Burnout can be prevented with a number of techniques that will also help you become emotionally stronger and more resilient. We’ve previously covered these strategies in different articles on HappyVetProject. However, there may come a point when you can no longer cope on your own. That’s when it’s time to seek the help of a psychologist.
You feel you’re not doing great or maybe worse than before. And you know you aren’t well, but you carry on as if nothing is wrong. Before you reach the point of hitting rock bottom, why don’t you ask for psychological help? A psychotherapist can correctly diagnose what is happening to you and then give you the tools you need to overcome and cope with the emotional and stressful burden of the veterinary profession – much like what you do every day – sound familiar?
Seeking specialised therapy is not a symptom of an inability to manage your life or of weakness. Psychologists can help you become more emotionally intelligent and prepare you to face the daily challenges of your profession.
In this article we explain the 8 signs that indicate when it’s time to see a therapist.
1. When the death of patients and grieving families affect you for a longer period of time than usual
2. You constantly feel a strong sense of unease, suffering or sadness
3. You’re unclear about the future
4. You’ve lost control over your life
5. You constantly have negative thoughts
6. You feel aggressive and angry toward your friends and family
7. You feel stressed all the time
8. You can’t sleep well or you don’t feel rested when you wake up
When to see a psychologist
Don’t wait until your problems get the better of you before getting help. Making the decision to go to psychotherapy can be difficult due to the stigmas that still exist around these professionals.
Fortunately, it’s becoming more and more normal to seek the help of a therapist to resolve conflicts from the past and to get the adequate tools to face the challenges of the present.
As a veterinary professional and above all as a person, there are some cases where it’s necessary and highly recommended to seek this help before hitting rock bottom:
1. When the death of patients and grieving families affects you for a longer period of time than usual
The veterinary professional, like all health professionals, must learn to live with life and its inevitable counterpart, illness and death. Many people who care for animals tend to be HSPs (Highly Sensitive People). This character trait can make it complext to emotionally manage the pain of patients and families.
If this pain and discomfort becomes chronic, even if you are not an HSP, it’s time to seek psychological help. Compassion Fatigue is one of the main causes of Burnout and if you don’t have the tools to cope with it, it can cause you to leave the profession due to a feeling of rejection towards your career.
Sadness, aggression or recurring negative thoughts are reason enough to seek psychological help.
2. You constantly feel a strong sense of unease, suffering or sadness
Suffering can be something the veterinary professional learns to live with on a daily basis. To some extent it’s normal that after a negative event, you suffer sadness and discomfort.
If this state is prolonged over time, it can become pathological and impair the regular functioning of your life and profession.
Fortunately, a therapist can help you overcome the sadness and the inability to move forward, and in many cases without having to sacrifice the profession you love so much.
3. You’re unclear about the future
Failure to adapt to the demands of the profession and what you are getting in return may cause you to consider leaving and not be sure about the future. This can affect your motivation and general well-being. The therapist could help you to get to know yourself better and to know what your wishes and priorities are so that you can plan for your future in a realistic way.
4. You’ve lost control over your life
Have you been suffering from long-term anxiety? Have you lost control over your life? This can affect your work, your relationships with others, or even finding a partner. The first step is to take an honest look at your life and learn how to disconnect from the clinic. If after some time practicing self care you’re still suffering from anxiety and stress, it’s time to seek professional help.
5. You constantly have negative thoughts
Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Syndrome can cause veterinary professionals to reach a point of no return. Character traits such as perfectionism, an inability to accept mistakes and an exaggerated sense of responsibility, combined with other occupational risk factors, can increase the risk of suicide.
If you have negative thoughts that prevent you from living your life normally, if you think you’re catastrophizing things, develop an obsession or fixation, or even consider ending it all, it’s urgent that you seek professional help.
6. You feel aggressive and angry towards your friends and family
You may feel anger or aggression towards someone or towards your work environment. This aggression may be one of the symptoms of Burnout.
In other instances, it’s a reaction to frustration and may be a way of avoiding your share of guilt, for example, about a bad decision you made. A psychologist can help you to better understand your character and what’s happening to you, to accept yourself and to effectively deal with the situations that affect you.
Stress and poor sleep can cause physical, emotional and behavioural disorders.
7. You feel stressed all the time
Chronic stress, especially at work, is one of the most frequent problems in our society and especially in the veterinary profession. It can seriously affect your psychological and physical health. Stress alters your thinking and behaviour and provokes physiological, physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions.
Your therapist will help you to have the tools to sort out your life and deal with stress when you cannot take care of it on your own.
8. You can’t sleep well or you don’t feel rested when you wake up
The pace of professional life, emergencies and night shifts are not conducive to natural sleep and can cause you to rest far fewer hours than necessary. This has a negative effect on your life, affecting your character, your concentration and your physical ability to face the challenges of the day.
Learning to sleep better is almost a mandatory part of any veterinary professional’s job. If after practising the techniques recommended in the post Vet tricks to get a better night’s rest and wake up as good as new you still have nightmares, sleepwalking or behavioural disorders associated with lack of REM sleep, then psychological therapy can help you to overcome them.
A psychologist can offer solutions and help you get control of any difficulties you may be experiencing. Don’t wait for problems to escalate. Even when all seems to be going well, many veterinarians have taken the Burnout test and have been surprised by the results.
