Welcome to Dear Social Worker. Let's talk the podcast that
prioritises you, the person behind the title, Social Worker.
I'm your host, Lisa Ram, and I'm here to help you prevent
burnout. Promote your well-being with
socialworkcoachinghub.com and welcome to another episode
dedicated to a feeling that many of us as social workers have
definitely had. Or you're having right now,
Which is being overwhelmed with too much work and simply not
enough time. Let's talk about it.
Let's talk about it right There's a never ending To Do
List. We know in social work we cannot
do everything but we want to. That is the real, real crux of
it there. We want to do everything, but we
can't, and it's a constant struggle to find whatever in
quote balance is. So today we're going to explore
3 mindsets or narratives that contribute to feeling
overwhelmed along with three practical tips to help you
navigate the challenging landscape.
Because too much work and not enough time is something that a
lot of professions say, not just social work.
Sometimes it's good to unpick where that comes from, unpick
the beliefs behind it, and pick some contributing factors and
mindsets that may be surrounding it, and that can be really
helpful for you. Just reframing things, that's
going to help you manage a little bit better.
But before I crack on with that, I want to remind you that we are
approaching one year anniversary of this very podcast.
I cannot believe it. We're nearly at one year of dear
social worker, let's talk podcast.
So I want to thank all of the listeners listening all over the
world. I know the majority of you are
here in the UK, Ireland, in the USA.
So massive shout out to you, but wherever you're listening it
doesn't matter at what point you joined me during the year last
year. Thank you, every single one of
you. I am so grateful for you.
I see the Spotify followers going up every single week and
it warms my heart. So I just want to say a big
thank you because I do this for you.
I want to be there for you. I want this to be your safe
space simply because it's something that I didn't have in
practice when I most needed it and that's why I do what I do.
Secondly, if you have been listening to me and you've got
any value from this, it's been helpful to you at any point.
Leave me a review on Apple please.
It's great to hear what you're you're thinking, how it's helped
you. It's great to hear get get that
feedback from you. So leave me a review on Apple or
any other platform that you're listening.
If you're not able to do that and don't think Spotify has that
capability, then please send me a message or an e-mail.
It makes my day make a podcast. How's happy?
And please give me a review because it's so wonderful to
hear from all of you. It's like, Oh my goodness,
sometimes I forget that I have a podcast, right?
And people will walk up to me and say I listen to your
podcast. I'm like, Oh dear, that is,
that's fantastic. And I know that sounds random
because I'm here every week. But sometimes, you know, when
you are in the midst of doing things all the time, you
sometimes just take that moment where you're taking it for
granted that you're doing it. So when someone comes up to you
and says they're appreciating what you're doing, you're like,
you know what? Thank you.
And it's just just one of the episodes I've just talked about
those small wins. It's a you are my reminder of
those small wins, right. So we got to help each other
out. On that note, if you are
watching this particular episode, you will see that it's
completely dark where I am. I am using my phone's light in
order to give us some lighting because the lighting that I have
just here, I didn't like it. So we're going to go with this
for now. I didn't think I was going to go
up to the loft and get my proper lamp and stuff.
I thought, oh gosh, no, let's just work with what we have,
right? So on that note, that leads us
beautifully onto the first mindset that we're going to
explore here when we're thinking about too much work and not
enough time and thinking about the concept of perfectionism.
And this can be a very common mindset that can exacerbate the
feeling of too much work and not enough time.
And essentially it's like a the perfectionist trap.
Now we know as social workers we can often feel the pressure to
do everything Florida State. But the reality is perfection
doesn't exist. Hate to break it to you.
It's an unattainable goal. Acknowledge that it's OK not to
be perfect and focus on doing your best within the given
constraints. AKA also known as You Are
Enough. I love that affirmation.
You are enough. Dear social Worker, You Are
enough. I'm signing off.
Lisa Ann Edwards, podcast host. I love that affirmation.
Why? Because it just brings that
sense of calm and that sense of reality that what you're giving
in this particular moment or for that particular family is
enough. It's so difficult to do every
single task for every single family.
You're one person and when you've got reducing services and
resources, when you've got budget constraints, when your
team's under pressure, you've got people are sick and annual
leave, that automatically increases the pressure for all
of you in the team and individually.
So you have to just remember what you're doing within the
context of the system and the cultural and the organizational
environment that you are in. That leads me nicely to Mindset
#2, the Superhero Syndrome. This is another contributing
factor to the feeling of too much to do, not enough time.
Now this Superhero Syndrome often applies to, I'd say,
probably 90% of social workers, right?
Because we have a strong desire to help and to fix, and the
helping in the fixing can sometimes get in the way.
It can get in the way of you, it can get in the way of someone
else. The list is endless.
So while the passion is admirable, it's essential to
recognise your limitations. I'm going to say that one more
time. While the passion is admirable,
it's essential to recognise your limitations as a social worker.
You can't do it all alone. You're not Superwoman.
You're not Batman or whatever they're called these days.
Let's just term it the marvels. There's got to be an element
here that you a create boundaries, B get support, C
delegating. Don't roll your eyes at me,
Those of you who don't have access to the right sort of
admin support, because I've been there, there were days where
they would photocopy and print and everything, and one day I
walked into the admin room. She's like, no, we can't do
that. I was like, what came down with
all my, all my papers and everything ready to go?
Could you do this and could you do that?
She's like, no, we've stopped doing that.
Now stop doing that. It's like, so I understand those
kind of changes that happen within admin as to what they can
do, what they can't do, what they can support with.
So knowing who can do what is definitely a good place to
start. But also this can't do it alone.
Element, we talked about this in another episode, but I want to
remind you there is a team around the child use them.
I know sometimes the calls that come in, it all kind of falls on
you to an extent. But the implementation of
certain pieces of work, they need to be carried out by you.
So make sure you are making that clear what your expectations are
of the other professionals that are supporting the children and
the families, right? That's a smart way of working
now. Remember asking for support?
That's a smart thing to do. Delegating is a smart thing to
do in the right context because it's going to help you ensure
that the workload that you've got is manageable and that
you're able to meet the needs of those that need you.
Particularly in times of crisis mindset #3, the time scarcity
mentality, this is an interesting one, because
immediately what what comes to mind and for most of us will be,
well, we don't have the time. 9 till 5 is not enough time to do
what needs to be done and to meet all the needs that need to
be met and to manage crisis intervention when that arises,
right? But feeling like there's never
enough time can lead to a sense of panic and urgency.
I just want you to sit with that for a moment.
When you're in a place of panic and urgency, what's the emotion
under that? Often that emotions going to be
fear. What is the likely outcome when
moving, acting, behaving from a place of fear?
Now there's a thought. Fear can be such a thief
sometimes, and it can have, if we allow it, a lot of power.
And that power mainly comes from the fact that we don't recognise
that the fear is what's driving our actions.
And also that fear, if when it's living in your subconscious, it
can be a driving force for how you think, not just how you
behave, but how you think. And if our subconscious is over
80% of our thoughts, behaviour and actions, that is a lot of
fear happening. And let alone, let's not even
think about what impact that's having on your brain and your
body coming from that state of fear on an everyday basis for
over 80% of the time. So one way of just taking a
shift from scarcity is 1 being present.
Again, this is something I've been practicing because as I've
talked about in practice, I've picked up some habits.
I'm telling you, I've picked up some habits and I'm only really
gaining this awareness, being out of practice for this
extended period of time. I'm like, these are things that
I've had on a list to work on. I haven't had time to really
focus on it, just been doing pieces of it as I've been going
along. OK, great, that is progress.
But this year on my list certainly is focusing on being
present in the moment. One thing at a time.
We know that social work does not work that way.
It doesn't work that way. So where are you going to find
pockets of time spaces in your day to be present?
And why do you think it's important to be present?
What is that going to give you? First of all, it's going to help
you take a step away from fear. That's the first thing.
So if we're taking a step away from the emotion of fear, what
emotion do you feel would be an outcome of that?
What's the opposite of fear? You can shift your perspective
by practising mindfulness, and I'll talk to you about it in
another episode that I've been trying to practise.
Just sitting, you know, and it's taking a minute because social
work means you're on the go all the time.
It's not just your body, but it's your brain.
Just because you've come home doesn't mean it just stops,
right? This is a skill that you have to
learn now. The last thing I'm going to
mention here is attempt or I invite you to focus on the time
you do have and prioritise tasks based on their importance.
Focus on the time you do have and prioritise tasks based on
their importance. That completely shifts it from I
don't have time, doesn't it? And that scarcity element linked
to time. If you're focusing on what you
can do and the time you do have, you can prioritise with that.
OK, so let's move on to three practical tips to help alleviate
the pressure and create a healthier work life balance.
Now before I delve any further, I know I keep referring to the
word balance. It just comes so naturally and
that in itself is an indication of social learning, right?
I'm not a fan of this word balance because I think work,
life balance, it sets us up to attempt to get that, but often
we we struggle with it. So I think the word balance
still needs to be changed. Whether it's work life choices,
work life responsibilities, I don't know.
You let me know what that word should be.
But either way, what we're saying is work should be work
and life should be life outside of work.
When you come home from work, everything should shut down as
far as you possibly can, right? A worker with integrity, A
worker that's really caring about their families.
It's going to be playing on your mind in some capacity.
You have to decide and you have to know what are your
limitations as a social worker to know when you are stepping
into the realms of being overwhelmed and burnt out.
This is when you need to scale back and pull back some control.
And this is what we talked about before.
If you listened to previous episodes about the sphere of
influence. Briefly, if you're listening to
this for the first time, the sphere of influence is 3
circles. The middle circle is green.
It says control. These are all the things you can
control. The 2nd circle is yellow.
This is called influence. These are all the things that
you can have influence over. And your red circle,
unfortunately, where most of us live, is where you have no
control or no influence over what's happening.
Now a lot of us are worried about things that we have no
control and no influence over. But actually, if we take it to
the place where we're thinking about what do I, what can I
influence or what do I have complete control over in your
green area, it shifts. It helps you shift that
perspective. Now this is some of this is one
of the models I use in my coaching sessions.
When a social worker comes in and they are so stressed, so
worried, so concerned about how they're going to meet the
demands and what we do, We start with this model, which
automatically starts to slow the brain down.
It helps to reframe and refocus on what you can do and what you
can influence and everything else dissipates as a result of
just focusing and zero in on that and making your plan around
your green and yellow zone. So when we are looking at
practical tips to help alleviate pressure and create work life
choices, am I going to say I don't know, but you know what I
mean, right? These are the kind of things
that I think we could be thinking about #1 boundaries.
We talk about this a lot. We've got to bring it up again.
What is your boundary? Understanding your limits and
being able to communicate them effectively as a social worker
is key for you to be able to maintain longevity in the role.
It's OK to say no when you need to, when you need to look after
yourself, when you need to look after your family.
Book all of your holidays in advance.
Book some long weekends. I used to book mine.
I didn't even know where I was going.
I would just go through the diary and say, right every six
to eight weeks I'll have that Friday or that Monday or that
Wednesday. I'll have two weeks over there,
one week over there. I did.
Had no idea where I was going, but it served as a reminder of
the break that I needed to take. Because I understood my
boundaries and my limits and what I needed to do for myself.
Care. So it's crucial to establish the
clear boundaries between work and personal life now.
It's still January. Make it happen.
No excuses. #2 talked about this The Art of prioritisation.
Identify the most critical tasks that require your attention and
focus on those social workers. Delegate when and where
possible, trusting your team or your colleagues to share the
load where you can. Remember you're not on your own.
Even if you feel you can't go to your team, you can't go to your
manager. You know anything along those
lines? You've got me, I'm here.
We've got a WhatsApp group, we've got a free membership
group, you've got download, you've got past podcast
episodes. You can do coaching sessions
with me directly, We can do coaching programs in groups.
We've got it all. And the reason for that is when
I was in practice, I didn't have access to all this stuff.
I didn't have access to this support.
I didn't have access to people who understood how I was
feeling, understanding what that overwhelming anxiety and burnout
was like. Understanding the how that the
weight on the shoulders was just so heavy and not being able to
find a way to navigate it that was healthy and whole.
And being able to prioritise me towards the end of my practising
years, I got way better at it. Way, way better at it.
Oh my gosh, so good. Not everyone was happy with my
boundaries but it was what it was.
So please prioritisation. Now if you're a person who is
not sure how to do this or you struggle to do this.
If you go to socialworkcoachinghub.com or
Amazon dot com type in social work practice, well-being,
Planner Under Social Work Coaching hub or my author name
LA Edwards, there is a book that can help you.
A planner that can help you plan everything your personal life,
your well-being, yourself care, and your practice all in one
space. It's undated, so you can buy it
at any time of the year. But use these resources that are
here to help you if you're not sure how to prioritise yourself.
Care or you need some support with that. self-care.
Journal for Social Workers is available on Amazon.
LA Edwards is the author name. You've got no excuse.
The tools and resources are there.
Use them right. Last tip, self compassion.
Remember you are human. I remember my nan would say
she's from the Caribbean. My nan would say to in fact my
uncles and my mum. I y'all thought this.
Lisa and I worked too hard, you
know, she worked too hard because sometimes I would go to
my nan after work and be like, Oh my God, I'm so tired, right?
So she would say to me, you're doing too much, you're only one
person, right? So And she would make me food,
you know, you know what Nan's are like, do all that good
stuff, that wholesome stuff. So the same kind of kindness
that my nan would show me. Sometimes you have to show that
kind of kindness to yourself and that kindness that you extend to
others, you have to extend that to yourself.
So it comes back to the same thing.
Practising self-care, taking breaks, celebrating small
victories, practising self-care, taking breaks, celebrating small
victories. Because by nurturing yourself,
being kind to yourself, you're better equipped to handle the
challenges that come your way. And remember, in the previous
episode I said that it's not skill that keeps you in the role
of social work, it's character. So these are skills that you
need to be building up over time that is going to ensure your
longevity in social work. And even if you were to go into
another role that was a caring style, role is going to ensure
your longevity in that role as well.
It's character that keeps you there.
So as we wrap up today's episode, remember you are not
alone in feeling overwhelmed. And as random as it may sound,
you might have to simply just plan for when you do feel
overwhelmed. What's your strategy?
What are you going to do? Who are you going to speak to?
Where's your support? By adjusting your mindset and
implementing these practical tips that we've talked about,
you will be able to navigate the demanding landscape of social
work with greater be resilient and and whilst looking after
yourself and your well-being. Nothing gets better than that.
At the beginning of the year, plan for it now.
I'm going to be developing a kit for you to support you on this
journey. I'm going to tell you more about
it as it's available. I'm going to keep strum about it
for now, but just between me and you, just me and you, yeah,
we're going to get this kit going.
So you will have all the tools and the resources that you need
to support you. Remember the mindsets that we
talked about earlier? Yeah, the perfectionist chap,
the superhero Syndrome, the time scarcity mentality.
They all can contribute to the feeling of overwhelm.
Recognising them, raising your awareness about them, is what's
going to save you from becoming burnt out and overwhelmed.
I've been your host, Lisa ran on the Dear Social Worker Let's
Talk podcast. Until next time, take care of
yourself and keep making a positive impact in the lives of
those you serve. And remember, you are not alone.
I'll see you next week.