What makes you strong against stress and strain - healthy and happy at work

Organising the daily routine, helping people and listening to them - working in foot care and podiatry can be a very fulfilling profession. But it also involves stress and challenges. If you don't want to be swept away by this wave, you must not forget one thing: yourself! Resilience and self-love are crucial for a long and happy professional life. Both help to maintain your own physical and mental health in the long term.

What does resilience mean? A buzzword that is becoming increasingly important in times of the coronavirus pandemic, digital change and global crises. Resilience describes psychological resistance. In other words, the individual's ability to deal well with stress, master the challenges they face in everyday life and adapt to change.

Resilience is based on several characteristics that enable people to deal positively with stress and crisis situations. These include solution-orientated thinking, which enables people to accept the situation as it is and take responsibility.

In everyday practice, the main focus is on patients' problems and stories. Treating, listening and helping take centre stage. Many forget about themselves and are also there for their patients during lunch breaks, after work or even on Saturdays. When the job becomes a burden, exhaustion and concentration problems occur, these are the first warning signs that should not be ignored.

In order to develop resilience, it is important to develop an awareness of your own needs and limits. Stress is not the same for everyone. The first step is therefore to find out what individual stress factors exist. The following questions can help:

• In which situations do I feel stressed?
• Where do I feel the stress on a physical level?
• How do I react to stress?
• Why do certain things or situations stress me out?

This also includes the willingness to recognise one's own weaknesses. On this basis, a better way of dealing with challenges or stress can be developed. Because only those who have enough strength and energy within themselves can give it away and be there for their patients.

From this reflected self-awareness, you can now start to take action and ask yourself where you can influence the stress factors. There are many different starting points. Here are a few examples:

• Planning more time for rest breaks
• Effective time management and clear prioritisation of tasks
• Question beliefs: Do I really always have to be present or can tasks be delegated?
• Introduce a daily routine for relaxation, just five to 10 minutes is enough - for example breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, sport/exercise
• Thankfulness ritual at the end of the working day - focus on the positive, not just on what didn't work

Resilience and mindfulness in everyday life are important prerequisites for practising the podiatry profession healthily and with pleasure for a long time. Sometimes your own toolbox is not enough, and that is perfectly fine. There are many places to go for professional help. Whether it's psychological counselling, specialist literature or further training on burnout prevention and resilience - it's important to get support in good time.