Self-Care A-Z: Self-Care Is Social Work

by Allison Berkowitz, DSW, MSW, BSW 

    I’ve always been an anxious person, but it began to amplify during the pandemic. Up until recently, I consumed news and social media on and off all day, which surely did not help. I told myself it was important to do because I needed to stay informed and help others stay informed. I also felt I couldn’t look away from the human suffering.

A Radical Experiment With Self-Care

     However, as a social worker, I believed in self-care, realized it is not only important for myself but for others, and decided I could no longer justify these destructive habits. This summer, I conducted a radical (to me) experiment by drastically reducing my intake of social media and news, and… it was a revelation that made room for a number of other self-care habits and brought an overall increase of peace. 

    My productivity skyrocketed, anxiety plummeted, and “toolbox” of self-care strategies expanded. In addition to getting more done professionally, I’ve read 16 books in recent months, am sleeping better, and feel more present when I’m with my family. It’s not like I spend hours each day on new habits either, but I decided to prioritize myself in my calendar and blocked out a few re-occurring activities – for example, about 15 minutes of jogging and five of meditating during my daily lunch breaks. I still use social media (probably too much if I’m being honest), but it makes me feel connected during these volatile and virtual times. I continue to care deeply about the human suffering in the world and work very hard to do my part to eliminate it, but I’ve realized my own unnecessary human suffering does not help further this goal.

    I have also come to see that I cannot single-handedly keep my social network informed. As an educator – and a person – I still urge those around me to stay informed, but now I mainly just read the newspaper in the morning or watch the 6 o’clock news. There’s no need to take it in all day long.

A Reluctant Self-Care Convert

     I’m embarrassed to say that earlier this year it irked me when others urged self-care. That in itself should have been a wake-up call that my “house” was not in order. I took a long look in the mirror and made several changes. It is hard for me to believe how much peace and flow they have brought to my life. I still experience stress and anxiety, but it’s so much more manageable with a robust set of self-care habits in place. These are extraordinarily difficult times, and there’s so much good that needs to be done. How can we do it with one hand tied behind our backs? How can we make the world better, if we're neglecting ourselves?

     So, here’s (y)our gentle reminder and invitation: Self-care is social work, too.

Allison Berkowitz,  DSW, MSW, BSW, has been an advocate and community organizer for 18 years. She is an assistant professor of social work at the University of North Alabama. Dr. Berkowitz teaches advocacy, public policy, and groups and communities. Her research focuses on increasing civic engagement in Americans and making the legislative process and electoral politics less intimidating.