The past few years have brought us all new and challenging experiences. For many of us, learning how to cope and overcome these situations has been a work in progress – but for healthcare professionals, these times have demanded they be resilient. Caring for some of the most vulnerable populations during a global pandemic requires you to have the strength to think of others before yourself.

However, understandably, having this sense of perseverance doesn’t come easy. Plenty of people, even healthcare workers, may feel discouraged or helpless. If this sounds like you – don’t worry! There are different practices and techniques to help us build resilience.

So, what has allowed healthcare workers to continue to feel empowered and optimistic? One study from the National Library of Medicine shares that some factors that lead to personal strength among healthcare workers are mindfulness, self-care, gratitude, and social support.

Here are some ways to try to incorporate each of these practices into your life, inspired by healthcare workers.

• Mindfulness – While mindfulness may not seem like your thing, it may be worth a try. Mindfulness is a great tactic to calm the mind and manage your emotions. Being mindful can be as simple as giving your full attention to a task. For example, when you wash your hands or drive to work – try to only focus on the task at hand. If your mind wanders to other topics, like an issue at work or tonight’s plans, that’s okay – try to refocus. That’s meditation!
• Self-Care – For healthcare workers with busy schedules, is so crucial to take care of their mental and physical health. Whether it is eating a balanced diet and drinking water, sleeping, exercising, or even going to see a mental healthcare professional – without self-care, everything feels more difficult.
• Gratitude – When you’re going through something challenging, gratitude may be the last thing you feel. However, taking notice of even one thing you are grateful for each day can help you focus on the positive and improve your mood.
• Social Support – Don’t forget you are not alone. Lean on each other when you need support and seek people going through the same things. Make sure that you not only find support in the workplace but try your best to make time to chat with a friend or a family member. Time spent with loved ones, even for a short time, can make all the difference.

 

The beauty of these practices is that they are up to interpretation. They can mean many things to different people but still foster confidence and build resilience. There are small ways to incorporate each of these into your life without adding stress because that’s definitely not the goal here.

At Loretto, we have many resources to improve resiliency and empower our employees. From employee events that encourage teamwork and social support, to Employee Assistance Programs, learn more about how Loretto can support you: https://lorettocny.org/about-us/careers/

Resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8565454/