How Healthcare Workers Can Recognise Stress

Caring for Yourself

What is Stress?

Stress spectrum

Physiological reactions

Emotional reactions

Thought reactions

Behavioural reactions

Checklist for “Coronaviru-Stress”

Burnout vs stressed out

Checklist for Depression

Checklist for Anxiety

Checklist for OCD

Factors Contributing to Stress

Stress if left unmanaged, can lead to burn-out, anxiety and depression.

Caring for Yourself

Dedicated to our Healthcare Heroes!

What is Stress?

Stress is a state of tension caused by pressure.

Demands of trigger > what you can cope with
Can be a normal and everyday experience.
May be helpful or harmful

Stress spectrum

Stress reaction can manifest in 4 ways: Physiological, Emotional, Thoughts, Behavioural

Physiological reactions

Emotional reactions

Thought reactions

Catastrophising

"If I don't complete this task, I will be fired!"

Tunnel vision

"There is no other way to do this!"

Self-critical

"I am stupid - why can't I do it well and quickly."

Hopelessness

"I am so screwed. I cannot handle this anymore."

Behavioural reactions

Too much stress can affect us, even lower our immunity. So it’s important to recognise stress to deal with it. Runaway stress may lead to

Burn-out
Anxiety
Depression or
Alcohol and drug abuse

Checklist for “Coronaviru-Stress”

Too much pre-occupation with COVID-19	Fatigue
Sleep disturbance	Easily upset, more irritable and impatient
Headaches, backaches, muscular pains	Avoidance of patients and colleagues
Feeling trapped	Over-excessive precautions

Burnout vs stressed out

Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment.

Whereas stressed out people may be too involved with their work, burned-out people no longer feel involved with theirs. In burnout, individuals lose their motivation and involvement. They give up.

Checklist for Depression

Feeling down/sad/empty most of the time	Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Significant weight loss or gain	Loss of or increase in appetite
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much	Restlessness or slowing down
Fatigue or loss of energy nearly everyday	Feeling worthless/guilty/meaningless
Difficulty thinking or concentrating	Having thoughts of dying or suicide

Checklist for Anxiety

Feeling extremely anxious or worried	Difficulty controlling worry
Restlessness or feeling edgy	Feeling easily fatigued or tired
Difficulty concentrating or experiencing one’s mind going blank	Irritable
Difficulty with sleep	Uncomfortable physical symptoms For e.g., cold sweats, muscle tension, trembling, palpitations, shortness of breath

Checklist for OCD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition where one experiences:

Repeated distressing and intrusive thoughts (obsessions) For e.g., over germs, contamination
Repeated actions (compulsions) For e.g., excessive hand washing, re-checking of things like PPE

Awareness of the risk of infection and proper precautions are crucial for the protection of the healthcare worker, however, in OCD, one’s behaviour significantly interferes with daily life, work performance, or relationships.