Take Care of Yourself: The Ripple Effect of Self-Care for Coaches
Coaching presents both a powerful process and an intense journey for coaches, often prioritizing client growth at the expense of personal well-being. Yet, striking a balance and prioritizing self-care is essential. Ignoring one’s own well-being can lead to burnout, diminishing a coach’s capacity to effectively support others. Self-care is not about indulgence or pampering oneself — it is about preserving the mental and emotional resources essential for guiding clients through transformative experiences.
As Christian van Nieuwerburgh, a coach and researcher who studies the connection between coaching, health, and well-being, puts it:
“It is not self-indulgent to look after our well-being,” he says. “If we are not well, we will not be able to provide the kind of quality of presence and safe space required for effective coaching.”
When coaches make self-care a priority, they enhance their effectiveness, resilience, and overall impact on their clients and the wider world.
How Self-Care Benefits the Coach
Coaches, like others in helping professions, are at , which can lead to compassion fatigue and caregiver burnout. Reflect on the energy required to focus and be present during a coaching session. Do you feel drained afterward?
To address these feelings, many coaches adopt self-care practices, seeking support, setting boundaries, and promoting a healthy work-life balance. Here are a few tips from fellow coaches that could help you get started:
- Pay attention to how you are feeling, and then think about the tools your client might need in a similar moment to be well. Seek out those tools for yourself.
- Space your coaching sessions so that you have time to breathe, reflect, and process your emotions.
- Practice self-compassion and postpone a coaching session if needed.
Many additional options and resources are available to help you create a self-care routine that best suits your schedule and needs.
Impact of a Coach’s Self-Care on the Client
A coach’s well-being is not isolated — it can impact the quality of a coaching session and the effectiveness of the coaching process. Someone who is stressed, exhausted, or unwell may experience self-doubt, struggle to identify critical moments in a conversation, or make judgments less effectively. Also, clients may sense a coach’s emotions, impacting their engagement during a session.
“Clients can sense a coach’s emotions in less than a second, so taking time to care for ourselves, exercise, or meditate — these things help us to be in the right frame of mind with our clients,” shares ICF Thought Leadership Institute Wisdom Weaver Badri Bajaj, PCC.
Research shows that self-care can improve our overall sense of well-being, leading to increased engagement, creativity, and feelings of fulfillment. This, in turn, can help coaches maintain their presence during coaching sessions, enabling them to more effectively help clients realize their full potential. One approach could be to start your coaching sessions with a self-care practice. Doing so could be beneficial to both you and your client.
How a Coach’s Self-Care Can Benefit the Wider World
Studies have documented that the effects of coaching extend far beyond the individual client. The impacts ripple out to clients’ colleagues, family members, communities, and even society at large. Integrating well-being and self-care as part of your coaching fosters a positive ripple effect in the world.
When you are well-equipped to care for yourself, you are more capable of supporting your clients, and your behavior might also inspire your clients. Coaches who prioritize their own well-being set a positive example, encouraging clients to do the same by fostering a culture of holistic wellness within coaching relationships.
Another avenue for self-care and nurturing your well-being is in building connections of support. Through these connections, you can share best practices, challenges, and tips with other professionals like you. Expanding these connections into networks of fellow helpers and care providers can create opportunities to advocate for collective well-being through equitable access to community wellness services and other efforts.
Summary
By understanding the importance of self-care, coaches can actively work to counteract caregiver burnout and compassion fatigue that can become occupational hazards. By investing in their own well-being, coaches enhance their effectiveness and resilience and model healthy behavior for their clients, peers, and the profession as a whole.
As coaches continue to embrace the importance of self-care, they pave the way for a future where coaching is not just about guiding others toward success but also about nurturing the well-being of those who facilitate that journey.
Learn more about new self-care strategies you can implement into your routine.
Alicia Hullinger, PhD (USA)
Alicia Hullinger, PhD, leads the global platform for futures thinking on how coaching drives societal well-being as the executive director/vice president of the ICF Thought Leadership Institute. A cultural sociologist, she collaborates with change agents who are committed to elevating human potential and increasing overall well-being for people and planet. Formerly a social entrepreneur, Alicia advised on cooperative models, sustainability, alternative agriculture, social movements, and coaching research. Holding a doctorate in sociology from the University of Kentucky and a coach training certification from Coach Academy International, her diverse background shapes a holistic approach to problem-solving. Among her many publications, Alicia collaborated with ICF Thought Leadership Institute researchers to publish “The Grand Challenge for Research on the Future of Coaching” in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.
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