some insights of being in the field

The topic of burnout was brought up in my mental health multidimensional assessment class last week. It was a very thought provoking discussion as many of my classmates shared that they had been experiencing the stresses of being in the field in one way or another-feeling exhausted after they left the office because of all the clients they had interacted with, having nightmares, always feeling like they need to be doing something and not being able to relax, or not being able to shut down well and fall asleep at night easily. My classmates were concerned that if they always felt that way, they would easily get burnt out. While some people can compartmentalize their experiences and feelings and leave experiences behind, others mull over experiences and this can affect them longer than necessary. My professor explained that we will be writing a paper next semester on burnout to learn more about this area but something he was taught by a former professor he had was that one needed to learn how to leave the job at the office or they would not be utilizing good self-care long term. His professor states that a good way to do this is to pick a street light or a sign or some other symbolic thing over the course of your drive where you can state that after that point you would not think about the stresses and details of your day at work and think about other things related to your personal life whether it be your family, friends, spirituality, or something you plan to do at home that is non-work related. I think this can be a good exercise to practice in my own life because I have the tendency to analyze things over and over, rather than just letting them go at times I should be relaxing and enjoying life. I am sure that there are more tools I will learn and use as I grow in the field but this is just one tip that I really found useful for my future as a social worker

Do you have anything that you do to debrief after a day in the field so you can relax outside of your professional life or advice for individuals new to the social work field?