Working on the frontline of homecare can be incredibly demanding and leads to various levels and types of workplace stress. So we asked our friends at Pastora, care-experienced coaches and trainers, for some helpful tips and tools for how to manage stress at work.
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Stress is our body’s natural response to a challenging environment or situation. Stress is not just in the mind, it is a whole body experience, switching our nervous system to high alert. Stress leads to physical, cognitive, and emotional reactions, and can negatively impact our bodies if we do not deal with it in a timely manner.
There are two main types of stress - acute stress and chronic stress.
Acute stress is a short term and immediate response. Acute stress in care work is triggered by unexpected high pressure situations which demand quick and effective responses, and diminishes once the situation is managed. The immediate effects of stress are headaches, increased heart rate, muscle tension, anxiety, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and memory problems.
Chronic stress is long term and persistent stress, which is caused by enduring high stress situations without adequate release or support. These emotional and physical reactions occur when demands exceed our ability to cope. The long term impact of chronic stress can lead to serious conditions, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and a weakened immune system.
Caring for those with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or end of life illnesses can be emotionally draining. As a care worker, you form close bonds with people to support them and witness their struggles. Managing the emotional toll of caregiving while balancing personal responsibilities is difficult, and this can lead to compassion fatigue and emotional exhaustion.
Juggling a high volume of tasks within a limited time frame, such as household chores, administrative duties, and medical tasks, is incredibly stressful and takes a toll on mental exhaustion. Caring for clients with complex medical and behavioural needs requires specialist skills and patience and is a lot of pressure.
Especially as care work is often carried out over irregular shift patterns such as night hours and on-call duties, which disrupt life and sleep patterns. Care workers spend long hours alone with clients and often do not feel as though they have the support with them at the time.
Acute stress is caused when there is a medical emergency such as a heart attack or serious injury - your body will respond with a natural physical reaction such as an adrenaline surge and increased heart rate, ready to take action in a crisis. Emotional reactions you experience are fear for the patients' wellbeing, anxiety and panic, and heightened focus, whereas cognitive reactions include quick decision making, rapid assessment, and clear focus on emergency protocols.
Chronic stress can be caused by continuous care of a patient over a long period of time, alongside all the other patients you are caring for and the usual day to day life activities you are dealing with. This can lead to increased sickness level and turnover, low job satisfaction and morale, and a negative impact at work and for those around you.
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Managing stress at work in homecare, with Pastora
We do not always recognise the toll that stress is taking on us in a timely manner, and often keep going until we get really ill and burnt out. It’s important to understand the impact of stress and take time to look after ourselves.
Take a moment and think about how your work is impacting you. Is it affecting your eating and sleeping? Are you withdrawing from activities? Do you keep getting ill? Are you reacting differently to situations than you usually would?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is time to consider techniques for managing stress at work
We all react to stress differently and find different ways to cope. Here are our top eight tips for managing stress at work - try out each technique at a time to see which works best for you.
Physical activity - regular exercise can support you to release stress and reduce tension. Choose movement that you enjoy - walking, dancing, jumping, shaking, running, even lying down and tensing and releasing different parts of your body.
Relaxation - try meditation, stretching, or taking a few deep breaths to relax.
Take breaks - make sure to have breakfast, lunch, and drink plenty of water, taking regular breaks to nourish and hydrate yourself.
Prioritise tasks - establish how to decide which tasks are the most important, making time for breaks between each task, and taking a moment to consider how you are feeling and what you need to do beforehand.
Seek professional help - chronic stress can require significant lifestyle changes and professional intervention such as counselling, therapy, a support group, or coaching.
Support other people - listening to other people can help us to feel better by putting our problems into perspective. Colleagues understand what you are going through and communication between managers and the rest of the team is key to deal with everyone's stress effectively.
Be kind to yourself - we need to be more understanding to ourselves. Speak to yourself how you would to a friend or someone you care for!
Set boundaries - prioritise your personal time, build support networks, coping skills and try stress management techniques to see what works best for you.
For more advice and examples of supporting the wellbeing of a homecare team, download our Carer Wellbeing Report 2024.