# Transcript

JANET HOWARD:

In terms of newly qualified social workers developing their own resilience, I have a particular quote that I enjoy. It is that ‘work life balance does not exist. It is all life and it is how you live it that counts’. So it’s about looking after yourself both personally and professionally, both mentally and physically; take your lunch break, take your holidays, take your time off in lieu, develop good organisational skills, become a team player, use the support around you. I also like the saying that ‘big girls don’t cry’. Well, we do, and it’s okay to cry in supervision. It’s okay to cry about some of the stories we hear. To me, being open to those feelings enables you to build up further resilience. Social work will touch all of your emotions at some time. It’s about developing strategies for yourself in terms of managing your feelings as well. I know ‘mindfulness’ is a buzzword but, someone who practises mindfulness, myself, I do know the benefits of just stopping, giving yourself a gap, giving yourself a minute or two, and trying to be in the now rather than thinking about the hundred and one things you have to do.