Self- care and stress management techniques in Australian Health Care

Overview of Stress and Work Pressure within Australia

Like any other country, the work pressure is continuously increasing in Australia and the health care sector is not an exception. It can be found out that the health care professionals are continuously providing their services to the patients and their families which might be tiresome for them. Moreover, compared to any other industry, the pressure as well as complexities of the jobs in this industry is more (Williams et al. 2022). Thus, it is natural that most of the employees within the health care sector will face huge pressure which makes the whole situation more toxic under different circumstances. More or less every person experiences different kinds of stresses to some degree. In the healthcare sector, one might become anxious to meet with the patient’s family; also one might be worried about getting to a meeting on time, or one catch themselves holding their breath during stressful operations. All of these are normal stressors which can be experienced by any health sector professional on a daily basis. On the other hand, there are different people who also experience more serious or chronic stressors that have long-term effects on their mental, physical, and even personal relationships.

In accordance with the above discussion it can be stated that in Australia the demand for healthcare workers is continuously increasing, hence the work pressure is continuously increasing as well (Riegel et al. 2021). The key reason for this scenario is the population growth and their ages which further require the qualified workers within the healthcare sector for accomplishing the ultimate objectives in this context. On the other side, in relation to this, it can be found out that as there is 14% of the workforce working in the healthcare sector across Australia, the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals is increasing. This increasing demand for qualified healthcare workers has therefore put this healthcare sector under strain. In accordance with this discussion it can be found out that this sector is projected to face a significant skills shortage over the next few years as a result of an ageing workforce and ongoing retention issues in Australia (Callus et al. 2020). Furthermore, “The Care Workforce Labour Market” Report by the Australian Government has been estimated that there will be a shortage of more than 200,000 healthcare professionals in Australia by 2050.

Hence, this is essential for the healthcare sector to properly manage the stress and enhance the possibilities of self care, so that the health professionals can decrease their stress and any negative impact on their work in this context.

Needs of Self-Care and Stress Management Techniques

Considering the above discussion it can be found out that there is tremendous demand of the health care professionals which have also enhanced the demand of the self care and stress management techniques as well (Waris Nawaz, Imtiaz & Kausar, 2020). The reasons behind the need of the self-care and stress management in this context are as follows, such as,

• Aging Population and Increasing Healthcare Needs: Like many developed countries, Australia is in the midst of an ageing population. “The Australian Bureau of Statistics” shows that 16.3% of the country’s population, or more than 4.2 million individuals have been already aged 65 years or over. As people get older, they are more prone to developing chronic conditions, age related diseases, and specialised care needs (Hricová, 2020). As a result, the healthcare sector might need the professionals’ elderly increase which is putting more pressure on the healthcare system. This needs of the larger workforce has enhanced the work related stress and pressure in their life.

Figure 1: Signs of Anxiety Disorder

(Source: swara.com.au, 2024)

• Medical Advancement: Though for the patients there are some medical advancement, the healthcare professionals across Australia are facing more pressure on daily basis which have triggered the possibilities of both physical stress as well as mental stress in this context (Wei & Wei, 2020). Hence, it is therefore necessary for the healthcare management to introduce several techniques which can help the professionals to decrease their health risks or stress.

Benefits of Self-Care and Stress Management Techniques

As the work pressure is increasing within the healthcare sector, the stress of the workers is also increasing. Hence, within the healthcare sector, one can use different techniques to decrease and maintain their workplace stress. Hence, the benefits of this kind of technique are important in the healthcare sector. However one can use below stress relief and management techniques in this context, such as,

• One can go for a walk whenever they get some time as it can reduce as well as prevent the psychological stress (Barnard et al. 2020). Due to huge work pressure, this might not be possible for the healthcare professionals to attend the gym sessions on daily basis, hence proper walking can help them to release their stress
• One of the best ways to relax and feel at ease is to use their own senses. Hence, in this regard one can take a warm bath, light a candle, listen to calming music, or sip some herbal tea for enhancing their physical and mental strength

Figure 2: Stress Management Skills

(Source: swara.com.au, 2024)

• On the other side, a big solution to relieve their stress and maintain a sound physical and mental health, the healthcare professionals need to learn to balance their working and personal life where they can so their work within time and can also attend some social gatherings or spend their time with their families
• Mental stress or physical stress can destroy the skin. Hence, as a part of the self care, one can use luxury rich creams for their skin care as it smell heavenly and feel silky smooth, especially when exfoliated in the bathtub before application (Luis et al. 2021)

Thus based on the above discussion it can be stated that this is not a complex task for the healthcare staff to take a break for themselves and use some techniques to maintain or decrease their stress in this context.  Hence, the above techniques should be maintained for the self care and stress relief which further can strengthen the overall work efficacies across the Australian healthcare sector.  

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Reference list

Barnard, S. A., Alexander, B. A., Lockett, A. K., Lusk, J. J., Singh, S., Bell, K. P., & Harbison, L. A. (2020). Mental health and self-care practices among dental hygienists. American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 94(4), 22-28. https://jdh.adha.org/content/jdenthyg/94/4/22.full.pdf

Callus, E., Bassola, B., Fiolo, V., Bertoldo, E. G., Pagliuca, S., & Lusignani, M. (2020). Stress reduction techniques for health care providers dealing with severe coronavirus infections (SARS, MERS, and COVID-19): a rapid review. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 589698. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.589698/full

Hricová, M. (2020). The mediating role of self-care activities in the stress-burnout relationship. Health Psychology Report, 8(1), 1-9. https://www.termedia.pl/Journal/-74/pdf-38678-10?filename=Hricova%20The%20mediating.pdf

Luis, E., Bermejo-Martins, E., Martinez, M., Sarrionandia, A., Cortes, C., Oliveros, E. Y., … & Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2021). Relationship between self-care activities, stress and well-being during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-cultural mediation model. BMJ open, 11(12), e048469. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/11/12/e048469.full.pdf

Riegel, B., Dunbar, S. B., Fitzsimons, D., Freedland, K. E., Lee, C. S., Middleton, S., … & Jaarsma, T. (2021). Self-care research: where are we now? Where are we going?. International journal of nursing studies, 116, 103402. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748919302093

swara.com.au, (2024), Understanding Stress and Anxiety, Retrieved from: https://swara.com.au/understanding-stress-and-anxiety/ [Retrieved on 26.02.2024]

Waris Nawaz, M., Imtiaz, S., & Kausar, E. (2020). Self-care of frontline health care workers: during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatria Danubina, 32(3-4), 557-562. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/364858

Wei, H., & Wei, T. L. (2020). The power of self-care: An ENERGY model to combat clinician burnout. American Nurse Journal, 15(10), 28-31. https://www.myamericannurse.com/the-power-of-self-care-an-energy-model-to-combat-clinician-burnout/

Williams, S. G., Fruh, S., Barinas, J. L., & Graves, R. J. (2022). Self-care in nurses. Journal of radiology nursing, 41(1), 22-27. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LU1C99TbWPgqJZK_uyjG5rY8f75UHj0N/view