With the busiest season of the year well underway now more than ever practitioners should be looking to practice what they preach. It can be incredibly difficult to continue to consult with empathy and attentiveness, and juggle a work-life balance that keeps you happy, healthy and sees to all the things that need doing. But at times like these, when we need self-care the most, we often let it fall off. To make things seem a little easier to manage, here are four reminders of how you can make self-care a priority over the month ahead.

Curb Emotional Eating

We know that when we’re stressed, we tend to make poorer food choices, reaching for comfort foods (high in sugar and fat) out of convenience and the desire for a ‘quick fix’ to help us cope. Managing stress and regulating our own eating habits mediates this relationship, though doing what’s good for us requires a degree of self-discipline. Goal setting, self-monitoring, mindfulness, and emotional control are all tools to help make this happen.¹ Eat well. Fill your plate with a range of nutrient-dense whole foods, stay hydrated and cut back on processed foods.²

The Healing Power of Nature

At this time of year, you’re probably spending time rushing to get everything done from your clinic/office, and shopping for presents (in store or online while you sit at home). Break it up by spending a little more time out in nature. Just 20 to 30 minutes could help to reduce your stress and cortisol levels.³ Make a habit of this. Take your lunch break outside. Walk or sit in a local park or by the beach before or after work. Garden on weekends. Immerse yourself in greenspace (and bluespace) and you’ll soon notice how much better you feel for it.

Mindfulness Practices to Avoid Burnout

Checking in with yourself regularly can help you experience better mood (e.g. less anxiety, depression, anger, and rumination), have better control over your emotions, exercise more self-compassion, and improve your overall sense of wellbeing, among other benefits.⁴ Mindfulness serves as the remedy of the thoughts, emotions and feelings that we tend to avoid, suppress or over-engage with when we’re stressed out. Bringing yourself into the present with awareness, clarity and non-judgmental acceptance is the essence of mindfulness practices.⁴

There is no shortage of evidence that mindfulness works when it comes to managing stress and burnout.^5-7 The same can be said for yoga.^8-11 Equally, there are numerous free apps and videos that you can use to guide you through mindfulness practices and yoga.

Don’t have the time? Try incorporating some mindful moments into your routine. The following practices won’t take long. In fact, you can try one right now.

• Visualise your thoughts as if they are clouds passing by in the sky. Let them come and go.
• Sit comfortably, close your eyes and focus on your breath for a few minutes.
• Lay down and bring your attention to your body. Notice different sensations as you scan your body from head to toe.
• Take the time to eat mindfully. Chew slowly and thoroughly while paying attention to the smell, taste and texture of each bite.

Supplement for Support

Utilise the same nutrients you prescribe to your stressed and busy patients. Among the most common and effective are B group vitamins (either alone or as a multivitamin),¹² magnesium^13,14 and omega-3 fatty acids¹⁵ for those prone to mild anxiety or suffering from the effects of stress. Just as we counsel our patients on compliance, we too must be consistent in caring for ourselves. It would be best to continue supplementing for this entire busy season of at least 4 to 6 weeks, preferably longer for full effect. For short-term relief from stress, reach for L-theanine.¹⁶

Self-Care Is Not Selfish

Over the next four weeks, commit yourself to doing these four simple things to avoid feeling depleted and worn out. As practitioners, it is important for us to remember that we can’t pour from an empty cup. To be the best version of ourselves when we show up for our patients and loved ones, it is important to take the time to rest and replenish our own reserves. A dose of our own medicine and a spoonful of self-compassion is often what’s needed most.

References

1. Ling J, Zahry NR. Relationships among perceived stress, emotional eating, and dietary intake in college students: eating self-regulation as a mediator. Appetite. 2021 Aug 1;163:105215. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105215

2. Healthline. The definitive guide to healthy eating in real life [Internet]. San Francisco: Healthline; 2023 [cited 2024 Oct 29]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-eat-healthy-guide

3. Hunter MR, Gillespie BW, Chen SYP. Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Front Psychol. 2019;10:722. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722

4. Keng SL, Smoski MJ, Robins CJ. Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies. Clin Psychol Rev. 2011 Aug;31(6):1041-1056. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006

5. Green AA, Kinchen EV. The effects of mindfulness meditation on stress and burnout in nurses. J Holist Nurs. 2021 Dec;39(4):356-368. DOI: 10.1177/08980101211015818

6. Fendel JC, Bürkle JJ, Göritz AS. Mindfulness-based interventions to reduce burnout and stress in physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acad Med. 2021 May;96(5):751-64. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003936

7. Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, Fournier C. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: a meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2015 Jun;78(6):519-528. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.03.009

8. Giridharan S, Ziff C. Efficacy of yoga interventions in alleviating physician burnout: a review of randomized controlled trials. Int Res J Ayur Yoga. 2024;7(6):44–50. DOI: 10.48165/IRJAY.2024.70607

9. Ofei-Dodoo S, Cleland-Leighton A, Nilsen K, Cloward JL, Casey E. Impact of a mindfulness-based, workplace group yoga intervention on burnout, self-care, and compassion in health care professionals: a pilot study. J Occup Environ Med. 2020 Aug;62(8):581-587. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001892

10. Cocchiara RA, Peruzzo M, Mannocci A, Ottolenghi L, Villari P, Polimeni A, et al. The use of yoga to manage stress and burnout in healthcare workers: a systematic review. J Clin Med. 2019 Feb;8(3):284. DOI: 10.3390/jcm8030284

11. Pascoe MC, Thompson DR, Ski CF. Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: a meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2017 Dec;86:152-168. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008

12. Young LM, Pipingas A, White DJ, Gauci S, Scholey A. A systematic review and meta-analysis of B vitamin supplementation on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: effects on healthy and 'at-risk' individuals. Nutrients. 2019 Sep;11(9):2232. DOI: 10.3390/nu11092232

13. Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety and stress-a systematic review. Nutrients. 2017 Apr;9(5):429. DOI: 10.3390/nu9050429

14. Nielsen FH, Johnson LK, Zeng H. Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low magnesium status and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep. Magnes Res. 2010 Dec;23(4):158-168. DOI: 10.1684/mrh.2010.0220

15. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Andridge R, Malarkey WB, Glaser R. Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2011 Nov;25(8):1725-1734. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2011.07.229

16. Williams JL, Everett JM, D'Cunha NM, Sergi D, Georgousopoulou EN, Keegan RJ, et al. The effects of green tea amino acid L-theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: a systematic review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2020 Mar;75(1):12-23. DOI: 10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5