Managing expectations as a healthcare worker during the coronavirus

Thank you to Beyond Blue for their recent article which discusses managing expectations as a healthcare worker during the coronavirus.

Read the full article which expands on what you can do via this link: https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au/impacts-on-my-work/essential-services/managing-expectations-as-a-healthcare-worker.html

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Dealing with COVID-19 on the frontline as a healthcare professional and being labelled a “hero” means it’s more important than ever to look after your mental health and wellbeing.

As a nation, Australia has made a concerted effort to say “thank you” to our healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s deserved and appropriate, but it can also have an unhelpful side-effect.

“As the pandemic has gone on, we’ve seen healthcare workers being applauded from the streets, on wards and in newspapers all around the world, including here in Australia,” says Maithri Goonetilleke, a medical doctor and Associate Professor in Global Health at Monash University.

“It’s profoundly appreciated, but it does create an underlying sense of duty. So, on the one hand it’s incredible that Australia’s healthcare workers are being acknowledged for the work they’re doing, but on a different level, it places a lot of pressure on them to be super-human,” says Goonetilleke.

“For a profession that already comes cloaked in a sense of stoicism and [the feeling] that we should be stronger and more resilient than other people, it can mean we feel like a failure if we need to reach out for help ourselves. Unfortunately, this often means we don’t seek support.”

Thankfully, there are steps you can take to look after your mental health and wellbeing during these unprecedented times.

What you can do

Know that stress and anxiety are common right now
Avoid downplaying what you’re experiencing
Remind yourself it’s okay to not be okay
Seek support when you need to

Beyond Blue‘s Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service provides regularly updated information, advice and strategies to help you manage your wellbeing and mental health, as well as 24/7 access to trained counsellors. You can call them on 1800 512 348.

You can also connect with other community members on the Beyond Blue dedicated community forum: Coping during the coronavirus pandemic.