Stylists
AS EMPATHS

Stylists don’t just cut hair – they are confidants, friends, and make-shift therapists for their clients. Their empathetic nature can be incredibly rewarding but also has the potential to create challenges for their own well-being.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Speaker 1: The most challenging part about being a hair stylist is definitely dealing with mental health of others

Speaker 2: it’s having to take on everybody else’s mental health as well

Speaker 3: everybody come to the chair and tell you the problem and

Speaker 4: they sit in our chair and they talk us about their deepest problem

Speaker 5: we take on so many different emotions and different kinds of personalities that it’s easy to lose yourself

Speaker 2: you never really get to clock out

Speaker 6: because we are always uh people pleasers

Speaker 4: we carry a lot of burdens of our guests

Speaker 7: we get so used to taking care of everybody to where when we want to talk about what our struggles are we don’t really have an outlet

Speaker 8: and we can like take the struggles of our clients and kind of like bring them home with us

Speaker 9: with a client who’s also going through whatever in their life they’re going through sometimes you take that on

Speaker 1: it can be a lot for our mental health

Speaker 4: I love what I do but sometimes it can it can wear down on you

Stylists may find themselves not only sharing in their clients’ joys but also shouldering their sorrows and burdens and sometimes carrying those emotions home with them.

Trauma dumping, when someone unloads their emotional baggage onto someone else, is something that stylists are on the receiving end of all too often

Having to deal with your own feelings can be overwhelming enough – taking on the emotional burdens of others on top of your own without taking time to recharge can lead to mental health challenges, including burnout, compassion fatigue, and increased stress

Recognizing
Burnout & Compassion
Fatigue

Here are some of the common signs of burnout and compassion fatigue.

an infographic for recognizing commons signs of burnout such as declining performance, feeling cynical, feeling emotionally detached, and feeling drained and emotionally overwhelmed

Feeling drained, depleted, and emotionally overwhelmed by the demands of the job.
Feeling emotionally detached or cynical about being in the salon.
Declining performance, productivity, and satisfaction with one’s work often causing frustration.

Compassion fatigue, on the other hand, occurs when the emotional toll of empathizing with others becomes overwhelming, leading to a decrease in one’s ability to feel empathy and compassion.

Feeling emotionally drained.
Becoming more emotionally distant or numb in client interactions.
Increased irritability or frustration in response to client demands or challenges in the salon.

While everyone has a bad day or week, from time to time, ignoring the signs of burnout and compassion fatigue may lead to increased stress and mental health challenges. Learn some self-care strategies to help you perform your best.

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HOW’S
YOUR
MOOD?

Sometimes we don’t even realize that we’re struggling or can feel better – Check your mental health and find support through MHA Screening. Anonymous, free, and scientifically validated, it provides immediate results and valuable resources for your well-being.

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