Maintaining Your Mental Health as a Healthcare Professional|eMedEvents

 When caring for others is your job, it is crucial to prioritize your own health and wellbeing. All too often, healthcare professionals and medical staff overlook self-care due to their preoccupation with the health of their patients. However, leaving your own needs unmet often results in strain on your mental health, which can have negative effects on your career and your capacity to care for others.

The healthcare industry is fast-paced and chaotic; it is frighteningly common for healthcare professionals to get swept up in their work and fail to realize their own deteriorating health until they reach a breaking point. It is vital to pay close attention to your own body so that you can detect symptoms of stress—or even mental illness—early on and address them as you would for one of your patients.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a monumental strain placed upon healthcare professionals, particularly those who were on the frontlines for the initial pandemic response. Heavy workloads, long shifts, rapidly-changing situations, lack of physical/psychological safety, moral conflicts, perceived job security, workplace bullying, and a lack of social support are just a few of the variables that lead to higher stress among healthcare professionals. Burnout, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other ailments often emerge from the psychological distress that follows persistent exposure to these situations.