Self Care and Your Health Objective: To promote and encourage self care among students

Why talk about self-care? Areas of vulnerability during medical school (Ball, 2002) Life satisfaction Physical activity Alcohol use Sleep deprivation

What is self-care? Self-care is a practice. It includes the intentional and deliberate steps taken by an individual to identify his or her needs and to compassionately attempt to meet those needs. (Iphelan, 2014).

Dimensions Physical Care Emotional/Psychological Care Spiritual Care Professional Care Think about what activities you do in each of these areas and if you’re not doing anything or would like to do more, consider some of the following to incorporate. If some or all areas are lacking, consider what the barriers or challenges to incorporating self-care activities have been and how to overcome those.

Physical Care (By lphelan on October 30, 2014: Faculty of Medicine, Post Graduate Medical Education. University of British Columbia) Eat regularly (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) Get regular medical care for prevention Get massages Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that is fun for you

Physical Care Take vacations Wear clothes you like Get enough sleep Take time out just to rest during the day

Emotional/Psychological Care Make time for self-reflection Write in a journal Read literature that is unrelated to school/work Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g., go to an art museum, history exhibit, sports event, theatre, concert

Emotional/Psychological Care Practice receiving from others Notice your inner experiences – listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes and feelings Say “no” to extra responsibilities sometimes Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out

Emotional/Psychological Care Make time for your social life. Spend time with others whose company you enjoy Stay in contact with important people in your life Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself Allow yourself to cry Play with children

Spiritual Care Spend time in nature Find a spiritual connection or community Cherish your optimism and hope Be aware of non-material aspects of life Be open to not knowing

Spiritual Care Meditate Pray/Sing Take in inspirational content (literature, talks, etc.)

Professional Care Take a break during the work/study period (e.g. to eat) Take time to chat with colleagues Make quiet time to complete tasks Have a peer support group

Professional Care Set limits with colleagues Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding Regularly consult with a mentor

Benefits Self-care will go a long way in reducing burnout and making you feel better about the time you actually spend studying You will feel better about yourself

Benefits You will have more energy You will be less likely to get sick (which will definitely interfere with studying!) You will have more credibility as a physician-in-training (taking care of your own health establishes your ability to care for the health of others)

Reminders Choose the aspects of self-care that resonate most with you and that represent reasonable goals Avoid blaming yourself or feeling guilty when you are not perfect at the practice Strive to become more aware of what you need to thrive and do your best to move closer towards meeting those needs regularly

Works Cited Ball, S. & Bax, A. (2002). Self-care in medical education: Effectiveness of health-habits intervention for first-year medical students. Academic Medicine, 77, 911-917. Iphelan (2014). Components of Self Care Practice. The University of British Columbia. http://postgrad.med.ubc.ca/2014/10/30/compon ents-of-a-self-care Schnipke, B (2014). Self-Care in Medical School: A Lesson from the Heart. The student doctor network. http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/11/self-care-in-medical-school-a-lesson-from-the-heart/