Connection helps
Working in healthcare asks a lot of you. It tends to be a physically demanding career, often with long hours on your feet and caring for a large number of people. It can also take a big emotional toll, as you’re often caring for people who may be sick, frightened, grieving or in pain.
Something that can make this tough job easier is your colleagues. When you feel connected to your coworkers, you don’t have to shoulder the stress of the role alone — you’re in it together.
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is all about Belonging, so it’s a timely reminder to take stock of your workplace connections. If you’re feeling a little disconnected, here are some ideas to help you tap back into your at-work support network.
We’re often taught not to complain. But in a healthcare setting, having a ‘productive whinge’ can be really healthy. Instead of bottling up that difficult patient interaction or challenging result, let it out. This gets it off your chest and it also shows your coworkers that you’re there to listen when they need to do the same.
Even though you work in a difficult environment, you don’t need to adopt a morose, serious personality. You can be the kindest, most compassionate carer in the world — and still laugh at silly things in the break room, or be worrying about your own problems while helping others through theirs. You’re not a robot: you’re a person. Showing up to your colleagues as your authentic, quirky self will help you make stronger connections, and you’ll be able to talk about things other than work.
Sometimes everyone knows it’s been a rough one, but then the shift ends and people go their separate ways. Sometimes, a debrief in a group chat — or a phone call with a colleague on your commute home — can be a sanity saver, and help you avoid taking all that stress home.
To make a gross generalisation, many healthcare workers are excellent at giving others support, but can find it hard to let people look out for them. But if people are trying to look out for you, let them in. Let them make you that cup of tea and check up on you. It’ll make you both feel better.
You might need to get a little creative about what connection looks like. Can you join a Facebook group or start your own WhatsApp group with people in the same profession? Do you have people you can meet locally once a month for a coffee? This might feel like extra work, but having people in your corner will help protect against burnout in the long run. It’s worth the effort.
It’s often said that healthcare workers are angels on earth — and although the sentiment behind this is nice, it can sometimes put carers on a pedestal and imply they don’t need the same level of support as others. That’s simply not true. You do incredible, essential, generous work — but you have needs, and it’s okay to honour them.
Mental Health Awareness Week — ideas and resources for building connection and belonging.
Doctors Health Aotearoa — support and wellbeing resources for doctors and medical students, including information about counselling, peer support and services available to Health NZ staff.
Health NZ wellbeing support — find free mental wellbeing support available around Aotearoa.
Mental Health Awareness Week support services — helplines and other support services, including free call or text 1737 at any time.