Tag Archive for: emotional well-being

Are Well-Being Programs Provided at Work in The NHS Enough for Women?

The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom is facing a crisis as female workers are burning out at alarming rates. The NHS, which is one of the largest employers in the country, employs over 1.5 million people, with the majority of them being women. While aiming to provide some assistance and well-being programs, the question remains, is what’s on offer enough for women in the NHS?

There are many factors contributing to the high burnout rates among female workers in the NHS. One of the main issues is the high workload and long working hours. Female staff are often expected to take on multiple roles, including caring for patients, managing administrative tasks, and juggling family responsibilities. This can lead to high levels of stress and exhaustion, which can have a significant impact on their mental and physical health.

Another issue is the lack of support and resources available to female staff. Many female workers in the NHS feel that their extra contributions are not valued, and that their concerns are not taken seriously by their managers. This can lead to feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction with their jobs.

To address these issues, there are several proactive approaches that could be taken to help solve the problem. One approach is to provide individual coaching from a qualified carer and coach. This would give female staff the opportunity to talk through their concerns and receive guidance and support on how to manage their workloads and responsibilities more effectively.

Another approach is to provide more resources and support for female staff, such as flexible working arrangements, childcare support, and mental health services. This would help to create a more positive and supportive working environment for female staff, but getting these structural changes in place takes time (that we don’t have!)

In Lincolnshire, the NHS Trust has implemented a coaching program for care workers, which has helped many to reduce stress levels, improve work-life balance and boost staff morale.

Being from Lincolnshire myself I am thrilled that we are beginning to take care of our carers.

And while it is a step in the right direction, the techniques can be complemented by a suite of coaching tools designed by women for women.

Most coaching tools are developed from a masculine perspective. This approach can be problematic for women as they may not take into account the unique experiences, hormonal and energetic needs, let alone the perspectives of women.  These tools may focus on traditional masculine traits such as assertiveness and competition, rather than recognising the inherent value of women’s cycles, and leadership traits such as collaboration and emotional intelligence.

The high burnout rates among female workers in the NHS are a serious concern. Burn-out for women can be exacerbated by trying to approach your well-being support without accounting for the natural feminine energies and cycles.

So, if you’re ready to choose a life coach in Lincolnshire, especially someone who has experience with well-being programs in the Care industry, then ensure you find someone with the right coaching program.

With tailored individual coaching and support, as well as more resources and support for female staff, we can create a more positive and supportive working environment for female staff, which will ultimately benefit patients and the NHS as a whole.

The Empathy Trap: Why Giving More is Disempowering for You

Empathy is a powerful tool that can help us connect with others and build strong relationships. However, when we take it too far and become overly empathetic, we can fall into what is known as the “empathy trap.” This trap can be disempowering, leading to feelings of burnout, resentment, and even physical and mental health problems.

Why Giving More is Not Actually Giving More

You call it ‘caring’, but when you don’t know your boundaries, it can lead to feelings of burnout and exhaustion. Especially if we constantly give of ourselves without taking time to recharge.

  • It can create resentment as we may feel that others are not reciprocating the same level of care and support.
  • It can lead to physical and mental health problems as we neglect our own well-being in the pursuit of helping others.
  • It can create a codependent dynamic in which the other person becomes reliant on us and does not learn to take responsibility for their own emotions and actions.

As a coach of women who work in the Care industry, I have a few coaching tools to help you get out of the empathy trap:

1. Setting boundaries

It is important to set limits on how much time, energy, and resources we are willing to give to others. This can help us to prioritize our own needs and prevent burnout. To know what you need, I have a tool called the “Needs Creed” created by One of ManyTM. Send me a message from my contact page if you would like it!

2. Asking for help

Instead of shouldering all the responsibility ourselves, we can ask for help from friends, family, or a professional coach. There are positive and negative ways to ask for help. Obviously you will have more success with the positive approach – I can help you with that!

3. Managing overwhelm

We can learn to manage our emotions by developing healthy coping mechanisms, such as mindfulness practices, exercise, or coaching. There are short quick fixes such as the One of Many™ Overwhelm First Aid Kit, and more strategic approaches for sustainable ‘handling’ of your load.

Empathy is a powerful tool that can help us connect with others and build strong relationships, but when we fall into the empathy trap, it is the exact opposite – disempowering. By setting boundaries, asking for help, and managing overwhelm, we can learn to balance our need to help others with our own well-being and avoid falling into the trap of giving too much from an empty tank!

If you would like some of the tools I talk about in this article, I would love to connect with you via my contact page. Please feel free to ask for them in a message to me!

Thanks for reading my blog, as a carer for close to 20 years, and having experienced burnout, I have created a coaching program for women just like me. I love helping carers remain in the industry they love, by taking better care of themselves. Self care works, just ask me!