Nourishing practices for hectic life as Healthcare worker

You hold space for others in their most distressing times. You are the glue that holds it together: nurses, psychologists, doctors, mental health workers, paramedics, social workers. You have made it your trade.

However, can we accept that normalizing high-stress workplaces, witnessing despair or trauma is detrimental to the humans that work here? We know that repressing emotions is not healthy and that eventually it will all need to be expressed.

Tools to nourish and regulate your nervous system

Let's explore ways to maintain sanity at work, release some of the pressure on the spot, and promote wellbeing in our Wild environments.

Learn to regulate your vagus nerve, this long cranial nerve that impacts the impulses of flight or fight, fawn or freeze behaviors. The ventral part of the vagus nerve branches out in the lungs, at the diaphragm and surrounds your heart. By learning and practicing regular breathwork, you will tame the responses and expand your window of tolerance to external stress. You will find many benefits such as regaining clarity and calmness, as you deep breathe and slow your respiratory rate (try 30-60 seconds). 

Gentle yoga can assist in stress management.

We encourage you to be open to try new modalities of healing and release, for example:

• Yin yoga uses movement and Chinese meridian science to regulate and release tension, just like Acupuncture. It is a slow yoga practice where you hold poses for a longer time, release the tension held in the muscles' fascia, and find calm in the mind. 
• Music therapy and reiki use vibrational energy and frequency to release stress, and store up tension in the body's cells. You may be one atom away from a huge release! Don't be afraid, they are gentle practices for the soul, and you might like the relaxation you experience afterwards. 

Practice compassion and patience, healing is not linear. Don't forget that a combination of personal practices, modalities with therapy or coaching can enhance each other. 

If you are experiencing distressing emotions that you cannot manage, or need immediate assistance, seek help today.

Call LifeLine 131114 (in Australia, 24/7).

This blog is managed by individuals to open conversations about the wellbeing of healthcare workers, and is not monitored 24/7. We are not a psychology service nor urgent care for mental health emergencies. The information is only suggestive, it does not constitute formal expert advice. Please contact your general physician or your emergency department if you require immediate assistance. If you experience feelings or emotional distress you cannot manage alone, please seek help immediately, either call 000 or LifeLine 13 11 14 (in Australia). 

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