You’re a healthcare professional with a heavy workload. How can you make time for self-care?

Our self care needs need to be a synthesis of work life balance vis-à-vis the demands of our daily life. If we are able to achieve the balance, it will personify our priorities and how we want to achieve the best for our own wellbeing.

Identify what is suitable for you regarding your self-care. Never underestimate the simple healthy practice of taking enough water. Take a rest often, it is ok to prioritize your health.

Healthcare workers can enhance their well-being and sustain high-quality patient care by prioritizing self-care. This involves being self-aware, managing time efficiently, using breaks for quick practices, seeking support, maintaining physical health, engaging in mind-body exercises, and practicing self-compassion. By incorporating these strategies into their busy schedules, healthcare professionals can prevent burnout, boost their resilience, and ensure that they continue to deliver excellent care to their patients.

Being a healthcare professional myself, I have learnt to compartmentalise and draw the line between work and personal life. Thats the key to a work-life balance. The workload does drain you mentally and physically, therefore when I am out if the uniform, I switch off the nurse in me and live my life as a father, a son, a friend, a brother. I make it a point to go on at least 1 week of annual leave every 3 months. This is to disengage myself from the work and totally shut it off. Whenever required, I can always turn on the switch. Nurses being passionate as we are, we still need to live our lives. Go out, have fun, do whatever makes u happy. Once u are fulfilled, u will come back to be a better nurse all around.

Advice on making time and creaing balance are nice but won’t help without real motivation to implement them. Many healthcare professionals put others first. Without shifting mindset and seeing self-care as urgent, random advice won’t make a difference. Create a list of consequences of neglecting self-care, and the impact they will have on your career and personal life. Reflect on this daily will help with that gradual mindset change. Meanwhile, consider easy habits like taking stairs at work, stretching between patients, and prepping one healthy lunch per week. Habits like these lay the foundation for that mindset change. At that point, as the expert of your life, you will know which of all the available advice to pick and choose.

Having productive conversations with family or strangers in certain situations might be a game changer in your self-care. Go for social events and network with people of diverse backgrounds. Start your day with a positive mindset??

Don't wait for "free time" to appear magically. Schedule self-care activities in your calendar, similar to how you would schedule work appointments. Even 10-minute mini-breaks throughout the day can make a difference. For example I schedule ME Time slots in my calendar. Or “meeting with myself”. When it comes to wellbeing you don’t have time you make time!

With a back-to-back schedule, the last thing you need, IMHO is another strict schedule. So I say change things up as and when you feel the need to. Including diet. Schedules can get monotonous to where we don't do anything.

Know when you are neglecting your self-care. It could be not taking enough rest, make sure you monitor your self-care practices. When you are drifting from your track, persist in going for the healthy lifestyle you have chosen.

Mental health is very essential to every single individual and medical practitioners should not be left out of the right to enjoy stable mental health and even general well-being therefore essential rest and relaxation should be encouraged among health care practionals.

Just like any other aspect of health, self-care requires monitoring and adjustment. Track your mood, energy levels, and sleep quality. Reflect on whether your chosen activities are making a positive impact. Be willing to experiment and adjust your self-care routine as needed. What you don’t measure doesn’t exist.

Although you work in healthcare you are not Superman. You are a human being. With ups and downs. With bad days and lots of emotions. Don't underestimate the power of seeking help when needed. Talk to a trusted friend, colleague, therapist, or your primary care physician. Sharing your burdens and exploring coping mechanisms can be incredibly beneficial, especially when facing burnout or feeling overwhelmed. Find healthy coping mechanisms. Suport groups, meditating, social connections therapist.

From my point of view and my experience it’s very important to set boundaries. Learn to say "no" to additional responsibilities when you're already overloaded. I’ve learned that lesson on the hard way. Saying “no” or “not now” it totally normal. Delegate Tasks. Another thing that I’ve learned on the hard way. But it makes a big difference for your wellbeing. If possible, delegate tasks to colleagues or utilize technology to streamline workflows. Another important aspect to consider is to disconnect and recharge. Schedule regular breaks away from work, even if it's just a few hours to relax and recharge. Sometimes you need to slow down to go fast. And last but not least: prioritize healthy meals, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep.

For self care to work ; we also need to know what our own priorities are. Is it a means to an end? Or an end in itself? What are we trying to achieve on the horizon with this concept of self care ? I am no oracle but I do feel self realisation (denial, acceptance & progress) will lead to a better opportunity to how we can achieve serendipity.

Give yourself a break. Literally. When I had a heavy schedule, I'd take a break between each client and take a few breaths of fresh air. Difficult if you work in a highrise building, even so walking up and down the hallway for a couple of minutes can empty your mind between clients/patients.