When you work in healthcare, it can be easy to forget about your health. After all, more patients always need you, and their needs come first. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to do the good work that you do at work every day. The following tips will help keep you healthy while working in healthcare:
Know your risks.
If you’re working in healthcare, you might be at higher risk for certain health problems. To stay healthy, it’s important to know your risks and how to protect yourself.
- Learn about your risk factors for diseases and conditions that could cause serious illness. For example, being overweight or obese can raise the chances of developing diabetes or heart disease. Smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products may increase the risk of cancer and respiratory problems such as asthma.
- Figure out what’s important to you when it comes to staying healthy: Does it have low cholesterol? Or is it reducing high blood pressure? Thinking about these things may help you make healthier choices daily—like eating less saturated fat and exercising more often—that will allow you to reach your goals over time.*
Get weekly massages.
Massages are a great way to reduce stress and muscle tension in your body.
- Massage has been shown to help with sleep, circulation, anxiety, depression, and pain relief.
When you’re having trouble sleeping at night, nothing can be more frustrating than not being able to get your head on straight. A good massage will help calm the nerves so that you can relax and get quality shut-eye! And don’t worry if you’re worried about what it costs — most health insurance plans cover massage therapy sessions as part of their benefits package (if yours doesn’t already offer them for free).
Take a hot shower or bath before you go to sleep.
A warm bath or shower before bed is another great way to relax and unwind. Research suggests it may also reduce muscle soreness, stress, and anxiety, pain, and insomnia.
Do short bursts of exercise throughout the day if you can’t find time to go to the gym.
If you cannot find time to go to the gym, keep a few exercise bands or resistance bands in your bag and do some simple exercises while waiting for trains or buses.
You can also use these short bursts of energy as an opportunity to practice mindful movement, which involves paying attention to your body and how it feels as you move. Walking mindfully is one way of doing this. You can also try practicing yoga at home or just taking a break from work by lying down on the floor with some pillows underneath your head or back and allowing yourself some quiet time before returning to work mode again.
Keep a stress diary, and follow it up with an action plan.
Keeping a stress diary can help you identify the sources of your stress and develop solutions to reduce it. This is especially helpful if you aren’t sure where the problem stems from or if it seems like the source keeps changing. A stress diary can also help with tracking progress, setting goals for yourself, and staying motivated—because there are few things worse than working hard on something only to find that it isn’t working at all!
To keep track of your stress levels:
- Write down when you experience stressful situations each day (for example, when talking on the phone).
- Note how stressful these situations were (on a scale of 1-10) and whether their intensity has changed over time. If they do change, consider what might be causing this shift in intensity—could it be due to another person? Was there an external factor involved? Or maybe a combination?
- Rate how well-rested or anxious/fearful/upset/any other negative emotional words apply before entering into the said situation; then rate again after leaving said situation so as not to taint results by adding post-event thoughts or feelings into the data collection scheme!
Work on your attitude.
One of the best ways to stay healthy is to maintain a positive attitude. This can be difficult when you are stressed, but it’s important!
- Stay focused on the good things in life, and remember that everything will work itself out eventually.
- Be patient with yourself and others. For example: if your coworker is not meeting your expectations, don’t get angry—try being helpful instead! If there’s an issue at home, take time for yourself or reach out for help from a friend or family member instead of stressing about it all day long (or night). You’ll feel better in no time!
Healthcare workers have it rough, so remember to take care of yourself first!
Health care workers often have it rough. They work long hours and deal with a lot of stress. They are at high risk for burnout, depression and anxiety.
- Take care of yourself first!
- Get enough sleep!
- Eat well! Make sure you get 3 healthy meals daily (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). And don’t forget snacks in between meals if needed – that can be helpful too. Try to eat things like fruits or vegetables at least once every two hours throughout the day – these provide lots of vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need to stay healthy. Don’t forget about breakfast either – it’s important to start your day by eating some food in the morning, so you have energy throughout the day! Eating right will help keep you energized so that when it comes time for bedtime later on again tonight after work today has ended. Hopefully, be able to rest easy knowing full well how much better we’ve been doing lately overall health-wise since starting this new diet regimen out ourselves–not only do I feel better but also everyone around me has noticed as well since they’ve seen firsthand improvements within my mental state now thanks again!”
Conclusion
Overall, the medical field is an incredibly stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! By taking care of yourself first and prioritizing your mental health, you can ensure that you’re in tip-top shape for whatever comes your way.
Ready to Maximize Your Talent?
CHN Health Care Group can help you get the most out of your talent search. Our healthcare recruiters can put you in touch with experienced healthcare professionals. Plus, we’ll help you identify talented professionals who can help your organization deliver the best patient care. For more information about our healthcare staffing services, please contact us today.