Mental Health Worker With Depression Looking for Advice
I'm diagnosed with depression for several years now. I've learned to cope with it in a healthy way and accepted that it will be with me for a long while. I'm ok with that, I'm just exhausted and lately haven't been feeling my best. I have been working in the mental health field for over a year.
1) I'm passionate about helping others who live with mental health challenges, but is it okay for me to not be okay right now? Any other mental health staff that could give me reassurance because I've been feeling guilty for not feeling my best due to current events.
I want to be healthy for the clients I work with and atm I'm not worried about not being able to function due to depression, just tired of taking care of myself.
2) Do you also get tired of self-care when you're feeling down? 2.5) And what do you do when you don't really want to take care of yourself? I still end up taking care of myself and reaching out to support system.
@sensibleKitten1753 Here are my thoughts…
1) It's usually thought to be OK for mental health workers to have mental health issues themselves, as long as they keep management informed and take appropriate action at those times when they can't perform effectively and safely.
2) Getting tired of self-care is a normal symptom of depression, as far as I know.
2.5) It's fairly common to have a written plan that reminds you what to do at those times when you don't really want to take care of yourself. It's the kind of thing therapists often work on with clients.
3) I know there wasn't a 3)—I just made one up 
There's a slight risk, when you work in mental health, that you can start to see mental ill-health as normal, just because most of the people you interact with have mental health issues of one kind or another. It's important to push back against that cognitive bias and remain as clear as you can about what's an illness and what's within the normal range of emotions and behaviours.
Charlie