You're dealing with consecutive long shifts in a crisis. How can you prevent burnout?

With how fast the world going and increasing demands that we are facing as healthcare professional nowadays, almost everyone working in a hospital had known or heard about a colleague or a friend who has gone through burnout with its consequences. - Maintain a good amount of rest and sleep, not just from time perspective but quality of sleep as well. - Exercise frequently. Make it a routine habit to exercise and do what you love. - Set boundaries and learn when to say "no". - Reduce overtime shifts as possible. Nothing worth your health. - Have someone in your life you can lean on and speak with. - There is no shame in seeking professional help. Better act early than go through the whole burnout spectrum.

There may be periods where crises don't allow total disinvolvement in minute-by-minute events. The key to staying engaged in crisis management while also allowing for critical "down time" (even if only for short periods of time) is trusting your team's judgment and knowing they understand the threshold between handling lower decisions at their level and interrupting your limited "downtime" for decisions you would prefer to address personally. During a crisis that took place over a period of 72 hours, I was able to retreat to my office for an hour or two, knowing that major developments would be quickly shared with me in order for me to return, while minor developments could simply be captured in a "round-up" brief for me to read later.

Having been in this position a number of times in my early career we need to understand the consequences of not being able to do 1 to 6 at all, or at least not very well. I worked in a team for APEC years ago where we got approximately 5 hours of sleep a day and worked most of the rest of the time for about 18 days. While we felt tired we did not understand the impact on our decision making, the risks of injury due to fatigue and the shortcuts we started to take. So while 1 to 6 should be the focus of an individual, leadership implementing strategies as a circuit breaker is more important. e.g. The physical and mental fatigue, An athlete (same operation) who regularly ran 3.30 KMs ran a 40 min 10km race event a week after the operation.

Lay off tha sugar Drink water Meats (if that’s ya thang), veggies, a lil fruits, nuts n berries Take Ya time chewing, enjoy tha textures a bit Smaller portions spaced out over eight hours

Eat nutritious meals to maintain energy levels. Incorporate a mix of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.

It may not seem like it but maximizing what you eat not only can have you feeling good physically but also mentally and emotion in a charged form such as an EOC activation. Making small modification to your favorite snacks is one way to combat long term sitting. One example is I like sour gummis so I get the healthier version with 3g (-97%) of sugar compared to what I use to get. Yes fruit is better but just being honest to share an example.

Again, do not be afraid to “press the envelope.” The nourishment of your people is paramount, and it is your responsibility to ensure they receive a balanced diet and stay well-hydrated. Oftentimes in a crisis environment, issues such as this seem to take a backseat, especially early in the event and when it involves troopers assigned to posts where they’re out of sight and out of mind. When you expect this situation, you will have a plan in place beforehand. Don’t wait for meals and hydration, instead procure a full kitchen, assign personnel you know already who have mess hall experience, buy food and hydration supplies in bulk. Meals are prepared, hydration is ever-ready and your people are thankful.

Tips that could help prevent burnout during consecutive long shifts in a crisis: 1. Take frequent short breaks in between long shifts to recharge your energy. Use these breaks to engage in activities that help you relax and refresh. 2. Get sufficient rest and sleep to recharge your energy and maintain your physical and mental well-being. 3.Focus on a healthy diet, stay hydrated, and avoid consuming too much caffeine or sugar that could lead to energy crashes. 4.Engage in mindfulness techniques such as meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises to relax your mind and body during breaks. 5.Reach out to colleagues or a therapist for support, sharing your difficulties or challenges that you may experience with consecutive long shifts.

Stay Connected; Keep in touch with family and friends for emotional support. Sharing your experiences can help alleviate stress.

As a very close team of coordinators, we do keep a rolling chat 24/7. Instead of one person needing to do everything, we task things out as they come so someone can take ownership and help alleviate anyone entering burn-out zone. Sometimes we can’t do things straight away because we’re tired and exhausted so doing this helps balance the team better.

Maintain communication with friends, family, and colleagues for emotional support. Sharing experiences and feelings can alleviate stress.

After more than 20+ years in various security and risk management roles, I've learned that crisis management is as much an art as it is a science. While we can't always predict the next crisis, we can certainly be better prepared. Here are just a few hard-earned (and in some cases, slowly learned) insights: - Anticipate: No crisis is entirely unpredictable. Scenario planning is crucial. - Decision Frameworks: Clear protocols reduce fatigue and ensure consistency. - Leadership Resilience: Prepare for prolonged stress periods. Experience is invaluable. Plans should evolve based on real-world lessons. While stress is inevitable, proper preparation and management can mitigate burnout and maintain effective response capabilities.

As a leader I had to chill, and nominate 3 people out of the leadership chain who could red card me. Then make sure I was delegating properly.

When stress rises in emergency it is usually externally driven, but internally escalated to the point of overwhelm. No one is expecting you to solve all the problems, tomorrow is uncharted, yesterday cannot be altered. Sadness is a sign of emotional health, risk is a conceptual danger not a real one, the situation I am in is not OK but I am alright right now. I can't tell you the value of making sure you tell yourself this. But my number one piece of advice is if you are asking the WHY? question - shift your mindset to ask the HOW? question. Not WHY did this happen but HOW do I respond, it will keep you in the moment and focus you on the hope and opportunity to make things better. Easy to say but takes discipline to master

Manage Stress; Practice stress-relief techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or light exercise. Identify stressors and find effective coping mechanisms.

Hopefully you have identified this as a potential gap/issue during your exercises. If you have, then implement the plan accordingly and continue to monitor teams. Organizations with advanced planning and limited resource restraints should ensure you get into a disciplined cadence from the word go. If you don’t have the tools, knowledge of this gap or the resources, you may struggle. Plan accordingly, maintain discipline and create an ongoing monitoring system.

Taking breaks is essential. Even 10 minutes of fresh air and walking around outside will help clear your mind, relax you and help you refocus and re-energize.

I agree Ian. And I’d add some science which tells us that the peak performance is somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5hrs, concentration span even less. A crisis is demanding, requiring ruthless focus and deep concentration. Breaks are key as are shifts. And then there the energy and emotional toll. The right foods and water are key. The latter are most often forgotten, neglected and/or poor choices are made. As they say, crises are defining moments.

During COVID times, our teams on the ground experienced burnouts due to longer shifts and extended stays in the office. As a learning, we further strengthened our program with the following strategies: 1. Preventing burnout during long shifts in a crisis involves regular briefings to mentally prepare the team, emphasizing resilience and acceptance of fatigue. 2. Comprehensive training and scenario-based drills ensure effective management. 3. Profiling team members based on strengths for optimal role allocation, and rotation to reduce stress. 4. Recognition programs are essential to keep the team motivated. 5. Providing necessary resources like food, rest areas, and medical supplies is crucial for maintaining team efficiency and resilience.

Having been in my fair share of hyper-extended incidents, the ability to breakdown the accomplishments of the day against established objectives is a clear and highly visible understanding of how you contributed to the response. It marks your direct involvement and permits an almost immediate bio-feedback to your expended energies. I look at this type of daily review in the same way I play golf. I may play horribly in 17 out of 18 holes, but there is ALWAYS that one hole which I play well and keeps me coming back!!

Schedule Breaks: Ensure regular, short breaks throughout your shift to rest and recharge. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to maintain energy levels and focus. Healthy Snacks: Eat nutritious snacks to keep your energy up without a crash. Sleep: Prioritize sleep during off-hours, aiming for quality rest. Delegate Tasks: Share responsibilities with colleagues to avoid overburdening yourself. Mindfulness: Practice quick mindfulness or breathing exercises to manage stress. Physical Activity: Incorporate light stretching or short walks to stay physically active. Support System: Talk to peers or a support network about your experiences and feelings. Limit Caffeine: Avoid excessive caffeine, which can lead to crashes and disrupt sleep.

This is really important and personally I do a lot of self reflection with my wife on a daily basis. I have a great support network and my wife, my family and colleagues are always supportive to my role. Within my team, we try and do some catch ups outside of work to wind down and talk things out. This has helped us grow closer together and lean on one another when times are tough.

L'Importance de la Présence Dans un monde où tout va vite, il est facile de se laisser emporter par le tourbillon des taches et des obligations. Prendre un moment pour être présent, que ce soit en savourant un café le matin ou en écoutant un ami, nous permet de nous reconnecter à nous-mêmes et aux autres. La pleine conscience, même dans les gestes les plus simples, peut transformer notre perception du quotidien Apprendre des échecs Chaque échec est une occasion d'apprentissage. Au lieu de voir les erreurs comme des obstacles, nous pouvons les considérer comme des étapes sur notre chemin. Réfléchir à ce que nous avons appris d'une situation difficile peut nous aider à grandir et à nous améliorer.