6 Simple Things You Can Do to Protect Your Mental Sanity While on the Job

Avoid Stress and Burnout with these Helpful Tips

Being a caregiver is an exhausting job. Besides the physical aspect, it can also be emotionally draining. Each day you are dealing with patients who may have a hard battle ahead of them or are reaching the end of their life. This is why it is so important to take steps to maintain your own mental health.

Check It At the Door

1Dealing with the ups and downs of the job is already hard enough without also adding on your personal problems. At the beginning of each work day, check your personal problems at the door. Those problems will still be there at the end of your shift and you can deal with them then. Setting these personal problems aside is an important step of being able to focus on your important work for the day.

Take a Moment

2When you feel the stress starting to pile on, take a moment to yourself when in between patients or during some down time. Do something you enjoy, like watching a fun short video online (cute animal videos make anyone feel better!) or take a few minutes to practice some meditative breathing. To help guide you through the process of calming breathing techniques or a short meditative session, consider downloading an app to your phone, such as Calm or Simple Habit Meditation.

Keep Calm and Carry On

3There will be situations where tensions run high since a person’s health is a very emotional and sensitive issue. When things get heated, remember to remain calm and collected. Show respect and speak politely, no matter how frustrated you may feel. By staying calm, it will help to diffuse the situation and hopefully ease the stress of everyone involved.

Practice Empathy

4We always think of showing empathy to our patients, but don’t forget to show it to your co-workers and even yourself as well. Everyone makes mistakes or has bad days. Don’t be too hard on yourself or your co-workers. Keep your chin up or offer encouragement to those who need it. Sharing an encouraging word with a teammate not only makes them feel better, but can also make you feel better. Remembering to not be your own worst critic will also save your own sanity. Remember that from every failure there is a lesson to be learned, so be kind to yourself and others.

Feed Your Mind

5Part of maintaining our mental health and keeping stress at bay means also taking time to eat a healthy meal. When we don’t have the energy to do what needs to be done, we can feel tired and foggy. This just adds undue stress to your day so remember to eat healthy, nutrient rich meals and have a snack when needed. And to also keep you at the top of your game, don’t forget to keep your mind sharp by reading, doing a puzzle or some other activity that requires a little thought. Keep a Sudoku or crossword puzzle book with you and work on it during breaks or down time.

Process Your Emotions

6Take time each day to process your emotions, whether it is after each emotional situation or at the end of your shift. Often, caregivers deal with high-intensity emotional situations that can leave you drained. Work through those emotions as bottling them up will only lead to burnout. It is also important to remember that it is okay to seek help when you need it. There is nothing embarrassing or wrong with speaking to a mental health professional to help you work through any issues you may be dealing with.

As a caregiver, we often give so much of ourselves. With this in mind, it is key to remember that you cannot care for others if you don’t first care for yourself. Remember to be kind to yourself and others. Take some time to decompress and to work through your emotions. By following these simple steps, you will help to reduce your daily stress and feelings of burnout.