Self-care tips for frontline workers

Stay away from the media

During such scary times, it’s natural to feel like you want to stay abreast of every little piece of news that’s coming in. However, with your work already being incredibly stressful and centred around everything that’s going on, give yourself permission to switch off from the news. Any information that’s important for you and your job will be given to you by your management as soon as necessary.

Allowing yourself to be sucked into a cycle of working in a stressful place all day, then coming home and continuing that stressful environment means you’ll quickly burn out mentally. If you hate the idea of not knowing what’s going on, consider following an account such as Simple Politics on Instagram so you can get key information, without hours of information overload.

Allow yourself to have fun

Just because we’re in lockdown, doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to enjoy ourselves. It can be hard not to feel guilty for enjoying yourself when so much is happening around you, particularly if you work in a role such as the NHS where you’re surrounded by difficult situations day in and day out. However, give yourself a break. It’s ok to come home, put your favourite slippers on and have a laugh on Skype with a friend or watch silly videos on YouTube. Having fun and enjoying yourself will actually help you do your job better, as you’ll be more positive.

Need inspiration? Read my article on How to Pass the Time When You’re Self-Isolating

Take up meditation

Now more than ever is a great time to try to get into meditation. It can be as simple or complicated as you like, and it will make all the difference in the long run to your emotional state throughout these trying times. Meditation doesn’t just have to be done at home – you can practice it whilst on a break at work, on the bus on the way home or at night before bed, to give yourself space to breathe, relax and reboot during a stressful time.

We asked Sian, our resident therapist, to give us a quick guided hypnosis to help you quieten your mind and learn how to take some time for yourself to relax and decompress after a stressful day at work. Watch the video here.

Embrace alone time

Some key workers have been forced to move out of their family home to protect their loved ones from possibly catching the virus, others may already have been living alone, and some may just be trying to carve out some much-needed “me time”. Whatever your alone time looks like, try to make the most of it.

If you’re living alone or have had to move away from your family for the time being, it can feel incredibly lonely to suddenly not be able to pop round to a friend’s house at the weekend or be able to put your children to bed. Try to see it as some much-needed downtime to allow your brain to switch off from the chaos of the day. Enjoy your favourite tv show with no interruptions, cook your favourite dinner or order from your favourite takeaway as a treat. Take some time to meditate or get an early night and catch up on some sleep.

If you’re still around your family (maybe even more than usual now they’re at home all the time), finding time for yourself is important to help you recover from the day and ready you for your next shift. Ask your partner to take care of the children or amuse himself for a couple of hours whilst you engage in some of your favourite solo-activities, like a relaxing bubble bath, practicing yoga or just sitting down and doing a jigsaw, some knitting or one of your favourite hobbies.

Try to switch off during this alone time. Let your mind be calm and try to think of things other than work, the news and what’s happening at the moment.

Whatever your frontline job is, try to maintain a positive mindset and remember – it won’t be like this forever.