By Marvin Kraft, Hannah Strauß and Kim Stührenberg (Department of Psychotherapy)

What is self-care?

In today’s world, characterised by rapid change and increasing pressure in the world of work, the topic of self-care at work is becoming more and more important. Particularly in the field of extremism prevention, where the counsellors themselves are the most important tool, self-care is essential. The ability to take care of one’s own well-being is not only crucial for individual health, but also for productivity and the psychosocial climate in the workplace. The World Health Organization (2014) defines self-care as: ‘the ability of individuals, families and social groups to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and manage illness and disability, with or without the support of a health-care provider’. From this definition, it is clear that self-care is not just the responsibility of an individual but also encompasses the ability of an entire system to care for its members. It also emphasises that self-care can involve seeking support from others. While no one should be left to care for themselves alone, self-care often starts with the individual. This article is therefore primarily intended to raise awareness of (potential) stressors in the work context and thus contribute to reflection and inspiration regarding personal self-care.

Why is self-care important?

According to a survey by the German Federal Statistical Office, one in four working people in Germany feel exposed to psychological stress at work. Studies show that without appropriate prevention and intervention measures, the stresses of everyday working life can lead to serious health problems (Gimpel et al., 2019; Springer Medizin, 2018). Although this applies to people from all sectors, various studies clearly show that people in so-called helping professions, which also includes counsellors in the field of extremism prevention, are particularly affected (Statista, 2024a; Statista, 2024b).

Why is that? In the field of extremism prevention, employees are confronted with specific challenges. Sibylle Rothkegel has identified and summarised these in the KN:IX Analysis #1 (‘Self-care and mental hygiene of counsellors in the context of selective and indicated extremism prevention’)[1]. Even though this analysis refers exclusively to counsellors, it can be assumed that other employees, such as administrative staff, are also confronted with similar challenges. Rothkegel identifies five areas of conflict that can result in stress in day-to-day work:

1. The social context: Negative influences from the media, widespread mistrust, structural violence against refugees, Islamophobia, racism and the presence of extremist groups are some of the factors that complicate the counselling work and can thus also cause stress.

2. Conflicts of values and roles with cooperation partners: Conflicts can arise while working with authorities and institutions due to differing objectives. These can be particularly challenging and perceived as very stressful. One example of this is working with security authorities: counsellors regularly find themselves caught between the social work interests of their work and the (security) political interests of the authorities (Handle et al., 2019).[2]

3. The internal state of mind: Stress can also arise from conflicts that take place within a person. For counsellors in the field of counter-extremism, this can mean, for example, negotiating the balance between closeness and distance to their clients, dealing with doubts about their own effectiveness, or reconciling their sense of responsibility with the limits of counselling.

4. Team dynamics and processes: Working together in a team is often seen as enriching, but it can also lead to stress. Differences in approach or commitment to the work, or different ways of dealing with issues such as closeness and distance among colleagues, are examples of situations that can cause tension. The heterogeneity of the counselling team in terms of cultural or religious affiliation, profession and language skills can also lead to conflicts in the collaboration.

5. The reality of the client’s life: Working with people with traumatic life stories also poses risks for counsellors. The risk of burnout, compassion fatigue or secondary traumatisation is increased (Schulten, 2020). The symptoms of secondary traumatisation are similar to those of primary traumatisation and can manifest themselves, for example, in recurring distressing memories, nightmares, strong avoidance behaviour, increased states of agitation and sleep disorders.

In all the areas mentioned, where employees in the field of extremism prevention work in their daily lives, potential stress can arise. With an appropriate level of self-care, these can often be better managed.

How do I practice self-care?

The ability to take care of yourself can include various measures, such as integrating relaxation techniques into your daily routine, prioritising tasks and setting realistic goals. The methods and techniques of self-care are almost immeasurable, and each person must ultimately decide for themselves which practice is effective for them. Based on a few example situations, some techniques and methods that contribute to self-care are presented.

It’s Sunday evening. You had a nice weekend, but it was also exhausting. You tried to balance your household, family, friends and relaxation. You know the week will be full, but now you have a quiet moment to yourself.

Mindfulness exercises offer an effective approach to promoting mental health and preventing burnout. They help to reduce stress, improve concentration and increase general well-being. Mindfulness is the conscious, non-judgmental perception of the present moment. It involves attentively observing one’s own thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judging them. Through regular practice, people can learn to live more consciously in the moment and develop a more relaxed attitude towards the challenges of everyday (working) life. Especially for beginners, mindfulness exercises are best done when there is no acute stress.

There are many exercises. A classic method is the body scan, in which attention is paid to the sensations in individual body parts one after the other (audio instructions for this can easily be found on the internet). However, mindfulness can also be integrated into other moments: eat your lunch mindfully, enjoy your break at the traffic lights and take a good look around! Further recommendations can be found in Figure 1.

In addition to increasing mindfulness, increasing self-efficacy has also been shown to promote health (Dlugosch & Dahl, 2012). It refers to the belief in one’s own abilities to successfully overcome challenges. People with high self-efficacy show greater resilience to occupational stressors and are better able to integrate health-promoting behaviours into their daily lives (Lampert et al., 2021). One way to strengthen self-efficacy is to set realistic goals, broken down into sub-goals. This allows you to experience success by achieving your goals in small steps.

You are sitting on the train on your way to your first client. You start making a mental list of things that need to be done today: tightly scheduled appointments, the phone call you don’t want to forget, a document that has been delayed, emails that need to be answered, etc. The list keeps getting longer. You notice how tense you are and how shallow your breathing is.

We often don’t notice it, but the thought carousels we sometimes embark on also show up in our acute physical condition. When we realise that we are currently in a thought spiral, or our physical tension becomes noticeable, for example in the shoulders or jaw, a relaxation exercise can help. Relaxation breathing exercises are easy to integrate into your daily routine. The 4-7-8 breathing exercise is a simple way to help yourself. Breathe in deeply through your nose into your stomach and count to four. Hold your breath for seven seconds and then breathe out slowly through your nose for eight seconds. Repeat this a few times. You can actively regulate your nervous system through your breathing. After this exercise, you can continue your day with a clearer head. In addition to a variety of breathing exercises, there are also other relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, visualisation or light physical activity. In general, it can be said that a conscious lifestyle that leaves room for personal interests and recreation improves mental health and performance at work.

The ability to self-regulate, i.e. consciously controlling thoughts, feelings and behaviours, is an important factor for professional well-being. It includes both developing a loving and appreciative attitude towards oneself and actively contributing to one’s own well-being. It is essential to take your own needs seriously and give them space, for example by incorporating ritualised reflection and relaxation into your daily work routine (Kranz, 2021). For example, you could write down in the morning what you are looking forward to today and in the evening what you were grateful for.

You are on your way home, but your last appointment just won’t let you go. Your client has told you about a situation that has affected you greatly. You know that there is nothing you can do in the counselling session right now; it is not an emergency. Nevertheless, you cannot stop thinking about the client and feeling responsible for their well-being.

Helpers often have a strong sense of responsibility and cannot always distance themselves from their clients‘ problems (Zito & Martin, 2021). They are intensely committed to their work and sometimes sacrifice themselves, even if it means crossing their own boundaries. This can have both health and professional consequences. Burnout and compassion fatigue occur primarily in people who show high commitment and have high expectations of their work. In this context, it is necessary to critically question one’s own expectations of the profession and of oneself, but also of clients, again and again.

It is important to accept that the possibilities of bringing about change in people in the context of work are limited. Building realistic expectations and accepting the limits of one’s own actions can help to protect one’s well-being. By constantly reflecting on one’s own role, resilience can also be fostered. Promoting resilience, i.e. the ability to deal positively with change and crises, is another important aspect of self-care at work. Resilient individuals can cope with setbacks and stress more effectively and recover more quickly from stressful situations. One key to promoting resilience lies in developing coping strategies that enable individuals to actively manage stressful situations and learn from them. This could be proactive and forward-looking planning, for example, or re-evaluating a situation.

Everyone benefits from different methods, which is why it is advisable to put together your own individual ‘self-care kit’. Inspiration from outside can help with this (see Fig. 1). What do I need, what can I do, how much of it, what do I want, what is enjoyable for me? These questions could be continued endlessly, which already makes the most fundamental point clear: To take care of ourselves, we need to know ourselves, i.e. build self-awareness and reflect on it constantly.

Reflection exercise (You will need a few minutes, a pen and paper.)

My self-care kit

First, take a few minutes to answer the following questions:

What does self-care mean to you?

How do you practice it/Are you able to practice it?

Now that you may have gathered a few ideas that you know are good for you or that you assume can be good for you, take it a step further. Reflect on your last month. Take your time to review the days:

When did you last do something that makes you feel good?

How many times a day did you do it?

Was it a habit, an extra to-do, or did you consciously enjoy such moments?

How do you know when you have not practised enough self-care? Do you have mechanisms to ‘stop’ yourself?

Is the individual self-care that you have practised sufficient?

Add to the questions as you wish. What is important is that you know at the end:

‘How am I doing?’ ’Are my care tools sufficient, or what is preventing me from using them?’

Sometimes it can also be useful to question your personal working method individually:

Do I need a team around me in person? Am I more distracted when I work from home? Is the classic 8-hour day/40-hour week suitable for me, or do I need an extra day to recover?

All the freedoms that newer work concepts allow also have downsides, so take care of yourself and others!

In summary, it can be said that self-care at work is a multidimensional concept that encompasses individual, social and organisational factors (Wenski, 2021). Integrating self-care measures into your daily work routine can help improve your health and well-being, strengthen your resilience and ultimately increase your productivity and satisfaction. It is therefore crucial that both employers and employees recognise the importance of self-care and actively promote it. The challenge is to find the right balance and to continuously work on one’s own resilience to meet the many demands of professional life – because only those who take good care of themselves can be there for others and lead a happy and fulfilled life in the long term.

Am I solely responsible for my own self-care?

No. Self-care also means knowing when to get support from the outside. It is important to maintain a supportive social network and to seek professional help when needed. Supervision and mentoring programmes can help employees reflect on professional challenges and develop individual strategies for coping with stress. In the workplace, this means that employers also bear responsibility for their employees‘ self-care.

The role of employers

In practice, self-care means finding a balance between the demands of the job and the needs of one’s own body and mind. Employers are encouraged to cultivate and exemplify a culture of self-care in their organisation. Concrete structures and resources must be provided and established that enable employees to take care of themselves.

With a specific focus on the topic of extremism prevention, KN:IX Analysis #1 (Rothkegel, 2021) identifies possible courses of action, such as defining one’s own values and attitudes within the organisation, providing emotional support (e.g. peer case consultations or case supervision) or measures to promote a healthy work-life balance. One aspect that should be particularly emphasised and that lies within the responsibility of employers is the provision of concepts for dealing with extreme situations.

Employees in the field of extremism prevention are repeatedly confronted with acute crises in their work, such as suicidal behaviour or violence (threats of violence) against themselves or others. It is therefore important that employers in social and health care professions provide guidelines and concepts for dealing with crises and suicidality. Studies show that employees who work with people in acute crises are significantly more likely to experience anxiety, feel less supported, have difficulty identifying risk situations, and/or experience lower job satisfaction (Conrad et al., 2021). Likewise, feelings such as powerlessness and being overwhelmed are often triggered, or there may be fear of feelings of guilt/self-reproach, fear of misjudgements and the associated consequences, fear of legal consequences, and fear of reproach from others (e.g. relatives, colleagues).

These stressful phenomena can arise in a variety of situations; however, the risk is particularly high when working with people in acute crisis. For this reason, in addition to the general standards for the care of employees, there should also be specific guidelines for dealing with clients in crisis. Regular training, opportunities for reflection (e.g. on understanding one’s role as a counsellor), supervision and peer case consultations are important components of these concepts. In a crisis, clear and predetermined steps can help you to remain capable of acting at a professional level. Furthermore, follow-up care in the event of crises must be guaranteed for all employees who are directly or indirectly affected, and appropriate access to measures must be described.

Breaks	Add a to-relax list to your to-do list and schedule fixed breaks.
Self-compassion, appreciative attitude	How ‘nice’ is your inner voice, really? Before you pursue this question, think about what advice you would give your best friend or work colleague. (Keyword: ‘higher, faster, further’)
Don’t stay alone.	Share your thoughts with your team: Are there any mentoring programmes or supervision options?
Mindfulness	How focused are you on the task at hand, or are you once again multitasking? Take a short walk and focus on your different senses in turn. (What am I looking at right now, what colours? What am I hearing?…).
Boundaries	Accept the limitations of your actions and your capacities.
Healthy lifestyle	Do you eat healthily, get enough sleep, exercise?
Leisure	Do you have enough balance (hobbies etc.) to your working day?

Figure 1: The leeway to a more caring everyday life (own presentation)

Conclusion

This article deliberately does not end with the question ‘Where can I get help?’ but instead calls for a change in both our collective and individual culture. Self-care should not be practised only when serious problems arise – quite the opposite. That is precisely the essence of self-care: you do it FOR YOURSELF to be prepared for greater challenges.

It is important to emphasise that self-care does not mean that all stress at work must be avoided or that the entire working day must be fun. In both work and life, there are activities that bring joy and duties that must be fulfilled. Stress is part of life and is not negative in itself – it only becomes problematic when it becomes chronic and no longer allows for periods of relaxation.

Self-care doesn’t just mean taking care of yourself. It is just as essential to be there for and support each other. It’s not an either/or, but rather a both/and.

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Dlugosch, G. E. & Dahl, C. (2012). The role of self-efficacy and mindfulness in promoting the health of socially disadvantaged people – a project documentation. Research and Practice in Health Promotion, 1(39). BZgA.

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Lampert, B., Hornung, S. & Glaser, J. (2021). Detached concern and well-being: professional self-efficacy and meaning as mediating psychological resources. Prevention and Health Promotion, 16(3), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-021-00864-7.

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Rothkegel, S. (2021). Analysis #1: Self-care and mental hygiene of counsellors in the context of selective and indicated extremism prevention. In KN:IX. https://kn-ix.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/KN_IX-Analyse-1-2021-1.pdf, last viewed on 09.07.2024.

Schulten, A. (2020). Sekundäre Traumatisierung als Berufsrisiko: Prävention – Schutz – Heilung. In: Therapeutische Beziehungen. Psychosomatik im Zentrum, vol 4. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-60817-3_13.

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Statista. (2024a). Burnout – Most severely affected occupations. https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/239672/umfrage/berufsgruppen-mit-den-meisten-fehltagen-durch-burn-out-erkrankungen/, last viewed on 09/07/2024.

Statista (2024b). Burn-out – cases of incapacity to work in Germany. https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/239872/umfrage/arbeitsunfaehigkeitsfaelle-aufgrund-von-burn-out-erkrankungen/se, last viewed on 09/07/2024.

Wenski, G. (2021). Self-management at work. In Springer eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-33249-5.

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The Department of Psychotherapy at Violence Prevention Network

The aim of the Department of Psychotherapy is to support professionals as well as individuals at risk of radicalisation and radicalised individuals with mental health issues ranging from conspicuous behaviour to disorders. To achieve this goal, we advise those affected, their relatives and their social environment. In addition, our services are aimed at professionals in the field of disengagement, health and medical professionals, as well as professionals in related fields (e.g. social services in the judiciary, criminal and youth services). We support professionals through peer case consultations, workshops and training, as well as in dealing with challenging situations and in professional self-care. Further information can be found at https://violence-prevention-network.de/departments/department-of-psychotherapy/?lang=en.

Contact us by email: fb-psychotherapie@violence-prevention-network.de

[1] Rothkegel, S. (2021). Analysis #1: Self-care and mental hygiene of counsellors in the context of selective and indicated extremism prevention. KN:IX. https://kn-ix.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/KN_IX-Analyse-1-2021-1.pdf, last viewed on 09.07.2024.

[2] N. B.: Overall, a great deal of energy has already been expended in the field of extremism prevention to develop common approaches and standards for the work. One example of this is the publication „Standards in der Beratung des sozialen Umfelds (mutmaßlich) islamistisch radikalisierter Personen“ (Counselling Centre on Radicalisation. Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, 2018).

This article has been published first in: Interventionen – Ausgabe 18, 2024