The Helping Professional

The goal of a helping professional is to balance caring for others while supporting our well-being. Working in a helping profession creates an internal desire to help others. Even when we are not physically in the classroom, we are often present mentally as educators. On the drive home or during dinner, we think about the children, the environment, today's project, and the list of tasks to prepare for the following day. Our mind continues to occupy the classroom space even though we are not there.

How does being a helping professional influence our life balance and well-being practice?

As childcare practitioners, we try to balance each part of our lives. Some educators engage in hobbies and activities away from the classroom, pastimes that relax our minds and help us pull away from our attachment to work. There are times as an educator when our classroom challenges distract us no matter what diversion we engage in.

In my practice, I resist balance, especially in the weeks when the children need more support. I work directly with children for four hours each day, so I often wonder how they are doing until I see them again. During my well-being time, I often think about how I can support the children and what work we can do together to improve their experience in the program. My continuous thought about the classroom pushes the balance of caring for others and well-being out of sync. If I continue to engage in an unbalanced life for an extended time, burnout starts to creep in.  

As helping professionals and educators, we nurture relationships with adults. Working closely and collaborating with many adults each week contributes to emotional labor. Our learning community works with parents and other educators we care for and support. Nurturing those relationships is a part of our classroom practice. In support of the learning community, an educator cultivates relationships with the program administration. Educators know the children in the classroom and work hard to create the best learning community possible. The administration sometimes has different goals because they see the classroom differently. As the administration supports us, they are trying to meet all parent and school needs and have business goals that may create tension with an educator's classroom goals. Everyone has the best intentions for the children and families, but collaboration creates additional emotional demands.

Taking time to balance the mental demands of our practice is essential. Walking, reading a book, exercising, and having fun with friends are good ways to balance helping others with well-being. We rarely find balance as helping professionals. That is the nature of our work. The joys we experience from seeing others thrive are a significant part of our work. Being a helping professional is about giving to others. To share a piece of self is a generous act. We must be aware of how much we contribute to others and do our best to balance the other side by giving to ourselves. 

How do you nurture yourself and work toward balance as a helping professional?