American Counseling Association has dedicated April as Counseling Awareness Month, a time of advocacy for the profession and celebration of the outstanding efforts of counselors in myriad settings as they seek to facilitate the growth and development of all people. This year’s theme—The Future is… Self-Care, Advocacy and Inclusion #BurnBrightNotOut—is focused on some of the avenues that will help ensure a brighter future for counselors, their clients and the counseling profession.

With the state of the world today and in coping with the last two years, many of us are simply burnt out. You’ve probably been searching social media or the internet looking for how to avoid burnout—well, you’re in luck! We asked our therapists how they personally avoid burnout and they shared their tips with us. They truly are practicing what they preach.

Therapists’ Personal Tips for How They Avoid Burnout

1. “Having boundaries where I don’t bite off more than I can chew.”
2. “Keeping a good portion of my energy for myself and my life so I’m not running on empty for what I need in my own life.”
3. “Balance within my life: tending to myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and socially. Making sure I connect to these areas and feed them!”
4. “Bike riding (indoor and outdoor).”
5. “Prayer to help me with clients and for God to watch over my clients.”
6. “Downtime for jigsaw puzzles, reading, HGTV, cooking, and my other flow activities.”
7. “Exercise and guided meditations. I also try to make self care part of my every day routine.”
8. “I try to dedicate the end of the day to at least one self-care activity that ‘cleanses the stress of the day away.’ This varies from day to day but usually always consists of watching an episode of a show with my husband, and then reading before bed. I try to keep screen time to a minimum since I provide sessions via virtual therapy.”
9. “I refrain from checking my email when I am not in the office (with the exception of emergencies) and block time on my schedule each day for a self-care activity.”
10. “Getting a yoga class in. Yoga helps me to stay centered and grounded.”
11.  “Going to my own personal therapist.”

We hope you can apply some of these therapist-implemented tips to your own life.

When counselors get the self-care they need, they burn brighter and avoid burnout. To learn more go to American Counseling Association, Counseling Awareness Month.