Maintaining our Wellbeing as Clinicians

Hi everyone, This is a great post, such an important topic and one I've been reflecting over properly over the past six months.

What sorts of tasks/strategies do you do to support your wellbeing as clinicians? Burnout is a real thing, unfortunately...I feel that I've been sucked into some of the negativity and aimlessness that happens during a couple of places I've been and this doesn't help. I think for me, one of the most useful things has been to reflect on what I actually enjoy, and what I really think, rather than go along with the flow and to 'absorb' the culture of the place (which has been negative or just lacking in focus/enthusiasm). It has helped for me to reflect whether it's what I actually think, or whether I think that because the place I'm at is contributing to how I think and feel. My workplace has been running 30 minute, guided meditation sessions once a week for staff, and it's counted as work time/professional development. It's not just for Occupational Therapists, but for any staff working at this hospital.. and I've found that it has really helped. I'm a chronic over-thinker at the best of times and so it has helped me to calm my mind and to do something for me - as a result, it has helped my work and improved my practice. Otherwise, I try to switch off when I'm not at work - getting back into my creative hobbies such as photography. Playing squash a couple of times a week, getting out and about over the weekends. Naturally it's a bit different now being in lockdown due to COVID-19, but I can still find ways of keeping this up. Just looks a bit different at the moment. I've also been terrible at planning my annual leave and so this year, we used part of my supervision session to plan out my leave throughout the year and to make sure I had a long weekend booked in for each month. Overall, a lot of reflection this year and giving myself permission to put up some boundaries after years of just doing a little bit more and adding on bits and pieces to my own workload. I'm hoping that this will help me to enjoy where I'm at more.

Listening to my body, if I feel so tired/ lethargic or physically unwell most evenings I clear the next weekend of to give me a break.

I speak to my partner regular to get work difficulties off my chest to avoid keeping work in mind all evening

I engage in physical exercise regularly to reduce stress levels

I eat well, thinking about a balanced diet

Mindfulness and relaxation help to give ma break

Reflective practice and regular supervision is important

I plan social engagement and make sure I see friends at least every other week/ once a week if

I use very similar strategies, with the addition of high intensity exercise (eg. running and martial arts) which is proven to give an antidepressant effect for 12-24 hours post training. Unfortunately, I too am feeling burnout and I am hating my role in Mental Health after 10 years. Luckily there are other OT areas, that I am interested in. Life is too short to grind on in a job that I now hate. I am currently applying for different OT roles and I can’t wait to start something new! Even the thought of change makes me feel better!

glad to see this post, came up in conversation this week. Yoga is my new goal (doing it once a week in a class with others and giving all moves a go even if I’m having a not very bendy day). Helps so much with mental focus and total time out. have done meditation before but there’s something really powerful about that first sensation of touching the mat with my hands and feet, grounds me and I search for that sensation during the working day. It helps a lot. refueling my body as it’s easy to forget to eat and drink, and reminding myself that everything is temporary including emotion.especially because I become a right diva when my blood sugar drops!.....

I originally shared this on Facebook but was asked to cross post here. I hope somebody finds it useful.

I have been qualified for 5 years and currently work as a Senior Specialist OT in an NHS wheelchair service in England

Strategies.

I have a significant commute. I work 40 miles and 1 hour away from home. I've worked closer but realised this is a valuable part of my general wellbeing. This is time to calm down, to reflect and to generally leave the day at work. I have Audible and Spotify subscriptions and I use them both. Equally there are days when I travel in silence. Learn to listen to what your body needs. I have a song that makes me cry every time I listen to it (Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls or This Is How It Feels by Inspiral Carpets). The value of a good cry is massively underestimated. I also have uplifting songs (Paloma Faith - Your Own Kind of Music or Elbow - A Day Like This). I find music is important to me generally though and if I didn't spend as much as I do on going to see live music then I might even be able to afford a holiday every year!

I remember that I am one person and my impact is limited. That as long as I have completed the day to the best of my abilities then I have done all I can do. I cannot fix everybody and everything. Sometimes the best I can do is signpost or raise somebody else's awareness of the problem at hand.

I have somewhere outside of my clinical lead/line manager to seek personal supervision. I have a degree of personal mental health history and trauma background and I am aware that I sometimes bring this to work with me. I am also pretty poor at times objectifying my own experiences and actions. I see a counsellor at least once a month. Sometimes this is about making headway on my own stuff, sometimes this is about working through something that has happened at work. In previous posts I've had supervisors outside of my clinical team for "mentorship" with a clinical lead for management and clinical supervision.

Structure. I have incredible structure within my working day. I make sure that no matter what happens, 30 minutes before my day ends I prepare for the following day's clinic. Without this I feel adrift and it means I can ensure that any likely problems can be addressed before the day and especially before I have a client sitting in front of me.

This works for me, find what works for you, experiment. I'm able to do this because I have amazing support from my husband who makes sure I have food on the table when I get home. I work in a service which encourages structure by way of clinics and rosters. This structure allows space to respond to the unexpected. I understand my limits and have worked hard to understand and implement boundaries. Sometimes this irritates the life out of colleagues but ultimately they know that if I say I will do something it will definitely happen. If I say I can't do something then they know I'm being honest and this gives the opportunity for somebody else to pick up if they have more capacity than I do.

The most important thing to remember is that your first priority must ALWAYS be to your own wellbeing. If you do not care for yourself then you are unable to be reliable for others.

Working in a small team with a demanding caseload and complex client group can be difficult. And really hard to switch off and take care of yourself. I try to connect with colleagues at every opportunity and prioritise supervision sessions as a structured way of identifying areas of concern. A 5 minutes walk around the building mindfully is a great stress buster. Try to do something that’s meaningful to you in the evening- cook, take a nightclass, visit a friend, go out running. Something that is totally engaging so you can achieve flow is brilliant for your wellbeing. Gardening does it for me every time!!

Great to hear this been shared I'm interested in if you have access to supervision as a time to reflect on issues and consider how practice can impact on your well being and resilience.

I know this difficulty all too well @Thalia. You've raised a universal challenge for so many of us working in healthcare. Out of interest, which of the strategies that you mention above do you find makes the biggest difference to your wellbeing? And/or is easiest to maintain? I'm finding that starting is the hardest part; breaking the cycle and establishing that weekly/daily routine....

Here in Sweden we OT talk about "sustainable working life". Everything from making sure you get paid well enough to have the opportunity to engage in meaningful activates and make sure you have a good pension when you retire, to having a stress free workplace with support from your boss and colleagues.

Personally being able to say no and know that my boss support my decision weighs in a lot.

Awesome post! Worthy of consideration by every therapist out there! We'll get sharing it this week.