The Power of Micropractices
What are we finding in the research?
Last month, The Journal of the American College of Radiology published an article on simple micropractices to prevent burnout and improve mental health during COVID-19. The authors wrote this paper based on a series of workshops that were conducted for healthcare workers who have been dealing with high workload and stress over the past few months. While directed towards physicians, the insight and strategies they gained from this research are applicable to everyone. In fact, many of the suggestions are similar to what we’ve discussed in previous weeks!
Below is a recap of the article and what they suggest to prevent burnout and improve emotional wellness during this time.
As many of you know, one of our main mantras is that incremental improvements, or micro-gains, will help you win over the long term. Being just 1% better every day has a huge impact on your physical and mental health over time. The authors in the article have a similar philosophy. They suggest that ‘micropractices’ are powerful as you can learn them quickly, they require minimal time and effort, and you can incorporate them easily into your day. And you get a huge return on your investment.
Here are some simple micropractices that the authors suggest to help prevent burnout and improve emotional wellness in the healthcare setting, which we can all apply to our daily lives:
Mindfulness. Micropractices of mindfulness, or being in the here and now, can be incorporated into the day by adding it to a routine you already do, such as while washing your hands or brushing your teeth. As you’re already doing these activities, it doesn’t require any more time to incorporate mindfulness into the activity. For example, the next time you’re washing your hands, try to focus on your breath, or notice the feeling of the water and soap on your skin, or simply observe how you are feeling in that moment.
Name one’s emotions. The researchers also discovered that when physicians name their emotion, particularly during a time of high stress, they are able to better deal with that challenge. The next time you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, take a step back to observe and name the emotion you are feeling. Are you feeling stressed? Anxious? Exhausted? Angry? This simple naming practice can help to decrease the tension you are feeling.
Gratitude. As we’ve discussed recently, simply writing down three things you’re grateful for is an incredibly powerful strategy to decrease burnout and increase happiness. This can be done in the morning, at night before going to bed, or whenever you would like to take a break from the hectic world and be thankful for someone or something in your life.
Diaphragmatic breathing. We discussed this simple practice last week. Diaphragmatic breathing or “belly breathing” is when you focus on expanding your lungs downwards towards your belly and taking deep inhales and exhales. Just doing a few slow, belly breaths a few times throughout the day can help decrease stress and anxiety.
Check out this link to read the full article!
