The following is information for frontline workers to help identify and manage stress.
Some Changes in Yourself or Your Work Environment May Include:
- Increased anxiety about your and others health
- Increased demand for shifts and hours at work
- Increased workload and expectations
- Increased expectations for cleanliness and infection control
- Loneliness from losing contact with friends and family
- Anger about potentially being exposed to virus due to others’ negligence
- Worry over the length of time the risk to the novel coronavirus will last
- Helplessness about being unable to help others (if quarantined or ill)
- Irritability or restlessness about being unable to work (if quarantined or ill)
Normal Feelings:
- During this time, it is normal to be stressed
- During this time, is normal to have many other feelings (i.e., anger, fear, etc).
- Ignoring the feelings can mean they will come out in other ways, such as:
- Exploding at someone else
- Keeping you awake when trying to sleep
- Instead acknowledge the feelings and practice the strategies below to cope
Do Self-Care:
- Do things that help you feel better
- Examples of self-care are:
- Exercising (try exercising outside to get vitamin D)
- Watching your favourite videos, TV shows, or movies
- Listening to your favourite music
- Doing something that makes you laugh (particularly deep, belly laughing)
- Spending time with family (this includes pets)
- Self-care is different for everyone, so engage in things that work for you
- Do things that will recharge you if exhausted (e.g., music instead of a 10 km run)
- Examples of things that are not self-care include consuming alcohol and/or drugs
- They may help in the short-term but over time, may cause fatigue, distress, etc.
Notice Self-Talk:
- ‘Self-talk’ are the things we tell ourselves
- Self-talk can be unconscious, which means that we are not aware of it
- If self-talk is unhealthy, it can create burnout, emotional issues, problems at home/work
- Self-talk like “I can’t stop” may cause you to work too much and neglect yourself/others
- To change unhealthy self-talk, ask “What am I thinking?” then reframe it
- Reframe it to something healthy, such as “I can stop at home and relax”
- Other examples of reframing self-talk includes:
- “No one cares” to “My supervisor may not care but my work friends do”
- “People are stupid” to “I will make a difference by handling this better”
- “Everyone needs me” to “I will take breaks and ask for help”
Challenge Guilt:
- In high pressure situations, it is easy to blame yourself and feel guilty about things
- Our brain is programmed to notice the negative
- Stop and remind yourself of the positive – there likely were some good things too
- If you make a mistake, remind yourself of all the things you’ve done right that day
- Don’t play the “I shoulda” game because it doesn’t help – focus on doing well now
- Recognize that you are dealing with new situations, where mistakes can happen
- Recognize that others may make some mistakes as they deal with new situations too
- If you’re concerned that you’re making too many mistakes:
- Briefly review protocols or procedures you’re unsure of
- Do more self-care to recharge
- Talk to someone about it
- Above all, know that your role is very important and don’t forget that by helping others, you’re doing a difficult job that many people cannot do.
Friends & Family:
- You may be talking with friends and family members much less
- You may experience stigma by friends or family members:
- Because they’re concerned you’ve contracted the virus through work
- You may also be isolated because you are self-quarantining
- Whatever the situation, you may be seeing friends and family much less
- It is more important now than ever to stay connected to people in your life
- Maintain your relationships through text, phone, or live video stream
Talk to a Licensed Professional:
- You are likely in your job because you are caring and calm during stressful times
- Over time, it is normal for people who are caring and calm to feel stressed themselves
- It is a sign of strength and bravery to trust someone and talk about problems
- It can be helpful to talk to a licensed professional, such as a Registered Psychologist
- Getting help may allow you to feel better and create strategies to manage stress
- The better you feel psychologically, the better you are able to help others
Dr. Erin Buhr
Registered Psychologist
