“It’s not the load that weighs you down, it’s the way you carry it” – C.S. Lewis.
This has been a long year. For everyone. Personally, this has been the most challenging year I’ve experienced while working in healthcare. In addition to this business, I work part-time at a hospital in Washington providing outpatient occupational therapy services for a variety of patient populations. Although I feel incredibly grateful to have a job and steady income, I have struggled with burnout and fatigue throughout this pandemic. While it’s validating to know that it’s not “just me”, it’s unfortunate that burnout and compassion fatigue are turning into such a large problem with healthcare workers all over the world. Sure, things in our communities are starting to open up again and people are taking small steps towards “normal” in their daily lives. But things are far from “normal” in the healthcare world.
According to a systematic review that was published in May of 2021, health professionals are “among the highest risk occupational groups for compromised mental and physical health” 1. As a healthcare professional, this statistic doesn’t surprise me at all. But what can we do about it? Well, one thing we should be doing is yoga! Yoga has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, improve coping strategies in stressful situations, and decrease musculoskeletal pain. Just check out my past blog posts for proof! Long story short, I highly encourage getting into a regular yoga routine to help you get through these stressful times.
Here’s some free yoga & wellness resources:
10 Percent Happier: 7 free guided meditations are available on their website lasting anywhere from 1-10 minutes.
AloMoves: 14 day free trial for unlimited yoga, fitness, and meditation classes.
Amazon Prime Video: over 5,000 results for yoga videos are available for free with a Prime membership.
CorePower Yoga On Demand: Offers a handful of free yoga, sculpt, and mediation courses on their website. For access to over 300 additional classes, they offer a free 1 week trial ($19.99/mo after trial).
Do Yoga With Me: Free premium content for 2 months includes a variety of classes, challenges, and guided programs.
Fitness Blender: Offers a variety of free workout videos on their website, including HIIT and pilates. Bodyweight only lasses are available, or there are classes that utilize a range of equipment you may have at home.
Orange Theory At Home: Offers free dumbbell and bodyweight videos on their website.
Peloton App: Free for 30 days, no equipment required. This gives you access to thousands of classes including: strength, running, stretching, yoga, cycling, meditation, and bootcamps.
YouTube: YouTube has what seems like an infinite number of free fitness videos for all levels.
Other ways to help yourself:
- If yoga isn’t your jam, find another form of exercise that you enjoy.
- Make time for fun when you’re not working.
- Get enough sleep! Check out my blog post on bedtime yoga here.
- Utilize your company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services to talk to a counselor.
- Explore options to flex/reduce your work hours.
- Check out my previous blog post on dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression here.
**All links and information is current at time of publishing this post
I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to comment additional resources in the comment section to help each other out ♥
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please let me know in the comments if there are any other topics you would like to me address.
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References:
- Ciezar-Andersen, S. D., Hayden, K. A., & King-Shier, K. M. (2021). A systematic review of yoga interventions for helping health professionals and students. Complementary therapies in medicine, 58, 102704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102704
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