Self-care for helpers

Self-care ideas

Safety plan for yourself

A crucial way to support someone who is experiencing abuse is by helping them create a safety plan. This is also a good step for people who are supporting survivors, as many partners who choose to abuse will threaten or intimidate the survivors’ support system to try and isolate the survivor. By having your own safety plan, you can ensure that you are safe and still able to support the survivor in the best way.

Process what you are hearing

When you are supporting someone in an abusive relationship, you may hear some very scary things. Even if you are not directly witnessing or experiencing abuse, it can still be traumatizing to hear what someone you care about is going through. Secondary trauma is the impact of hearing or witnessing traumatic events and can have a negative impact on functioning and overall mental health. It is important to find ways to process the emotions and mental images that you are experiencing by supporting a survivor. Journaling or meditation can be helpful tools to process complex emotions, as well as art therapy or individual counseling. By processing those emotions, you can make sure that you are not numbed to your loved one’s experiences and can still offer the best support.

Understand you cannot solve everything and take that pressure off yourself

When someone is experiencing abuse, their partner is controlling most aspects of their life: who they can see, what they can do, how they spend their time, etc. It is important to never take control of the survivor’s situation, no matter how it may seem from your perspective. You are not responsible for rescuing them from their relationship. Realizing that our best help comes in the form of support can help take pressure off helpers and eliminates the stress of “saving” someone.

Know your limits

There are some things that you witness or hear about an abusive relationship that may be overwhelming. That is normal and does not mean you are a bad person or not supportive. Each person has their own limits and comforts with traumatic information and knowing what you are comfortable with is important. It may be that you are comfortable providing emotional and material support to a friend, but you don’t feel safe offering them a safe place to stay. Or perhaps you want to help with documenting the abuse, but that is all you feel able to do. That is okay. It is important to know your limits so you can offer the best support possible without causing yourself unnecessary stress.

Have your own support system

An important part of supporting someone is ensuring that you are being supported and cared for as well. When helpers have a support system, they feel better resourced and able to handle the challenges that may come with supporting someone in an abusive relationship. While you may not be able to share everything the survivor is experiencing, being able to spend time with people you care about can do a lot for your own wellbeing.

Bring joy into your life

Hearing about the abuse or pain that someone is going through can be tough. It can put people in a negative headspace and may cause them to feel that there are no good things in the world. It is important to do things that are joyful and fun to remind yourself that there is still good in the world. This could include watching a favorite TV show, going on a hike, or laughing with friends. This is also a great way to support someone who is experiencing abuse, so they know that there is joy outside of the abuse.