Living Well, Working Well, Rockdale (2025)

24/07/2024

To cope with the cumulative impact of moral distress, you can practise self-care, such as:

💜 mindfulness
💜 meditation
💜 exercise
💜 reflective practice
💜 setting boundaries
💜 maintaining a healthy work-life balance
💜 seeking support from colleagues, supervisors, or professional coaches

22/07/2024

One grounding technique I find really effective is the five four three two one practice.

This is very simple when you need to return to the present and reconnect with your environment.

💜 Simply start by thinking about five things you can see and name them.
💜 Then, think about four things you can hear
💜 Then, think about three things you can touch
💜 Then, think about two things you can smell
💜 Then, think about one thing you can taste

By doing that, you ground yourself back into your thoughts, surroundings, and body sensations.

It's a useful tool in your toolkit, so it's worth practising when you're in a calm state to get into the habit of doing it. Then, you can draw on it immediately when you need it.

01/07/2024

Here are some suggestions:

💜 Prioritise self-care
Practise daily self-care like meditation, exercise, or reading to maintain your mental and emotional wellbeing.

💜 Regular supervision and coaching
Schedule consistent supervision or coaching sessions to discuss challenges and develop self-care tools.

💜 Moments of reflection
Keep a journal where you reflect on your daily experiences, successes, and areas for improvement.

💜 Set your boundaries
Define and stick to your work and home hours for a healthy work-life balance.

💜 Connect with peers and colleagues
Nurture a supportive network with peers to share advice, experiences, and emotional support.

💜 Emotional check-ins
Reflect regularly to assess your emotional wellbeing and ask for help if needed.

💜 Healthy lifestyle choices
Eat well and sleep well to help you face challenges when they arise.

💜 Mindfulness
Practise daily mindfulness to help manage stress and stay present.

💜 Celebrate your wins
Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem.

28/06/2024

Your morning cup of tea or coffee could be your trigger to pause and consider your upcoming day.

Your evening ritual might be simple, like having a place in the house where you put your electronic devices to symbolise that your day is over. Then, giving yourself time to reflect on your day, distraction-free.

-compassion

26/06/2024

Your daily rituals should be personalised based on your lifestyle and needs.

They should aim to promote a positive start to your day and a restful sleep at the end of your day.

The emphasis is on simple, sustainable practices that you can seamlessly integrate into your daily routine to improve your self-care and wellbeing.

What daily rituals do you have?

Do you bookend them at the start and end of your day? Let me know in this quick poll.

24/06/2024

When facing a challenge, a difficult situation or a time of suffering, ask yourself:

What do I need right now to be kind to myself?

💜 Remind yourself that this is a moment of suffering

💜 Recognise that suffering is part of life

💜 Be kind to yourself in the moment and ask yourself - what do I need to do right now to be kind to myself?

21/06/2024

Are you going to answer the call? 💜

Whatever your weekend involves, I hope you manage some time for something that fills your cup.

17/06/2024

Setting boundaries is a form of self-care. 💜

As you start another busy week, reflect on the boundaries you need to honour.

Who needs to be aware of them? Is it colleagues, your manager, your family, or your friends?

Once you've determined who needs to be aware, consider how to communicate what you need gently but firmly.

Expressing your needs creates healthy relationships and an environment of mutual respect and understanding.

Take a moment to prioritise your boundaries and communicate them with confidence.

It may feel a little uncomfortable to start, but it will pay off in the long run.

14/06/2024

Accepting the limitations of our control. 💜

What we can influence is different to what we can control.

By being able to accept what we can and can’t control we’re more able to tolerate these realities and thrive within our personal sphere of control.

We can still look to influence a change in behaviour, but putting energies into controlling another person’s behaviour is futile.

13/06/2024

What's within your control right now? 💜

We often spend a lot of time and emotional energy trying to control factors that are simply beyond our control.

We invest energy into exerting control over other people and how they think, respond and behave.

While we may have a certain amount of influence over these things, they're not our sole control.

Awareness of what's within our control enables us to refocus our energy on things we can influence and control.

So, what can you control right now, and what do you need to accept that's out of your control?

Reflecting and acknowledging what you can and can’t control helps to let go of unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.

03/06/2024

💜 Be clear and consistent: Communicate your boundaries to others and consistently enforce them.

💜 Self-reflect: Regularly check in with yourself to ensure your boundaries still align with your needs and values. Adjust them as necessary.

💜 Practise self-care: Prioritise your wellbeing by engaging in self-care activities that reinforce your boundaries and recharge your energy.

💜 Ask for help: When you encounter challenges maintaining your boundaries, ask for help from trusted friends, family, or professionals.

💜 Use positive affirmations: Remind yourself of your worth and the importance of your boundaries. Positive self-talk can reinforce your commitment to maintaining them.

💜 Develop your assertiveness skills: Learn to say no politely but firmly and express your needs and limits without guilt or apology.

💜 Set consequences: If someone oversteps your boundaries, have clear consequences. This reinforces your limits.

💜 Review and reflect: Periodically review how well your boundaries work and adjust as needed. Reflect on any breaches and what you can learn from them.

💜 Stress management techniques: Practise mindfulness, meditation, or other techniques to stay grounded and focused on your boundaries.

30/05/2024

Incorporating short, mindful activities into your daily routine can really improve your wellbeing.

What 2-minute breaks could you incorporate into your day?

Could you:

💜 focus on deep breathing?

💜 gently stretch your muscles?

💜 step outside for fresh air?

Simple practices like these can help you rest and rebalance and make a surprising difference to your mental and physical health.

28/05/2024

How can the ‘third space’ help your professional and personal life?

💜 Improved Mood

Dr. Adam Fraser’s research shows a 43% improvement in home mood through effective third space practices.

💜 Stronger Boundaries

A 91% increase in boundary strength means you're better equipped to manage stress and avoid bringing work issues into your personal life.

💜 Greater Resilience

Regularly practising the third space techniques can help you build resilience, making it easier to handle challenging workdays without letting them affect your home life.

Investing time in this intentional transition period can lead to a more balanced, harmonious life. Try it out and see the difference it makes!

24/05/2024

Dr Adam Fraser's concept of the "third space" is a transition period that helps individuals to show up as their best selves between different life commitments. Particularly between work and home.

According to his research at Deakin University, effective use of this transition time can significantly improve mood at home (by 43%) and boundary strength (91%), preventing negative spillover from one interaction to the next.

💜 First Space: This is your work environment, where you spend your working day and engage in professional activities.

💜 Second Space: This is your home environment, where you go after work to relax and spend time with loved ones.

💜 Third Space: This is the intentional transition period between work (first space) and home (second space). It's a crucial time when you can reflect, rest, and reset to ensure you show up as your best self in your personal life after a day of work. Reflecting involves noting three positive things from the day. Resting involves engaging in an activity that rebalances your nervous system. Resetting focuses on setting intentions for how to show up in the next space.

The relationship between these spaces emphasises the significance of what we do at work and at home and the transition period (third space).

By effectively managing this transition, we can improve our overall wellbeing, mood, and ability to separate work stress from home life.

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21/05/2024

Recognising the importance of activities that bring you joy is the first step towards integrating them into your daily life.

By prioritising and scheduling time for what truly matters, you can cultivate a sense of fulfilment and joy that enhances your overall wellbeing and resilience.

Your preferences are unique to you, but activities could include:

💜 Mindfulness Meditation: Practising mindfulness can help reduce stress and increase a sense of peace and balance.
Volunteering: Can be fulfilling and instil a sense of purpose.

💜 Creative arts: Painting, writing, or playing music can be a great way to express yourself and find joy.

💜 Exercise: Regular physical activity is well-known for its mental health benefits.

💜 Gardening or outdoor activities: Connecting with nature and nurturing plants can be rewarding and meditative.

💜 Education: Continuously engaging your mind by learning new skills can provide a sense of achievement.

💜 Yoga and mind-body activities: These can improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

Integrating these activities into your life can help you find passion and meaning while improving your wellbeing.

20/05/2024

Acknowledging our own suffering with kindness and understanding, rather than harsh self-criticism, allows us to heal and maintain our wellbeing.

Practising self-compassion empowers us to approach our roles with renewed energy and empathy.

I draw heavily from Dr KristinNeff’s work in my coaching.

I highly recommend looking at her site for ideas for guided meditations, exercises, and articles on self-compassion.

17/05/2024

What are you doing for your wellbeing this weekend?

Try to take a little time to rest, refocus, rejuvenate. 💜

08/05/2024

As a social worker, you constantly give bits of yourself to your clients, managers and colleagues.

Then, you go home and give to family and friends, a lot of the time, without having time to debrief and decompress from the stresses of your role.

It’s hard to look after your physical and mental health when you’re running on empty and close to burnout.

That’s where professional wellbeing coaching can help you. It gives you space to take a breath and step back from the chaos so you can focus on yourself without judgement.

And when you have somebody solely focused on supporting your journey to wellness, it’s easier to achieve lasting results.

Think professional coaching could help you? DM me or head to my site to find out more.

Living Well, Working Well

24/07/2024

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