Regardless of the nature of care that you provide as part of your employment or job, these caring careers can become increasingly stressful. Whether it is as a result of lack of capacity, less support staff, serious illness of patients and, or just the increased demand on these professionals. This article looks at why this is the case and what you can do to mitigate against these stresses and challenges related to working in the caring profession.
Work-related stress is a killer
Recent research (2019) has shown that over 83% of American workers have noted that they specifically suffer from work-related stressIt is one of the most stressed populations on earth, and these elevated levels of stresshave begun to affect the overall nature of work in America. Affecting the medical costs as well as absenteeism at the workplace across the country and in all sectors. The one sector that has been the most adversely affected by such workplace stress has been the care and nursing industry. The recent pandemic placed so many of these staff on the front lines, and many have had to deal with immeasurable suffering and sadness. The levels of stress in hospitals and nursinghave thus since been noted as some of the worst in any workplace in the US. There have just been so many adverse changes, the drop in nursing numbers, the great resignation, and the change in how people now ant to work (hybrid and remote) cannot work for all the nursing staff out there.
Things have begun to change in a noticeable manner, and the American labor market is moving towards a more employee-driven situation, with more support for stress-related conditions and challenges related to and incumbent in certain workplaces It is an ongoing change, and the aim is to ensure that the entire workforce is educated and aware of the importance of good mental health and wellbeingHowever, there are still those jobs that have become prone to higher levels of stress for workers, and these should be discussed and examined in more detail. The focus is on the caring professions and the stress inherent in these jobs.
Why caring too much can cause mental stresses and worry
They’re called the caring careers, and most of those who work in these careers are after a fulfilling job that is able to give them an opportunity at a sustainable long-term opportunity for work that helps others. However, the biggest drawback of these caring careers is the fact that those working in care often take too much on or try to do too much. It is difficult to shift responsibility to others when it may mean adversely affecting someone’s care. So, care workers and those in any care profession are often left to do more than they should simply because of a lack of staffing capacity across these sectors, a lack of teachers, nurses, elderly care workers and hospital support staff.
These caring careers are also a sector wherein you are likely to collaborate with clients on a life and death basis as well as with the ability to mold and develop young people. Both of which create a strong relationship or bond between the professional and the client. These relationships can also take a lot out of care professionals. They have a large number of clients and have to give of themselves in this way each time. Leaving many in these caring professions with no time nor energy to interact and engage with friends and family.
It has thus become increasingly apparent that the very careers that many have entered for a more relaxed way of life and to be able to help and support others have instead been linked and responsible for a huge amount of workplace stress and anxiety. This has had an enormous impact on the nursing and care sector as a whole, as the mental health and wellbeing of these workers have been in sharp decline. This further affects the levels of absenteeism, leading to reduced workplace motivation and, again, the staff shortages that are so common in hospitals, schools, and care as a whole.
It’s been said that when these workers care too much and end up with burnout and higher stress levels than a vast number of other careers.
How to mitigate against care work-related stress
The best way to mitigate against workplace stress if you are in a care career is to first realize and recognize where of what the stress triggers are. The triggers are what actually elicit the bodily response that we perceive as stress and anxiety. Knowing what these instances are and trying to avoid them is the first step.Avoiding these as much as possible or implementing activities that will serve to lift the mood and ease the tension.The caring profession or careers in care are a bit of a dilemma in that most people assume these careers as a means to give back and create a sense of fulfillment, and yet they can become some of the most stressful places of work that there is.
The best advice that you can be given is to work on your mental health and mental and emotional strength on a constant ongoing basis if you are in a caring career. The premise is that you will not be of any use as a care unless you look after yourself and ensure that your own mental, physical and emotional health is where you need it to be before you look to help others.
Looking after your mental health
Given that good mental health and wellbeing is not just about the lack of an illness but about ensuring an ongoing feeling of wellness, social, emotional, and physical health. Thus, there are a number of aspects and activities that you can do to work towards this.
Mindfulness
You don’t need a lot of time and space to practice mindfulness. Simply take a few moments and settle the mind, breathe deeply, and if you think it helps, chant or say a mantra-like.I’m a great person and a peaceful soul. This serves to calm and relax the mind and should be practiced on an ongoing basis whenever you feel the stress rising and anxiety peaking. It is about living in the moment and appreciatingyourselfThe words should have, could’ve been dropped from your language, and you need to just live in the moment.
Exercise and outdoors time
One of the best ways to relax and reduce stress is to exercise. You don’t have to join a gym and become a serious athlete. A regular walk stretches and a few minutes each day spent increasing your heart rate will be a great start. The more you exercise, the better you will feel. It is also proven that if you can do this outside,you are well on the way to an improved mindset and wellbeing
Sector-specific or role-specific support for mental health
The help and support provided for workers in the various caring industries by the professional bodies themselves have become ever more popular and something that is accessed by more staff than ever before. There has been a lot written about the self-care required for nurses, and it is a strategy that is being rolled out for many nursing services across the country. The realization that a fulfilling career such as nursing can become too stressful for many has required a number of changes to protect and support this sector of the workplace.
Know your limits
Therewill always be work pressures and people who need your help and support. The key to a long sustainable,stress-free role in care or in the caring professions is the ability to realize that you can’t help everyone and, in fact, since people don’t want to be helped at all. Furthermore, there are those who, even with your care and support, will probably still not make it, through no fault of tour own. This realization will save you a great deal of stress and anxiety as you build a career in nursingor care.
Conclusions
A career in care or in any of the caring careers, as mentioned in this article, has become incredibly popular around the globe. For many, the idea of joining a career path that is all about helping and supporting others is one of the noblest things to do. However, it is also important to be clear from the get-go that these careers have become some of the most rewarding but also the most stressful of our time. Dealing with real-life and death issues, health and wellbeing, or the education and development of others can be incredibly taxing. The ideas and suggestions as discussed herein will go a long way to making anyone in the care industry able to start looking after their own mental health. Starting to take care of your mental health now is important for yourcontinued wellbeing in the future.
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