In order to look after others, it's important to look after yourself.
2020 was a particularly difficult year for those working in healthcare, and any optimism that 2021 would bring some reprieve has been short-lived. Unfortunately, the first month of 2021 has seen us face the worst the pandemic has yet had to offer. With that in mind, it is more important than ever to take care of our mental health. And a great way to do this is by developing a mindfulness practice that fits in with our daily lives at this challenging time.
A simple way to define mindfulness is as a method of paying attention to and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives. Mindfulness will not eliminate life’s pressures, but it can help us to alleviate some of the emotional and psychological ones. This allows us to respond to events in a calmer manner and offers benefits for our heart, head and body.
There is an abundance of resources around that offer various ways to help you include mindfulness in your day. We have searched multiple sources to bring you five that we think offer some of the best tips and skills to help you get through.
Dr Tracey Marks: How Mindfulness Helps Stress – 4 Ways to Do It
Ever wondered what the science behind mindfulness is? Dr Tracey Marks gives a comprehensive explanation of the practice, how it’s useful and how to do it.
Headspace: Breathing Exercises
Headspace is one of the most well-known mindfulness and mediation apps. They offer lots of courses and guided meditations, but one of their best tools is the guided breathing exercises, which run from one minute up to half an hour.
Dr Lucy Hone: The Three Secrets of Resilient People
Dr Lucy Hone started off working with survivors of the Christchurch earthquake. However, an unimaginable tragedy close to home took her and her work to a far darker place. In this powerful talk, Dr Lucy Hone shares three strategies to foster resilience when facing adversity.
Jo Simpson: The Courage to Trust Yourself
How much do you trust your own decision making? Do you get that little niggle at the back of your head that makes you question your choices? Jo Simpson is a leading authority on values-based leadership and in this talk she gives us a glimpse into listening to our instincts.
The School of Life: Self Compassion
It’s easier to be tough on ourselves than it is to be kind. But that is incredibly damaging to our self esteem and self-confidence, and is particularly unhelpful during a time of such intense pressure. This five-minute video by The School of Life explains the importance of self-compassion and offers six steps to help develop yours.
As mentioned, there is a universe of mindfulness resources available. The above are just a few that we thought might be relevant to the challenges currently being faced by healthcare workers. They are not a panacea for the pressures, but instead an opportunity to make small changes to your day. A moment here and there to offer a small respite.
Special thanks goes to Jo Heeson for contributing research.