Maybe you woke up today and felt frustrated, weary and even a little overwhelmed. Life can be like that sometimes. Especially when we are facing the economic and operational challenges in health, assisted living and social/long term care. But all the bad stuff, all the hard days, huge obstacles and mountains we climb happen for a reason… (believe it or not, it’s not a cliché)
Perhaps we should look at building resilience in a different perspective? Is burnout prevention built by walking the tough stuff?
The tough days build us up and shape capacity, capabilities and resilience, these are the essentials of preventing stress and burnout, ironically, they cause it too. We need to stop and realize how far we’ve come and what has and is being accomplished. All to often in the moment we are too busy fighting to survive. You may have fallen down, stumbled a bit or lost your way a time or two, but you’re still here…still going. There is strength in continuing the journey despite the falls, but burnout prevention has to be based upon how we learn from these experiences.
The key to stress busting is knowing those doubts about our strength and bravery are fallacy, you’ve actually proven them wrong and will continue to do so! You are here for such a time as this.
Whilst we never ask for the challenges (we are not sadists) we have always found a way and managed to rise above and learnt from the experience. This is resilience. Every moment is where you’re meant to be. Maybe it’s not where you expected to be or what we wanted but every moment matters and builds on our coping mechanisms, it’s how we can navigate the future and still keep on keeping on.
So, How do we tap into this resilience being built within?
Believe in yourself.
Find your reason to keep going- yourself, your loved ones, your happiness-and then push forward.
Do the things you said you never would be able to.
Chase the dreams you never thought possible.
Find the moments in your life that have brought joy and taught you to be taller, stronger and better than you have been before and use these learnings to guide your way
Remember those who are for you, far outweigh those whom are against
Happiness isn’t always about the big things, there’s tremendous beauty in the small stuff, too. Celebrate the small stuff but don’t sweat over it. You are being forged into your best self. Always strive to find the why in the circumstance, that’s the learning, it’s the very thing that prevents burnout. Make this your daily reality and drive yourself to be the change you wish to see.
Remember that you have the power within to keep on keeping on and whilst doing so, fulfilling your purpose and becoming your best self. The key to preventing burnout is to feed your mind, body and soul.
Remember our ten self care strategies to stay the distance…
- Don’t chase anyone
- Don’t beg someone to stay
- Know your worth
- Save space for people who matter
- Accept what cannot be changed
- Leave what isn’t for you
- Prioritise Yourself
- Actions Over Words win every time
- Happiness Over Everything – intentionally look for the happiness in moments, they are always there
- Love yourself
Starting with you, starting with today. You got this.
REFERENCES
Otto MCB, Van Ruysseveldt J, Hoefsmit N, Dam KV. The Development of a Proactive Burnout Prevention Inventory: How Employees Can Contribute to Reduce Burnout Risks. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 5;17(5):1711. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051711. PMID: 32151047; PMCID: PMC7084396.
Chen, J.; Ghardallou, W.; Comite, U.; Ahmad, N.; Ryu, H.B.; Ariza-Montes, A.; Han, H. Managing Hospital Employees’ Burnout through Transformational Leadership: The Role of Resilience, Role Clarity, and Intrinsic Motivation. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19,10941. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijerph191710941
Seichter, Nicole. (2018). Strengths-based Stress and Burnout Prevention for Nurse Leaders. Nurse Leader. 16. 249-252. 10.1016/j.mnl.2018.05.005.
Moriano JA, Molero F, Laguía A, Mikulincer M, Shaver PR. Security Providing Leadership: A Job Resource to Prevent Employees’ Burnout. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 28;18(23):12551. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182312551. PMID: 34886276; PMCID: PMC8657187.
Moss, J. Preventing Burnout Is About Empathetic Leadership. 2022 Sept 28. Harvard Business Review.
Kelly, R.J., Hearld, L.R. Burnout and Leadership Style in Behavioral Health Care: a Literature Review. J Behav Health Serv Res 47, 581–600 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09679-z
RN (Australia)
Managing Director MCM
and Grandson of wonderful human beings who lived with dementia