Look after yourself as well as your patients

When you are overwhelmed with the pressures of working at the hospital, you may be neglecting your own health and well-being. We often spend too much of our time and energy looking after other people and their needs while forgetting our own.

Here are two easy ways to care for yourself more effectively. You know all this already but the secret is to actually do it! When you do, both you and your patients will benefit.

Eat healthy food

Even hospital canteens have some choice, so you don’t have to eat badly anymore. Get into the right mindset so you avoid high fat, high sugar foods and keep to the fresh and more natural foodstuffs offered, or take your own.

Increase the amount of fruit and vegetables so you have plenty of vitamins and anti-oxidants to help keep your heart healthy and you looking younger.

When you eat the recommended five portions of fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables each day you can bring variety into your choices by trying different colourful fruits and vegetables.

Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet by eating more low fat foods; increasing your omega 3 fish oils from oily fish; having low fat dairy products such as cottage cheese and yoghurt to have enough calcium without increasing  saturated fat.

Eat more good fats: for example olive oil for cooking and to use on salads to make your diet more like a Mediterranean diet. Avocados are full of vitamin E and good fats so make sure you have them regularly.

Exercise every day

Not only your body  benefits when you exercise and keep your muscles and joints working well but also regular exercise  keeps your mind and spirit fit and well too.

You probably exercise quite a bit already if you have to go from one end of the hospital to the other for ward rounds and clinics. But if you tend to be in one clinic all day or don’t do much exercise then it’s important to do more.

Not only does exercise raise the levels of endorphins in your blood which make you feel good but also when you exercise aerobically you’ll find that you will enter a meditative-like state and your mind can find solutions and ways to solve your daily challenges.

You can increase the amount of exercise you do by walking or cycling to work instead of going by car; or even by parking at the far end of the car-park so you easily introduce more exercise into your life. When you do more strenuous exercise you will strengthen your heart muscle and keep it functioning well.

If you can’t get enough exercise during the working day you could consider running, dancing, or walking briskly after work either on your own or with a group and enjoying your increased sense of well-being.