MHM Magazine

Issue 4 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 19 MHM We all know the importance of self- care, preaching it to our patients on a daily basis, yet we find it so difficult to practice it ourselves. As one of the many overburdened healthcare professionals in South Africa, I find it relatively easy to continue giving to my patients, even at the expense of my own mental health. In discussions with many of my colleagues, including psychologists, student/intern psychologists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, nurses and other allied health professionals, it appears that we’re all struggling with the same issue. Studies show high rates of burnout across the health sector - both globally and nationally. In addition, we’re still living in the aftermath that the Covid-19 pandemic had on our mental health. Working in the health sector usually means exposure to various forms of trauma, working long hours, having little to no time to process traumatic events/experiences, treating patients with serious illnesses and having patients die. In her book Trauma Stewardship, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, discusses the impact of chronic exposure to trauma that she defines as the Trauma Response Exposure. This describes the transformation that occurs as a direct result of exposure to suffering and how the exposure changes the way in which we view the world. She lists 16 warning signs of Trauma Exposure Response: 1. Feeling helpless and hopeless 2. A sense that one can never do enough 3. Hypervigilance 4. Diminished creativity 5. Inability to embrace complexity 6. Minimising 7. Chronic exhaustion 8. Inability to listen 9. Dissociative moments 10. Sense of persecution 11. Guilt 12. Fear 13. Anger and cynicism 14. Inability to emphasise 15. Addictions 16. Grandiosity Working in high-stress environments such as health facilities, and/or experiencing daily exposure to the suffering of others, often leads to the development of these responses. Furthermore, if we consider the physiological impact of elevated stress hormones, (such as cortisol and adrenaline) on the nervous system, we can see it’s essential to implement self-care practices into our daily routines which can reduce the load on our nervous systems and enhance our overall well-being. By Sanisha Vala Clinical Psychologist info@sanishapsych.com YOU CAN’T POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP