It can be challenging to prioritize your needs when your day is devoted to caring for others. Your profession requires a lot of empathy that helps people find relief from their acute, chronic, and sometimes even emotional and mental problems. This can lead to burnout which will eventually reflect in your performance at work.
This article focuses on how you can show up to work as your best self. Check out some self-care tips for better emotional and mental well-being as a healthcare worker.
Warning Signs of Mental and Emotional Burnout
Mental and emotional wellness are two distinct concepts. Your mental health consists of your emotional, psychological, and social well-being which influences your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Mental health also has something to do with stress management, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making abilities.
Meanwhile, your emotional health involves being aware of your emotions and being able to regulate and convey them appropriately, depending on the context. So, emotional health is just one of the many aspects that make up a person’s mental health. When checking signs of burnout, pay attention to the following:
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Changes in eating patterns
- Interacting differently with others
- Loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
- Constant fatigue
- Lack of concentration and focus
- Isolation
- Headaches, stomachaches, excess fear/anxiety with no medical cause
Being Proactive With Mental and Emotional Self-Care
When nurturing your emotional and mental wellness, set physical, emotional, and professional boundaries between you and your customers so that you can feel in control of your overall well-being. For instance, you need to know when it’s time to keep a safe distance when clients overshare their problems with you and refer them to another healthcare provider if it becomes too emotionally challenging.
You can break free from a downward spiral and prevent burnout by staying mindful and proactive about your emotional and mental well-being through the following tips:
- Pay attention to your body signals.
Being happy and content as a massage therapist can be undermined by physical discomfort or a busy schedule. Pay attention when you have injuries and rest during your massage therapy schedule to recharge physically and mentally.
Do a quick warm-up before the start of your shift to increase your body’s efficiency. Use a range of techniques with your hands, fingers, forearms, and elbows to avoid straining these parts during the massage. - Drink and eat properly.
Proper hydration and nutrition can affect your mood and energy level. For instance, hunger can make you cranky which might make a bad impression on your clients. Meanwhile, staying hydrated helps combat fatigue and keeps you focused and alert throughout the day at work. - What happens at work stays at work.
Constantly thinking about your clients, your schedule, and your workload is putting yourself at risk for burnout. Separate personal from professional matters by creating separate emails and contact numbers for work and personal messages and calls.
Setting these boundaries at the onset with your clients and co-workers will give you the time away to recharge.
- Have self-compassion.
Practice self-compassion to avoid negative self-talk and cultivate a more positive mindset. Acknowledge how you’re feeling and avoid justifying the situation that hurt you (for example, a client was unsatisfied with your work or a co-worker made rude remarks about you).
Another way to practice self-compassion is through mindfulness meditation. Taking a few minutes each day to sit quietly and focus on your breathing can help you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions.
Find Wellness With Your Work and Self-Care as a Massage Therapist
Mental and emotional self-care is an ongoing process. You can’t wellness this overnight since it requires regular attention and practice. Just like your clients, you are also a human being going through the motions of life. By prioritizing your mental and emotional well-being, you will be better equipped to provide the best possible care to your clients.
At Seattle Massage Oasis, we help our clients feel relief from their pain points, and we also make sure that our staff is in their best condition and gets the self-care they need. We are able to provide our valuable clients with 10 hours of deep tissue and injury treatment massages daily, without any discomfort.
Book an appointment with us today.