Here's how you can build resilience as a patient advocate.

Understanding the nature of stress and its impact on your body and mind is the first step in building resilience. As a patient advocate, you regularly encounter stressful situations, which can lead to burnout if not managed properly. Recognize the signs of stress, such as irritability, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating. By acknowledging these indicators early, you can take proactive steps to mitigate stress, such as practicing deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, or seeking support from peers. It's important to remember that managing stress is not a sign of weakness but rather a strategy for maintaining your capacity to help others.

I’m not a caregiver myself. But from caregivers I have worked with. I can see how interacting and sharing with other caregivers in the same situation can bring some relief. I can only relate it to motherhood. Finding your tribe makes everything more manageable. You realise it’s not only you and is ok to feel stressed.

Remember to maintain control of your agenda. Allowing others to fill it with tasks that don't align with your vision as a patient advocate can lead to stress and frustration. When you feel irritated or overwhelmed, take a moment to pause, reflect, and make a new calibration of your focus. Regain control by realigning your tasks with your advocacy goals. Prolonged stress can nurture negative thoughts and feelings, undermining the passion and drive that once used to fuel your days and give you energy. By managing stress and staying true to your vision, you can maintain your effectiveness and enthusiasm in your advocacy efforts for many long good and effective years.

Patient advocacy is a powerful force for change, but it can also be emotionally demanding. Here's how to cultivate resilience: 1. Self-Care is Key: Prioritize sleep, healthy eating, and exercise. These fuel your body and mind for the fight. 2. Find Your Support Network: Connect with other advocates, online communities, fora. Share your experiences and learn from others. 3. Celebrate Victories (Big & Small): Acknowledge your progress, no matter how incremental. Every step forward counts! 4. Manage Stress: Practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing to stay calm and focused. Following these steps will help you be a resilient & effective advocate and make a real difference!

Stress is a big problem that triggers many alterations in the patient's body and mind.You have to understand the patient and try to provide mechanisms that help them, such as listening to them, allowing them to be visited by their loved ones so that they have a more bearable stay.

Being a patient advocate does not mean you are available 24/7 to complete tasks for others. True advocacy is about having a clear vision and acting in a resilient manner to fulfill that vision. If you allow others to set your agenda, you will never achieve your goals. Instead, you risk being used until your energy reserves are completely depleted. Set clear boundaries to protect your well-being and maintain your focus on what truly matters.

Define your role: Clearly understand your responsibilities and limitations as a patient advocate. This will help you set realistic expectations for yourself and others. Communicate effectively: Clearly communicate your boundaries to patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Be assertive yet respectful when expressing your needs and limitations. Prioritize self-care: Make self-care a priority to prevent burnout. This includes setting aside time for relaxation, hobbies, exercise, and socializing. Learn to say no: It's okay to decline additional responsibilities or requests that exceed your capacity. Saying no respectfully can help you avoid overcommitting and maintain your well-being. and seek support

Say no more often. Cancel plans you're not into. Turn your phone off an hour before in an hour after work. Set boundaries for yourself and don't expect management to set them for you.

Actually I agree with this, it is important to understand negotiable and non-negotiable boundaries and compassionately communicate this to the service users to build a healthy therapeutic relationship.

Boundaries are negotiable… as long as you’re respectful and have good intentions. Everything is about taking the time to see another’s perspective and really putting yourself in there shoes. Also… never judge a book by its cover or a person by their appearance… Most people, if you explain yourself and your limitations , they are willing to accommodate you.

Build relationships: Establish and maintain positive relationships with patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and other advocates. Genuine connections can provide support and encouragement during challenging times. Attend support groups: Joining patient advocacy or support groups can help you connect with others who share similar experiences. These groups can provide a sense of community and understanding. Network: Attend conferences, workshops, and events related to patient advocacy to expand your network. Networking can help you exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, and access resources. Collaborate: Collaborate with other advocates, healthcare professionals, and organizations to amplify your impact.

Trabajo en equipo, familia, amigos que incondicionalmente estan siempre para apoyar, ayudar y comprender las situaciones de estres

Remember, you co-workers are on the same boat. Talk to them about cases that keep you awake at night. Also, feel comfortable talking to other members of the team, those that may be taking care of same patients and had experiences with them as well. Remember, it takes a village.

Connect with people that are not patent advocates so that you maintain a broader perspective and see the other perspective. You're already surrounded by healthcare providers, supportive personnel etc and it would be better to understand what you're fighting for and advocating for if you surround yourself with artists musicians etc.. don't stay in in the echo chamber.

In order to survive as a healthy human being, we need the connection and support of others. Whether it is a shoulder to cry on or a sounding board for your concerns and ideas. Having someone in your corner to support you in your journey of life is so important.

Continuous education: Stay updated with the latest developments in healthcare, patient rights, and advocacy strategies. Attend workshops, webinars, and conferences to expand your knowledge and skills. Seek feedback: Request feedback from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to understand how you can improve your advocacy efforts. Use feedback as an opportunity for growth and learning. Reflect on experiences: Regularly reflect on your advocacy experiences to identify what worked well and what could be improved. Learning from past experiences can help you become a more effective advocate. Stay open-minded: Be open to new ideas, perspectives, and approaches to advocacy.

Aprende otra cosa!! Haz algo que te guste, fuera de tu circulo!! Haz algo distinto!! Esto genera otro enfoque al estres y situaciones dificiles, mejorando asi tu resilencia

Learning is already part of the curriculum. Whether you embrace it or not you're going to be required to formally continue your education. I'd recommend looking at a social work framework of supervisor and supervisee relationship where you can examine in a safe and healthy environment what you need to learn from.. including language setting boundaries therapeutic modalities etc. everything that you're expected to know as a nurse but they never taught you..

Though this question is centered around patient advocacy, I will admit I don't like the term "patient advocacy." We really should be using the term "human advocacy." We are humans. Humans are emotional. Emotions cause stress and are a result of stress. If we can advocate for ourselves and other humans, we can improve our ability to practice self care and also to respect and encourage others to do so as well. Practicing self care sets a good example for others (i.e, humans). At the end of the day, patient advocacy IS human advocacy, is it not?

Physical self-care: Exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and get enough sleep. Physical health is closely linked to mental and emotional well-being. Emotional self-care: Take time to identify and process your emotions. Practice mindfulness, meditation, or journaling to help manage stress and enhance emotional resilience. Set boundaries: Establish boundaries to protect your time and energy. Learn to say no to additional commitments that may overwhelm you. Seek support: Build a support network of friends, family, or fellow advocates. Talking to others about your experiences can provide perspective and validation.

Self-care is incredibly important, yet one of my best ways to deal with difficult patients is to discuss these cases, over and over again, with your colleagues. Vent as much as you need, talk the anguish away, and remember, it is almost never personal.

It is very important to understand that in order to take care of others, we must first learn to take care of ourselves.Let's adopt measures that help us relax the body and mind, take care of our diet and take adequate rest to renew energy.By having our health in optimal conditions we can help our patients recover.

Don't participate in work potlucks. Your hemoglobin a1c cholesterol etc are all going to go through the roof because all you're doing is eating all day.. engaging self-care by limiting how much unhealthy food you have at work and exercising every single day that you do have work.. Engaging activities that are completely unrelated to healthcare and stop talking about nursing all the time.

Journaling: Keep a journal to record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences as a patient advocate. Regularly reviewing your journal can help you identify patterns, insights, and areas for growth. Self-assessment: Take time to assess your advocacy efforts and outcomes. Reflect on what went well, what could have been improved, and what you learned from each experience. Feedback: Seek feedback from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Use their insights to reflect on your advocacy approach and make adjustments as needed. Goal setting: Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your advocacy work. Regularly review your progress toward these goals and adjust your strategies as needed.

Adaptability: Be flexible and open to change. Healthcare systems and policies can be complex and constantly evolving, so adaptability is key to navigating challenges effectively.

Reflecting on my practice regularly & identifying what’s working well and what I can improve is essential to my growth as a professional in providing quality care & also in maintaining resiliency. I find journaling helpful. Writing out goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time oriented along with a learning plan to achieve the goals is helpful. It’s the same process of coming up with goals and a treatment plan for my patients/clients but for myself. I found team reflection quite powerful in maintaining resiliency as a group. Debriefing sessions to discuss what worked well &any opportunities for improvement on issues such as communication, leadership, team work & processes was helpful.

You need a conviction in your heart of the importance of your engagement. And you need to have a long term vision about what your efforts will bring if you are consistent and resilient for the time it will take to make your voice not only heard, but also accepted by those who can help you bring change. Remember 3-5 years is a short period of time when you set out to change the world to the better.

In my RM role, I addressed multiple patients' complaints. I admit-many of them were silly, made out of spite, some were made because of anger/inability to control their situation, many, of course, were absolutely substantiated and required actions on my part, however, despite of the nature of complaint, investigation had to be conducted. Here is what I learned-regardless of what people say, most of the time it is not personal. Naturally, any threats have to be taken seriously, otherwise, everything else is just human behavior in the moment of stress. Many people are gracious and thankful, while others-just rude. Yet, it is not directed at you, it is just an unhealthy way people deal with their problems. We have to learn to rise above.