Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

As a senior care employee at any level, we have busy lives and many pressures from different directions that we absorb every day. In leadership, there are pressures to complete your administrative tasks and also support your staff to be compassionate and productive. The number of things on your mind can seem to soar to new levels with each email or conversation.

While this can be overwhelming and lead to stress and burnout, it can also be a good “cue” to reduce your full mind by inserting mindful moments. Mindfulness can reduce stress, increase productivity and self-confidence, among other benefits. The good news is it doesn’t take long and can be done individually or in teams.

Try one or more of these to increase your resilience through mindfulness:

• Unplug for a few minutes. Even your computer works better after you do this. Just tune out of other things and pause on demands. You can do this for the group or just by yourself. 
• Provide praise. Mark progress and victories with compliments and reinforcement, but make sure to do this for yourself as well as your team.
• Pick a space and spend a few minutes de-cluttering. Just an open space with less “stuff” in it can reduce your stress. Even shifting post-its or magnets, so there's more clear space on the surface can make a big difference.
• Is there a space in your home or at the workplace where you/team members can go to take a moment to reset? Think about carving one out.

During these times, you may feel exhausted and overwhelmed, despite some positive news about COVID’s reduced impact in our facilities. For more information about stress relief during COVID-19, go to www.leadingagemncoaching.com.

At no charge, you can arrange virtual staff support groups through LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s COVID-19 Staff Coping & Support Line project. Contact Terri Foley at tfoley@leadingagemn.org or 651-815-8137.