Wellness is to most the opposite to illness, however it goes beyond that idea. The session will introduce wellness and highlight its importance for us as individuals and our practice. Personal experiences will be shared along with ideas to help implement wellness into your practice and your life.
The World Health Organisation describes wellness as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ As veterinary professionals we are aware of the pressures we face in our daily lives and when working in emergency and critical care these pressures and the expectation we have from our clients, our managers and ourselves can sometimes feel unachievable. We will have all experienced days when reading that wellness is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being’ we feel far from that as an individual and a team. Wellness programmes are available from many larger corporations and smaller businesses however there is still much we can consider to improve our personal wellness and the wellness of our practice team. As individuals we will all have preferences and, more or less successful interventions to help with our physical, mental and social well-being, as will practice teams so, be open to what works for you and your colleagues and be at ease with what doesn’t.
Individual Wellness
As a veterinary nurse I know how often we are checking in, monitoring and nursing our patients, however how often do we check in with ourselves? When was the last time you ate, drank, went to the bathroom, exercised, slept and how well? Practicing self-care doesn’t detract from our nursing abilities in fact if we are OK as individuals it will enhance our professional abilities and enable us to work better and smarter for all involved. Self-focus and self-care are vital for us to maintain wellness and are particularly important in our profession, yet it would seem many of us forget or don’t think to practice. Ensuring you take your annual leave entitlement and spreading your breaks throughout the year helps to plan for your rest periods and breaks away from work. Although I appreciate in a busy practice with potentially short staffing this can be easier said than done. So, consider what else can be implemented in your practice and your life to help focus on wellness on a day to day basis.
Attempting to create your life in which a state of physical, mental and social well-being can be achieved can to some, feel like a daunting concept but making small but, significant changes or improvements can be hugely beneficial. Practicing self-care is something that takes practice, and when scheduled into your daily life can become as routine as brushing your teeth!
To practice physical wellness doesn’t have to mean signing up to a gym; getting outside for a short walk during your break has been shown to improve mental and physical wellbeing. Organising to go with a colleague could also improve your social wellbeing. Signing up for exercise classes can help with not only physical but also social and mental wellbeing. Classes such as yoga and Pilates can help release tension through stretching and improve physical and mental wellbeing also; classes are readily available online as well in most locations around the world.
Try to keep a positive mindset by practicing and recording your gratitude; listing three things every day that you are grateful for. Talking to colleagues, your line manager, your friends, family, counsellor or life coach helps keep a prospective on life events and events that happen in work. It also gives you opportunity to ask for help to gain support when needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Random acts of kindness; bringing in cake for your colleagues, organising a night out for the team can create happiness for others and in yourself and help with positivity.
Meditation and mindfulness have shown to help reduce stress, anxiety, help with focus, mood and self-compassion; creating a space for individuals to practice self-care. Using apps such as Headspace routinely can positively impact mental and physical wellbeing and take up no more than 10 minutes of your day.
Practice Wellness
Traditional wellness schemes routinely offer exercise and healthy eating packages however research indicates that wellness goes much further beyond that of a company/practice exercise and healthy eating scheme. Individuals also seek to feel connected, cared for, valued, and appreciated. Consider how we can feel like ourselves, in work as well as at home and how as leaders we can make changes or improvements in the practice to help.
The practice culture can make or break a team and it is vital for it be considered and nurtured. Creating a no blame, caring and kind team culture can have a positive impact on the individuals in the team as well on the business. For this to work it needs to be practiced proactively; for team members to be reminded when needed which may, on occasion be a reminder to the person leading the development. Remember we are all human and we learn from our mistakes and misjudgments, we are not robots, thank goodness as this allows us to be as good as we are at what we do!
Social connections are important for the whole team so consider how this can be implemented or supported at your practice. Most practices have a lunchroom, is it set out as a comfortable place for people to take a break? During the summer months can an area be used to eat outside to assist the team to get out into the fresh air? Is there an area in the practice that could be made into a comfortable room with bean bags, cosy chairs to allow the team to take a real break from the work environment with others in the team to help enable social connections day to day? Healthy snacks and refreshments could be made available in this area to assist with physical and mental wellness; I’m sure we’ve all eaten a bag of sugary sweets or a sugary drink as a quick lunch or snack, and later feel the negative effects, as do the team. If space is short, instead or additionally, could a working group in the practice get together once a fortnight/month and plan social events for the team? Social connection is important for mental wellbeing and helps create a balance; without connections in the workplace people can feel isolated, unsupported and uncared for and as an individual you can lose the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas, concerns and prospective can also be lost. Is there something you can do as an individual to welcome a new recruit or support another team member to make sure they feel as much a part of the practice team? Remember caring for others is good for our individual wellbeing also.
Is there a space for a quiet area or room to enable staff to take a quiet 5–10 minutes; potentially to practice mindfulness meditation during the day? This may seem unrealistic, particularly in a smaller practice but spaces can be used for dual purposes, maybe a room can be used for a quiet break at certain times in the day. Consider implementing a ‘mindfulness Monday’ in which everyone has an opportunity to take 5–10 min to practice mindfulness meditation.
The practice can consider types of leave to allow for team members to have the required time for life events and charity work; such as your birthday day off (or a day in which they can take if they prefer to work on their birthday), time off to settle in a new pet at home, or for a child’s first day at school, time off to do charity work.
Team training doesn’t only have to focus on clinical development, consider team training from a life coach, mindfulness meditation, resilience, healthy eating, well-being training as important topics for inhouse learning. Can the practice host a yoga or Pilates session for the team or a hire a masseuse for a day or perhaps arrange for a personal trainer for the summer to take short classes before/after work or during lunch time? Not everyone will be keen for all activities but ask the team their preferences and gain feedback after events.
Remember we don’t need to have the title head, senior, management or equivalent within our job title to lead; it is everyone’s responsibility, so be kind and help foster a culture of well-being in your clinics and importantly, practice doing so in your life.
References
1. Alison SO, et al. Implementing wellness in the veterinary workplace. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2016;249(8):879–881. https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.249.8.879?journalCode=javma&.
2. Jureski W. Looking out for number one! Achieve mental well-being by practicing self-care. Vetsuccess. 2018. https://vetsuccess.com/blog/achieve-mental-well-being-by-practicing-self-care/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2018.11_Newsletter_Members.
3. Mamo E. Why creating a mentally healthy workplace is so important in veterinary practice. In Practice. 2018. https://inpractice.bmj.com/content/38/7/355.
4. https://www.globalwellnessday.org/about/what-is-wellness/.
5. https://www.headspace.com/.
6. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/wellness-at-work-the-promise-and-pitfalls.
7. https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-your-staff/employer-resources/wellness-action-plan-download/.
8. https://www.snacknation.com/blog/employee-wellness-program-ideas/.
9. https://vetwellbeingawards.org.uk/wellbeing-checklist/.