Many of the articles that provide tips on how to have a successful internship strongly encourage participation in self-care activities. We, as clinicians, frequently tell our clients to engage in self-care activities such as being outside, coloring, or listening to music. However, we are not always the best at taking our own advice.
I know over the course of this internship, I have had to work at incorporating self-care into my weekly routine. I have found that I not only need self-care activities outside of work, but also during my normal work day. One way I incorporate self-care into my work day is by getting out of the office for a few minutes several times a day. It started out just walking outside the building because there is always something to see on the grounds of WSH. At some point, I added a weekly Friday trip to Starbucks before seminar. On these trips, I realized I not only needed the caffeine, but I also needed to have a reward at the end of the week I could look for to. Now 10 months into internship, I may go to Starbucks more than is probably necessary, but it gives me a chance to get out of the office for a brief period of time.
Before you begin your internship year, I would suggest finding different ways you are going to incorporate self-care into your weekly routine.
Anissa Pugh, MA, LPA
WKPIC Doctoral Intern