FRONT LINE RESPONDERS:
Responding to COVID-19 can take an emotional toll on you. There are things you can do to reduce secondary traumatic stress (STS) reactions:
- Acknowledge that STS can impact anyone helping families after a traumatic event.
- Learn the symptoms including physical (fatigue, illness) and mental (fear, withdrawal, guilt).
- Allow time for you and your family to recover from responding to the pandemic.
- Create a menu of personal self-care activities that you enjoy, such as spending time with friends and family, exercising, or reading a book.
- Take a break from media coverage of COVID-19.
- Ask for help if you feel overwhelmed or concerned that COVID-19 is affecting your ability to care for your family and patients as you did before the outbreak.
Stress reduction techniques:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm
Nurses:
https://www.ahna.org/Home/Resources/Stress-Management
Exercises on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpqHKCvC3jU