BURNOUT AS YOU BATTLE COVID-19? THESE ARE THE SIGNS

According to the Ministry of Health in Kenya, some of those battling Covid-19 pandemic including the health workers can at one point experience burnout. These are the signs of burnout as per the Ministry of Health.

• Sadness, depression, or apathy.
• Easily frustrated.
• Blaming of others, irritability.
• Lacking feelings, indifferent.
• Isolation or disconnection from others.
• Poor self-care (hygiene).
• Tired, exhausted or overwhelmed.
• Feeling like: A failure or nothing you can do will help or you are not doing your job well or you need alcohol/other drugs to cope.

This can degenerate to Secondary Traumatic Stress.

What are the signs of this?

• Excessively worry or fear about something bad happening.
• Easily startled, or “on guard” all of the time.
• Physical signs of stress (e.g. racing heart).
• Nightmares or recurrent thoughts about the traumatic situation.

What should you do if experiencing these signs?

Develop a Buddy System

• In a buddy system, two responders partner together to support each other, and monitor each other’s stress, workload, and safety.
• Get to know each other: Talk about background, interests, hobbies, and family. Identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Keep an eye on each other: Try to work in the same location if you can. Set up times to check-in with each other. Listen carefully and share experiences and feelings.
• Acknowledge tough situations and recognize accomplishments, even small ones.
• Offer to help with basic needs such as sharing supplies and transportation.
• Monitor each other’s workloads.
• Encourage each other to take breaks.
• Share opportunities for stress relief (rest, routine sleep, exercise, and deep breathing).
• Communicate your buddy’s basic needs and limits to leadership – make your buddy feel “safe” to speak up.

Responder Self-Care Techniques:

• Limit working hours to no longer than 12-hour shifts.
• Work in teams and limit amount of time working alone.
• Write in a journal.
• Talk to family, friends, supervisors, and teammates about your feelings and experiences.
• Practice breathing and relaxation techniques.
• Maintain a healthy diet and get adequate sleep and exercise.
• Know that it is okay to draw boundaries and say “no.”
• Avoid or limit caffeine and use of alcohol.

It is important to remind yourself that:

• It is not selfish to take breaks.
• The needs of survivors are not more important than your own needs and well-being.
• Working all the time does not mean you will make your best contribution.
• There are other people who can help in the response.