Combat Stress as a Veterinary Care Worker

When you are working in the medical field it can get pretty stressful. You are holding the tools to make your patient better, healthier, or with one mishap you could kill you patient. Well when your patient happens to have four legs and is named Fido it makes it worse. With humans they can tell you what hurts, with animals you have to figure that out on your own. So with the stress of that you could end up with burn out. Here is how to combat the stress so you can think with a clear head.

Steps

  1. Go through a routine at the end of a workday. Check the kennels, check the animals, write up anything that is unusual, check inventory, clean up. Make sure everything is up to code. If needed ask for help to get through the routine.
  2. Grab your things and leave once the end of the day routine is finished. Go to your vehicle and leave your job at the job site. It will still be there the next day so stop worrying about it.
  3. Head on home. You are not needed at work after hours. Leave the next shift handle that or the vet who is in charge of night watch.
  4. Relax. Work on a hobby, read a book, eat a filling meal, have a glass of wine, take a long soak in the tub, or work out. Do whatever you like as long as it is not work related.
  5. Go out and pamper yourself once a week. Go get a pedicure, a manicure, a massage, your hair done. When you look good you feel good. When you feel good you are less prone to stress.



Tips

  • Leave work at work. Do not over think what happened during the day.
  • Take up a hobby.
  • On your day off rather during the week or during the weekends hang out with friends/family or pamper yourself.
  • Take at least one day a week to yourself for your own health.

Warnings

  • If you do not take time to rest you can lead to an overdose in stress leading to burn out.
  • Burn outs and high levels of stress are bad for your health.
  • This can lead to a lowered immune system, premature aging, stroke, heart attack, and a mental melt down.

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