Here's how you can cultivate resilience to combat career burnout as a case manager.

The brief says it all: "taking care of yourself is not a luxury, but a necessity for doing your job well". If you are in a role where you are not facilitated to look after yourself, take your breaks, switch off etc., burnout is coming your way. Managing complex cases, dealing with challenging situations, handling crises and all the other aspects of Case Management can take their toll, but remember that if you are not able to look after yourself, that will take a bigger tll, first on you, and then on the people you support. Start with your workspace, make it welcoming, keep it tidy so that every morning you come in to a clean space and a clear mind, get plants, make sure you have access to fresh water, have systems to make your job easier...

It's common in the healthcare field to feel responsibility for patient outcomes, especially for nurses. If you find yourself overwhelmed by this burden too frequently, burnout is inevitable. Remind yourself that you are not alone and share your feelings with a supervisor or co-worker. Delegate tasks when you can. Treat yourself with the same care and empathy you extend to your patients. Eat right, exercise, stay hydrated and take mental health breaks.

This is critical in complex case management. You will be dealing with some heavy stuff, people who are hurting, situations that are terrible for people, and they are coming to YOU for support. Have empathy, have compassion, but don't internalise the feelings that emerge. It does not mean you are a cruel and emotionless person if you switch off from other people's challenges when you finish work. It's in their interest that you DO switch off, so you can recharge for the next day (see Self Care First section) and be there for them again. Don't take things personally, it's generally always not about you! Have boundaries with your team also, particularly when it comes to self care and workload.

If you are overwhelmed, get up from your desk and walk to a colleagues desk. Say hello, tell them you are under pressure. You'll be amazed at the benefit of something so simple. It doesn't have to be another Case Manager, someone else on your team who is linked to the same goals as you is fine! If you can access another case manager, ask them their advice on a situation. That's powerful. People love to be seen as helpful, so they will help willingly when you ask, and thereupon you have instigated the peer support and peer learning that you need. Remember to return the favour for them! It's not a sign of weakness to ask for help or to admit that you are struggling. Go for it.

Mindfulness doesn't have to look like every single image you have ever seen online of a relaxed looking person in comfortable clothes sitting on a cushion in a wonderfully sunlit space, or in a field of sunflowers. Here's what it looks like: You, sitting at your desk, with your eyes closed for 30 seconds, just breathing. No sunflowers or cushions required (keep that for the weekend when you can set it up right!). Mindfulness can be done anywhere, pretty much anytime. It does not have to be perfect. As you read this, say out loud what you can see, what you can smell and what you can hear. How long did that take? 7 seconds? You've just done mindfulness, you're a winner! ?

One way to start with mindfulness is to silence the electronics. We are clever animals that make wonderful machines, but the research says that the more we use them, the more miserable we are. Setting the boundary to silence them, even for 10 minutes, can be helpful. There is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique that Ronan is referring to: 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. Taking 10 minutes to consciously check in with these things really helps.