How to Promote Wellbeing is a timely resource designed to help all healthcare practitioners promote and protect their own and their patients' wellbeing and mental health. Focusing on practical strategies and guidance, this much-needed book explores approaches for reducing burnout, managing stress, coping with pressure in healthcare settings, recognising signs of impaired decision-making, and much more.
Written specifically for busy healthcare practitioners, the book offers focused and succinct chapters on topics ranging from behaviours to improve resilience and mindfulness, to approaches for maintaining work-life balance when confronted with excessive workloads and organisational pressures. Throughout the text, evidence-based tools and techniques are provided to improve the practitioner's health and facilitate the delivery of high-quality care. Covering a wide range of clinical situations and important issues, this book:
* Examines global, organisational, and individual problem factors affecting mental health and wellbeing
* Discusses the impacts of chronic stress, burnout, technological and environmental factors, work-associated trauma, and sources of wellbeing strain
* Identifies factors that negatively affect patients' wellbeing in hospital, clinic, and outpatient settings
* Offers guidance for emergencies and available resources for those in personal crisis
* Includes a mental health and wellbeing toolkit, including assessments and strategies
How to Promote Wellbeing is indispensable reading for doctors, nurses, dentists, therapists, counsellors, and other clinicians and health professionals.

RACHEL K. THOMAS is a practicing doctor, award-winning author and leading healthcare innovator with a special interest in mental wellbeing, resilience and progressive medicine.

About the author ix

Acknowledgements x

Preface xi

Introduction 1

Learning outcomes 2

Why should we be concerned about our own wellbeing? 3

Why should we consider both problem factors and protective factors? 5

Chapter 1 General problem factors affecting global mental health and wellbeing 7

Problem factor: Global mental health burden 7

Problem factor: Accessing resources 9

Problem factor: Multiple potential impacts on individual mental health 11

Problem factor: The acute and chronic stress responses 12

Problem factor: The diathesis-stress model 15

Problem factor: Stigma 16

Chapter 2 Problem factors affecting healthcare practitioner mental health and wellbeing 19

Problem factor: Perceptions of invulnerability 19

Problem factor: Presenteeism 20

Problem factor: Perceptions of hierarchy 22

Problem factor: Burnout 23

Problem factor: Compassion fatigue 30

Problem factor: Perfectionistic personality traits 33

Problem factor: Lack of recovery behaviours 34

Problem factor: Sleep cycle derangement and sleep deprivation 35

Chapter 3 Problem and protective factors affecting patients' mental health and wellbeing 37

Factor to consider: The interlinkage of mental and physical health 37

Factor to consider: Sleep 40

Factor to consider: Diet 42

Factor to consider: Cognitive aspects 42

Chapter 4 Protective factors for organisational implementation 44

Protective factor: Organisational resilience 45

Protective factor: Organisational approaches to addressing stigmatisation 49

Protective factor: Creating a culture of support 50

Protective factor: Facilitating access and awareness of support avenues 53

Protective factor: Promoting communication 54

Protective factor: Balancing the psychosocial safety climate 55

Protective factor: Implementing a wellbeing strategy 58

Chapter 5 Protective factors for individual implementation 60

Protective factor: Learning a new wellbeing skill 60

Protective factor: Defining motivation to change 62

Protective factor: Individual resilience 63

Protecting factor: Compassion satisfaction and self-care 64

Protective factor: Promoting individual action 68

Protective factor: Awareness and mitigation of risk factors for burnout 69

Protective factor: Recognising and intervening approaching burnout and compassion fatigue 70

Protective factor: Connection 73

Protective factor: Access to support 73

Protective factor: Judicious use of standardised processes and templates 76

Protective factor: Practising self-awareness and meditation/mindfulness 77

Protective factor: Adequate sleep 78

Protective factor: Balanced diet 81

Protective factor: Adequate hydration 83

Protective factor: Optimising thinking styles 84

Protective factor: Appropriate delegation 90

Protective factor: Reflection on personal accomplishment 92

Protective factor: Physical activity 93

Protective factor: Gratitude practices 94

Chapter 6 Protective factors for individual trainee/student implementation 95

Protective factor: Medical school education styles 95

Protective factor: Good habits around maintaining patient confidentiality 96

Protective factor: Maintaining thorough record keeping 97

Protective factor: Maintaining clear communication 98

Protective factor: Planning training requirements 99

Chapter 7 Emergencies in mental health and wellbeing 100

Professional emergency: Pandemics 100

Professional emergency: Patient mental health 101

Professional emergency: Whistleblowing 102

Personal emergency: Personal crisis 105

Chapter 8 Mental health and wellbeing toolkit 106

Reframing 107

Weighing the evidence 107

Softening black-and-white thinking 107

Focusing on the benefits 107

Journaling 108

Reflecting 108

Challenging thought processes 108

Pausing 108

Delegating 108

Working as a team 109

Noticing anticipatory stress 109

Accepting 'good enough' 109

Replacing 'should' and 'must' 109

Playing out 'what if. . .?' 110

Connecting 110

Mentoring and buddying-up 110

Being thankful 110

Feeling a sensation 111

Progressively relaxing our muscles 111

Progressively mentally scanning our body 111

Deep breathing 111

Focusing on a physical sensation 112

Moving 112

Drinking de-caffeinated drinks after 3pm 112

Removing blue light after 8pm 112

Prioritising sleep 112

Starting and keeping to a regular sleep schedule 113

Drinking enough water 113

Eating well 113

Sitting less 113

Going outside 113

Talking 114

Accessing online resources 114

References 115

Index 130