Exploring The Depth Of Burnout & Heights Of Self-Care

— "People will disappoint you, life will hurt you, but if you have something that is completely yours to invest in, something you are passionate about, you can rise above pain and find personal joy and connection."

Valeria Teles interviews Sarakay Smullens — the author of "Burnout And Self-Care In Social Work: A Guidebook For Students And Those In Mental Health And Related Professions — 2nd Edition."

SaraKay Smullens has had a multifaceted career in social work. Upon her return to working with families suffering from neglect and abuse, she learned that mentors she had earlier relied upon were leaving the field, explaining they were "burned the hell out," and identifying the cause as "professional burnout." The year was 2005. "At that time, burnout was not the household word it is today," Smullens said. "I had never heard the term before, had no understanding of what it meant, or its differences from depression. I immediately began research, beginning to present findings in 2010."

Through this work, she realized that burnout can originate personally, professionally, in relationships, as well as physically. She identified burnout causation, and the easily recognized signs and signals that burnout is in the wings or already here.

Smullens published the first edition of "Burnout and Self-Care" in 2015. It became a best seller.

"I learned that students recommended the book to their professors and to their supervisors," she said. "I also learned that professionals who were not social workers — teachers, lawyers, doctors, school counselors, moms, volunteer professionals, etc. — found the book's content and explanations relevant in their own lives."

Evidence-based self-care approaches to alleviate and prevent burnout are described for each of the 5 arenas, as are the differences between burnout and depression. Attention is also given to psycho-social developmental factors in the life of each child, as well as the impact of both moral distress and dysfunctional leadership in our personal, relational, professional, and societal-political worlds.

To learn more about Sarakay Smullens and her work, please visit: https://www.sarakaysmullens.com/

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.