Working on the frontline allows for very little respite and there is limited time to step aside and get self-care. This is a psychologically demanding time for health and social care staff, and knowing how to manage the demands on your nervous system is imperative for preventing burnout.  

The physical benefits of compassion

Compassion and self-care are essential antidotes to hyper-arousal and periods of high stress, and it helps you calm down your complex nervous system. When you take time for yourself, you trigger the ventral vagal parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for your feelings of safety and a chance to restore yourself.

There are limits for everyone and in order to keep going you will need to find some recharge points in your day. Make an effort to side step any self-talk that gets in the way of doing self-care. Some examples of negative thinking include “my colleagues are working so hard, why should I need a break?”, or “they can all cope better than me.”  These thoughts can make you feel guilty for needing a pause and doing the things that will ultimately help you stay mentally fit. 

How to use a pause

To make sure your fuel tank isn’t used up too quickly, aim to stop from time to time, and top it up with things that slow your nervous system down. For example, a few minutes of deep and slow breathing, or smelling a favourite scent and imagining the pleasant images that come to mind with that. Top tip: olfaction is a primitive but very fast route to a mindful grounding moment! Keep a bottle of something smelly in your pocket for a quick whiff from time to time.

Here are a few ways to make space and time for self-care:

• Build a collection of items that focus your senses, like pleasant smells (perfumes, plants, aroma diffusers) to arouse your positive emotion;

• Include items that are textural, to focus your mind, smooth or rough objects (stones, coral, shells), for zoning out and taking a break from intensity;

• Have a supply of sweets around to be sucked or chewed mindfully. 

• To focus a mind that’s resistant to slowing, colouring sheets can distract and ground, or just a pen and paper to doodle. 

Social contact

Self-care can be hard to do alone, and it can be easier to share this mentality with a like-minded and supportive group of people. These days you may need your colleagues to look out for you, and vice versa, to rally positive emotions and see the immense value of what you are doing as a group.  

A friendly voice or touch (through PPE) or just smiley eye contact can mean a lot and provide a boost to morale and self-confidence. Why not suggest a drink break or time out for even 10 minutes together. 

Compassion literally means to ‘suffer with’ someone, to understand their suffering and to connect with them and offer support. This is part of your nurturing, empathic, care-giving system, and is a big part of why you chose to do the job that you do! You may find this is being tested and under strain, but it’s important to recognise how helpful it can be to your wellbeing. The qualities of strength, wisdom, kindness and moral courage can increase your resilience individually and as a team. Encouraging colleagues to enter the self-care zone is a necessary element of looking out for each other. 

How to get compassion-focused

Here are a few audio clips that can help you get into the zone of self-compassion. They are great for a pause, and can help you get a little breather throughout your shift.