Bad day at the office?

We all have tough days

We have all had those days when we wonder why we are doing the job we do; when nothing seems to go to plan and it all turns to skittles.  In midwifery, it could be something simple like missing a vein when trying to take blood or something much more serious and tragic.

It takes an enormous emotional input to be in a caring profession.  Self care is vitally important to ensure you can give the very best to the women in your care, because if you constantly give without putting something back into yourself, you will soon run empty.

Oreo cookie icecream is a must

Here are my top tips for coping with those bad days at the office:

Treat yourself
Eat chocolate, watch your favourite film, listen to your favourite music, go for a run – anything that will release endorphins.  The first step is to boost your mood. This can start on your journey home
from work, turn the radio up, open the windows and let the wind blow the shift away.

Reflect
Don’t wallow, but think about the experience; what happened, how did it make you feel, what was good or bad about the situation, what have you learnt from it, what would you do differently if it happened again.  Every experience is a learning opportunity, even if it is “I will never do that again”.

Share
Find someone you can talk to, and cry with if need be.  Debriefing a serious incident is as important for you as it is for the parents, as it helps you to make sense of the situation and will aid your

We all need a help! button

reflection.  Remember, you have a responsibility of confidentiality and cannot share personal information of patients, but having another person to talk to will stop you rerunning it over in your mind.

Remember the good experiences
It can be very easy to get into a negative mindset.  The best way to break this cycle is to focus on better times; remember your first delivery, the best feedback you got from an essay.  I believe the bad experiences are made worse because they happen so infrequently, so remember to look at all the positive things which have gone before.

Tomorrow is a new day
Move on.  Practice in light of what you have learnt from your reflection, but don’t get trapped thinking it is going to happen again.

Its all worth it in the end

Hope this has helped. See you next week!