Self-care
Why is self-care so important?
The world of work has changed significantly in recent years. The psychological demands placed on employees have increased significantly. Time and deadline pressure, a high workload and constant interruptions are just three examples of this and are among the most common stress factors. In addition, social developments and technical innovations are creating new stressors that can also be stressful, such as permanent availability, the abundance of information and the required mobility and flexibility. The consequences of these developments are increasing psychological strain, such as stress and exhaustion (burnout), as well as mental illness. An increase in days of incapacity for work and early retirement due to mental disorders makes it clear that new prevention approaches are needed (Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer, 2015; Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, 2014).
For some time now, increasing importance has been attached to self-care in society. A stronger focus on self-care seems particularly necessary against the backdrop of increased (work) demands and the resulting consequences such as stress and burnout. Initial research findings show that good self-care has preventative benefits (Dahl, 2017; Dahl, 2019).
What is self-care?
To date, there is no generally accepted definition of the term self-care. Based on extensive literature research and training experience, Dahl and Dlugosch (2020) developed the following understanding of the term:
This understanding reflects two key aspects of self-care: on the one hand, self-care is expressed in a certain attitude towards oneself that is characterized by love and appreciation. On the other hand, self-care goes hand in hand with active action - with the aim of ensuring one's own well-being, both mentally and physically.
Publications
Dahl, C. & Dlugosch, G. E. (2019). Live better! A seminar to strengthen the self-care of mental health professionals. Prevention and Health Promotion, 15 (1), 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-019-00735-2
Dahl, C. (2019). Why it pays to take good care of yourself. On the long-term benefits of self-care - results of two empirical studies. Prevention and Health Promotion, 14 (1), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-018-0650-5
Dahl, C. (2018). A plea for more self-care. On the preventive benefits of self-care using the example of mental health professionals. Prevention and Health Promotion, 13 (2), 131-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-017-0626-x
Dahl, C. (2017). Self-care for mental health professionals. A study on psychological stress and occupational stress factors and evaluation of a health promotion measure to strengthen self-care as part of a randomized controlled trial. Landau: Verlag Empirische Pädagogik.
Sources
Wagner, I., Noichl, T., Cramer, M., Dlugosch, G. E. & Hosenfeld, I. (2024). Moderating personal factors for the effectiveness of a self-care- and mindfulness-based intervention for teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 144, 104576. doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104576
Noichl, T., Cramer, M., Wagner, I., Dlugosch, G. E. & Hosenfeld, I. (2023). Self-care for teachers - Evaluation of the effects of a prevention and health promotion measure. Prevention and Health Promotion. doi.org/10.1007/s11553-023-01062-3
Noichl, T., Cramer, M., Wagner, I., Dlugosch, G. E. & Hosenfeld, I. (2023, September 7). Better living with self-care and mindfulness? Effects of a health promotion intervention for teachers. Poster. 37th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Bremen.
Hosenfeld, I., Cramer, M., Dlugosch, G. E., Noichl, T. & Wagner, I. (2023, August 22). Living better! Self-care for teachers - Effects of a prevention and health promotion intervention. 20th Biennial EARLI Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Noichl, T., Cramer, M., Dlugosch, G. E. & Hosenfeld, I. (2022, September 13). Live better! Self-care for teachers. Evaluation of the effects of a prevention and health promotion measure for teachers in general education schools. 52nd Congress of the German Psychological Society, Hildesheim.
Dahl, C. & Dlugosch, G. E. (2020). Live better! A seminar to strengthen the self-care of mental health professionals. Prevention and Health Promotion, 15 (1), 27-35. doi.org/10.1007/s11553-019-00735-2
Dahl, C. (2019). Why it pays to take good care of yourself. On the long-term benefits of self-care - results of two empirical studies. Prevention and Health Promotion, 14 (1), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-018-0650-5
Dahl, C. (2017). Self-care for mental health professionals. A study on psychological stress and occupational stress factors and evaluation of a health promotion measure to strengthen self-care as part of a randomized controlled trial. Landau: Verlag Empirische Pädagogik.
Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (ed.). (2015). BPtK study on incapacity for work. Mental illness and sickness benefit management 2015. Accessed on 06.06.2015. Available at: https://www.bptk.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/20150305_bptk_au-studie_psychische-erkrankungen_und_krankengeldmanagement.pdf
German Federal Pension Insurance (ed.). (2014). Pension insurance in time series 2014 (DRV publications no. 22). Accessed on 31.03.2015. Available at www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/cae/servlet/contentblob/238700/publicationFile/62588/03_rv_in_zeitreihen.pdf