Are you a healthcare professional dealing with high levels of trauma, anxiety and stress?

You're not alone. The high patient ratios and workloads, as well as demands for perfection, can be overwhelming. Seeing patients suffering and dying can leave unforgettable images that are disturbing. The constant pressure of trying to save lives, not making mistakes, working long hours, sleep deprivation, and having to skip meals takes a toll. The lack of support from administration can make you feel unappreciated for all your efforts. These daily pressures have led to an increase in depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD.

But what if I told you there is a way to help alleviate these feelings? As you process the trauma it will alleviate the high levels of anxiety and stress you’re experiencing. As you regulate and manage your emotions and intrusive thoughts, it will allow you to provide better care for your patients, improve your relationships with loved ones, and be more at peace with yourself. You’ll experience more restful sleep and will manage stress and develop resilience.

If you've been feeling anxious, stressed, or traumatized, there are ways to heal from the experience and manage it in the future.

First, take a moment to recognize that you're not alone. Many people have experienced trauma at some point in their lives, and it's common for people who experience trauma to feel anxiety afterward. There are many different ways to heal these issues—which is great! But sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some tips that I hope will help you get started.

1. Breathe! Take a few deep breaths and focus on how your body feels as air goes in and out of your lungs. If you notice yourself getting anxious, take a moment to breathe deeply again before continuing on with whatever task you were doing. This will help bring your body back into a state of calmness so that you can focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the past or future.

2. Get moving! Exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins and serotonin (the happy hormone) into our bodies, which makes us feel relaxed and happy. Try taking a walk outside or dancing around your house (it doesn't even have to be good dancing!). Put on some music that makes you smile—or better yet, sing along! Music has been shown over time again and again that it does wonders for helping people get through tough times because it reduces stress levels by stimulating parts of our brains responsible for pleasure.

3. Meditate! Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure and cortisol levels—two things that make us feel stressed out—and it helps us remember that we have control over our bodies' reactions to stressful situations.

4. Practice self-compassion! Sometimes we're our own worst enemies when it comes to taking care of ourselves—we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything perfectly that we end up feeling like failures instead of celebrating our successes. It's important to remember that the goal here isn't perfection; it's progress. Remind yourself that you are human and bound to make mistakes. Learn as much as you can from them and that will help you not to repeat them—just learn from it and move on.

5. Get help! That's why I'm a huge fan of coaching and therapy. Having someone to help you through your struggles is one of the best ways to heal from them, and it's something I've done for myself many times over. I believe that everyone needs support in their lives—even if they don't realize it yet. And having someone who can help you see things differently is incredibly empowering and healing. You deserve to feel good, even when life gets hard.

As a healthcare professional, it's your job to make sure that the people around you are taken care of. You're always putting your patients first and making their needs a priority. But what about your needs? Do they get put aside?

The best way to take care of others is to take care of yourself first. Your mental health is a priority, too. When you're mentally healthy and well-rested, you'll be able to give your patients the best care possible.