Leadership

Tips for Prioritizing Your Mental Health and Wellness

By Amanda Walker, CPCS, CPMSM

On Oct. 10, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and World Health Organization observe World Mental Health Day, which is intended to educate, advocate against social stigma, and raise awareness around mental health. Fittingly, the 2024 theme is: “It’s time to prioritize mental health in the workplace.”

In announcing the 2024 theme, Tsuyoshi Akiyama, WFMH president, stated, “Employed adults spend more time working than any other activity during their waking hours. In myriad ways and at its best, work can provide a livelihood and be a source of meaning, purpose, and joy. However, for too many people, work falls far short of its potential, failing to enhance our lives and detracting from our mental health and well-being in ways that result in excessive distress and mental ill health.”

For those of us working in healthcare, this especially rings true as we navigate the challenges of a fractured system exacerbated by all the events of the last few years. Everything feels as though it has more urgency without the structure to support that demand. As medical services professionals, we have always worked through the need to do things faster with less while maintaining quality, so being expected to manage the impossible can seem par for the course. We often pride ourselves on our resilience and ability to rise to the challenge, but in the midst of that, we do not always recognize our own limits and burnout. We are human and need balance. With this in mind, here are some ways to prioritize your own mental health:

Prioritize self-care: This can look different for different people. It may be working on a routine sleep schedule, remembering to drink enough water, or making time to go to the dentist or your primary care practitioner.

Take breaks and time off: That email that you just must send can be sent after you’ve stepped away and will likely be better written after a break. We are more productive when we take breaks and refresh our minds, so it behooves everyone to take that time. Take your vacations — really take the vacation, switch off the email, and do not take the laptop.

Exercise and get outdoors: I know, the “E” word. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous and involve a gym. It can be just walking around the block or using your break time to stretch and recalibrate.

Connect with others: Sometimes, especially if you work from home, this can be difficult and takes more effort. But it’s important to make those connections as it often adjusts your perspective.

Set boundaries: You can’t do everything for everyone all the time. “No” is a complete sentence, and it is OK to be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Set realistic timelines for tasks and projects, and ask for deadline dates to reinforce clear expectations.

Prioritize your time: It’s often not that you’re doing too much, but you’re doing too many of the things that don’t bring you joy. Stay busy but with things that you are interested in and passionate about.

If you’re burned out, even the above list can feel like just one more thing that you’re supposed to be doing. Some days you will nail it and feel balanced and refreshed, and some days you’ll feel like a rabid racoon looking for his next garbage can. More than anything, give yourself grace and be kind to yourself. Each day is a new opportunity to start anew.