It’s no secret that healthcare workers live busy and often stressful lives. While you feel concerned with the health and care of your patients, it can be easy to forget to hold yourself to those same standards. Despite the limited free time and challenging workload, it’s vital to establish a routine of caring for yourself. Here are some self-care tips for health professionals to help you begin.
Monitor Stress Levels
With a job as challenging and exhausting as healthcare, it’s important to keep an eye on your stress levels. Be aware of what affects you and how you act when stressed. Know your limits and obey them; don’t overextend yourself. When you get stressed, find a relaxation or meditation technique that helps you get back to normal. Everyone handles their emotions differently. However, the most important thing is to leave yourself room to work through it in a healthy, effective way.
Take Breaks
A busy workload makes it harder to take breaks—especially when it’s a job you’re passionate about. Nonetheless, breaks are key to a productive day. By giving yourself time to stop, relax, and slow down for a moment, you can come back to the job more focused than before. This doesn’t just include breaks during your shift, either. Take your vacation days when you have them—everyone needs time away once in a while. Prioritize your time off so you can completely focus and dedicate yourself when you return to work.
Evaluate Physical Health
Physical health may seem like a given, but it’s easy to forget even the basics when you have a lot on your plate. Make eating well and getting enough sleep a priority. Fit exercise into your routine and cut out bad habits like smoking or drinking heavily as well. Pay attention to what you’re doing at work as well. Ergonomic design and safe practices are important when it comes to self-care tips for health professionals. Make sure you take a moment to stretch and move around. Additionally, talk to a supervisor about incorporating better workplace safety elements. This could include a clear traffic flow through hallways and ergonomic echo exam tables and other equipment.