodies. Making time to continue exercising and prioritizing your body is not only good for the body but for the soul.
Reach Out To Loved Ones
If you find yourself stressed out and edging toward burnout, take some time to reach out to a loved one. Whether you plan a special day out with someone or just pencil in a thirty-minute phone call, reconnecting with a loved one can help you recenter and focus on what’s important. Tasking the time to connect with a loved one and talking through what’s overwhelming you or taking the time to completely turn your brain off from the stress of work and studying and just reconnecting with friends or family can help you reframe your thinking and return to your obligations refreshed and focused.
Ask For Help When Needed
One of the hardest and most important aspects of self-care is being able to ask for help. Whether you’re struggling with your studies or in your personal life, it’s so important that you have people in your life that you can reach out to for support when you need it. Whether you reach out to a professor if you’re struggling with a course, a mentor, if you’re struggling with your career, or a loved one if you’re struggling to do it all in your personal life, having a support system can help you avoid burnout. Even when we have a great support system, sometimes actually asking for the help we need can be so difficult but it is also so important!
