Respecting Your Limits and Taking Care of Yourself
Helping support someone in difficulty can be deeply rewarding. But providing support over a period of months or years can lead to fatigue or even burnout. To remain available for another person, it’s important to take care of yourself and respect your own limits.
Keep in mind that if you need help dealing with the situation, you can contact a suicide.ca counsellor at any time.
Burnout warning signs
It’s important to seek help if you have warning signs of burnout.
These include:
- More tiredness than usual
- Increased irritability or impatience
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia
- Changes in appetite
- Giving up activities you usually enjoy
- Sense of being overwhelmed by tasks
- Frequent feelings of guilt
What are the effects of burnout?
Burnout can affect your well-being and your relationship with the person you’ve been helping in a variety of ways.
Potential effects on your relationships with the person you’ve been helping
- Downplaying their situation (e.g., not believing them when they say they need help or feel in danger, accepting that they want to commit suicide)
- Stepping back from your relationship with them (e.g., seeing them less often, cutting ties)
Potential effects on your well-being
- Developing a mental health problem like depression or an anxiety disorder
- Having suicidal thoughts
How to take care of yourself
Everyone has needs that must be met to maintain good physical and mental health. Sometimes this means setting limits on the person you’re helping. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself:
A tool to take stock of your situation
The self-assessment tool can help you take stock of your mental health.
