5 Simple COVID-19 Stress Tips for Healthcare Workers
For professionals in the Allied Health field, we are already prone to a stressful work environment. However, it seems that these recent times are going to make an already stressful job, that much more challenging. So instead of having a broom closet breakdown, here are 5 COVID-19 stress tips to help reduce pandemic-related stress. According to The American Journal of Managed Care (AMJC), “7 in 10 employees indicated in a survey that the COVID-19 pandemic has been the most stressful time of their entire professional career.” The need for COVID-19 stress tips is extremely apparent, however, more than tips may be needed to address the critical spike in mental health crises among health professionals. According to AMJC, “88% of workers reported experiencing moderate to extreme stress over the past 4 to 6 weeks. Among those reporting stress, 62% noted losing at least 1 hour a day in productivity and 32% lost at least 2 hours a day due to COVID-19–related stress.” Get Some Shut-Eye To begin our list of 5 simple COVID-19 Stress Tips, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Between rotating schedules, doubles, and over time it is no secret that health professionals might not be able to get a regular’s nights rest. However, finding the time to sleep, according to the American Institute of Stress, “reduces depression, weight gain, and high blood pressure.” Perhaps the biggest benefit of more regulated sleep is that it prevents the health issues related to insufficient sleep and stress, which creates a cyclical problem: Too much stress can cause you to rest poorly, leading to mental and physical health issues which can, again, in turn, cause stress in daily life, leading to poor sleep at night. COVID-19 Stress Tips #1: Switch to water or non-caffeinated beverages after lunchtime. Whenever you’re ready to lay down, make sure that you schedule yourself enough time to get a full night’s rest. Avoid excess sugar. Consider drinking herbal teas, like peppermint or chamomile, to help you to fall asleep. Consider listening to relaxing music. Invest in black-out curtains. Try to sleep in a quiet environment. Talk it Out With a Trusted Friend Before social distancing, the chances are less likely that after your shift you’d head straight home. Bars were open and most likely your social life was filled with a lot...
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