How can you prevent burnout when dealing with difficult patients?

1 Recognize the signs

The first step to prevent burnout is to recognize the signs that you are feeling overwhelmed or drained. Common indicators of burnout include exhaustion, irritability, and depression; a lack of interest or motivation; difficulty concentrating or making decisions; physical symptoms such as headaches or insomnia; social isolation; and a negative attitude towards colleagues or patients. If you notice any of these signs, it's important to take action and seek help. Don't ignore your feelings or hope they will dissipate; burnout can have serious consequences for your health and career.

2 Set boundaries

Another way to prevent burnout is to set boundaries with your patients and yourself. Boundaries are the limits that you establish to protect your time, energy, and resources. Establishing boundaries can be challenging, especially if you are used to pleasing others or avoiding conflict. However, communicating your expectations and needs clearly and respectfully, saying no to unreasonable requests or demands, delegating tasks or referring patients to other resources when appropriate, managing your workload and prioritizing tasks, avoiding taking on too much responsibility or guilt, and respecting your own limits and needs are all essential for your well-being and effectiveness as a patient advocate.

3 Practice empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Practicing empathy can help you prevent burnout by enabling you to see the situation from the patient's perspective, reducing the emotional impact of their behavior or words, building rapport and trust, finding common ground and solutions, and ultimately, enhancing your satisfaction and fulfillment in your work. To practice empathy, you need to listen actively, ask open-ended questions, acknowledge the patient's emotions, and express your support and compassion. Although it doesn't mean that you must agree with everything the patient says or does or sacrifice your own needs or values, it does mean that you must respect and validate their experience and feelings, even if they are different from yours.

4 Seek support

Seeking support is an effective strategy to prevent burnout. You don't have to handle difficult patients on your own. Consider reaching out to your colleagues or peers for advice, feedback, or encouragement; your supervisor or manager for guidance, resources, or recognition; your friends or family for emotional and practical support; a therapist or counselor to help with stress, anxiety, or depression; and a mentor or coach to develop skills, confidence, and goals. Seeking support can help reduce stress, vent emotions, gain new perspectives, learn new strategies, and feel more connected and appreciated.

5 Take care of yourself

The last but not least tip to prevent burnout is to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Doing so can boost your energy and resilience, improve your mood and outlook, enhance your health and immunity, restore your balance and harmony, and increase your creativity and productivity. To achieve this, you should get enough sleep and rest, eat a balanced and nutritious diet, exercise regularly and stay active, engage in hobbies or activities that you enjoy, meditate, relax, or practice mindfulness, express your feelings and thoughts, and celebrate your achievements and strengths. Taking care of yourself is not selfish or indulgent but rather necessary for your well-being and performance as a patient advocate.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?