What do you do if your patient advocacy role is emotionally draining?

As a passionate patient advocate, prioritizing your well-being is crucial for maintaining your effectiveness and avoiding burnout. While it's natural to focus on others' needs, neglecting your own can hinder your ability to provide the best support. Practicing self-care is essential; set aside time for activities that rejuvenate you, such as exercise, meditation, or engaging in a hobby. Establishing a routine that includes regular breaks and time off is equally important. By taking care of yourself, you can sustain your emotional and physical health, enabling you to continue advocating for patients with passion and dedication.

I definitely agree with this-- being a patient advocate often involves putting others' needs before your own. If you don't take care of yourself as well, how can you take care of others? It's like the oxygen mask analogy-- how can you save others if you don't put your own oxygen mask on? Self-care is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Not making time for self-care leads to burnout. Be sure you are eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. Make time for personal interests and loved ones. Get outside for a bit. And, be sure to keep medical appointments and look out for your own health!

If your patient advocacy role is emotionally draining, it's important to set boundaries to protect your well-being. This involves establishing limits on the time, energy, and emotional investment you dedicate to advocacy work. Setting boundaries can include setting aside specific times for advocacy activities, limiting the number of cases you take on, and recognizing when you need to take a break to recharge. By setting boundaries, you can prevent burnout and ensure that you are able to continue advocating effectively for your patients.

Part of self-care is knowing how to set boundaries. This could look something like your typical work schedule, and not taking work home with you. Also, not tackling work on your days off, or simply saying "no" when your plate is already full.

If burnout gets really bad, it may be time to seek professional help. Talk to a counselor, therapist, or psychologist if the burnout interferes with other aspects of your life. More importantly, don't wait until it's too late-- don't be hanging by a thread and let it get so bad that you will be forced to take time off.

Leadership matters, supervision is critical in these roles to prevent Compassionate Fatigue. Have the discussion with the supervisor, seek help with EAP or another confidential source. Also, it is critical to balance your work and life. If you are having personal problems it is hard to come to work and not let it get to you even if it is subconsciously. Some things hit closer to home than others, know what they are and what triggers those emotions.... see if you can share the workload around those advocacy needs with someone else.