Mindful Leadership

Over the past few years, individuals in the caregiving field have been experiencing an alarming increase in feelings of high stress and burnout. This increase can have multiple factors, including lack of staffing, increase in clients, not enough downtime, and poor coping skills and work life balance.  What is burnout and how can employers help to prevent employee burnout?

Everyone wants to be treated with kindness. And yet as adults, many people don’t experience kindness in their workplace. Kindness often comes with barriers that make it inconvenient. An easy way to identify your kindness skills is to see how your actions align with the three levels of kindness.

Currently, a quarter of all employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is not necessarily the amount of stress we experience at work, but how quickly we recover from the effects that is important to our health and wellbeing. Resilience is the key strategy that helps employees effectively tackle stress, workplace conflicts, and the unique and ever-changing challenges of the job.

It may sound selfish to put yourself first but it is not. To be able to support others to the fullest you must first ensure that you are taken care of. There are many forms of self-care like exercising or guided imagery which can give you the much-needed break and positively impact your wellbeing. So give yourself permission to relax and let the weight of the world lift off your shoulders.

Gratitude can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and make us more resilient. It also fosters our relationships, even difficult ones. It floods your heart with warmth, changes the way you think, and allows you to let go of tensions. Focusing on gratitude will shift your perspective on life, and with practice, becomes a gratitude mindset.

A fun example of the science behind gratitude, explaining why it’s important and how it impacts our brains and helps us build resilience.

“Humans first, work second,” is often how I move into check-ins. In work meetings I facilitate, I ask the question: “How are you feeling?” at the start of the meeting. A common response is: "I don’t know how I’m feeling. Can I see the wheel?” because they know I’m expecting more of an answer than “well,” “fine,” or “good.” This is where the feelings wheel comes into play. 

The struggle I see most in this caregiver/youth relationship is the desire to become the “Buddy.” The Nurturer helps with the behaviors that arise along the way so they can continue moving forward with the day or task at hand. However, the Nurturer can very easily slide into the Buddy role. When a youth enters any sort of residential facility or new foster care setting, they often don’t know how to create or maintain healthy attachments to the adults around them. It is our job as professionals and caregivers to model what a safe adult relationship looks like. 

While the words “employee recognition” and “employee appreciation” are often used interchangeably, they are very different. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for both; however, it is important to understand their differences and apply them correctly for optimal outcomes.

Recently, I was contacted by a frontline staff member and new mom who asked to hear more about my career journey and any tips I had to help her excel in her career. Early in my career, I did the same thing. I, too, was a little hesitant and am so grateful to that senior leader who gave me her time. Here are some steps I’ve learned over the years to help you take control of your future.