Veterinary Teams Living Well

“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”

— Max de Pree

We have a wonderful passion for animals, medicine, and taking care of others. However, sometimes we overlook that we must first take care of ourselves.

Life happens. It includes job changes, moving to new locations, getting married or divorced, having children or children growing up to move away and starting their own family. These are life experiences, with some being stressful, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Now compound the life stressors with the added pressures of being a veterinary professional. Self-awareness is the first step into understanding and managing the stress.

 

Take this simple LifeStressTest

Offered by the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, you might be surprised at the level of stress you are experiencing simply because of daily life. By identifying these areas of stress, you can better focus on dealing with them in a beneficial way.

Living a Healthy Life; 4 Tips for Veterinary Professionals

When team members take care of themselves, they will perform better. Start with these simple, yet useful, tips for wellbeing.

Identify your Stressors and Relievers.

What is stressing you out and how do you relax and rejuvenate?

Join the closed Facebook page “Veterinary Teams Living Well”

This is a place to share your passion for the industry, your aches and pains, remedies and resources.

Visit the CATALYST blog page

Search for articles under “wellness” or “work-life balance” for tips and suggestions.

Other resources

AAHA Guide to Veterinary Practice Team Wellbeing

               AVMA’s 100 Healthy Tips to Support a Culture of Wellbeing

 

If you feel you have reached a state of burnout or compassion fatigue in which you are overwhelmed, thwarted with anguish, using drugs to curb the pain, are considering hurting yourself or even suicide:

• Seek help! You are NOT alone! Please do not feel that you are – other people have experienced these feelings as well.
• Find support within your veterinary hospital or beyond (your friend network).
• Ask if your veterinary team has an Employee Assistant Program (EAP).
• Speak with your manager.

Simply say, “I need help in managing this (burnout/fatigue)”.