70% of veterinarians admit to being stressed, and only slightly more than half report being satisfied with their profession. Working under a little stress can be a good thing: stress improves concentration and makes us more efficient and resourceful.
The veterinary sector, however, suffers from excessively high levels of it. We’re not telling you anything new, right? Overwork, really long hours, emergencies, client care, Compassion Fatigue Syndrome, high standards in continuous training, etc. In addition, some of our colleagues have to juggle all this with running the clinic: financial management, personnel management, administration, and the list goes on.
Find out how to relieve stress with these 10 quick tips from the AVMA.
The American Veterinary Medical Association offers these 11 short tips to improve stress in your day-to-day life as a veterinarian or vet technician:
- Exercise regularly.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Plan and stick to a balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce your alcohol and coffee intake.
- Balance work and free time.
- Delegate tasks appropriately. Don’t try to do everything yourself.
- Spend quality time with friends and family.
- Resolve conflicts in a timely and respectful manner.
- Take your psychological health seriously. Seek professional help if you think you may be depressed or have other signs of mental illness.
- And last but not least, never underestimate the health benefits of playing with your pet!
Some of these strategies are probably not meant for you, but most of them will help you. Choose the ones that make you feel most comfortable and put them into practice. Excessively high levels of stress over time are the prelude to burnout or even depression. But, you hold the key to preventing it.
Do you want to learn more about ways to relieve stress? We recommend the article “Learn how to manage stress to avoid burnout” where we explain the consequences of excessive stress, both physically and mentally.
