5 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions for Healthcare Workers

Are you a healthcare workers planning out your new year’s resolutions?

Healthcare workers should ask themselves how they want their new year to look and what they want to achieve. It’s important to make resolutions or write your goals for the new year, whether you’re starting a new job, looking for ways to increase your healthcare knowledge, create COVID resistant masks, or wanting to volunteer. If 2020 has taught us anything, it would be to expect the unexpected and make room for the unknown. So how do you make achievable resolutions during a pandemic and busy schedule? Well, you can ask yourself a few questions.

• How will this resolution impact you or make you feel in the coming months and years?
  • How will it positively influence your life?
• Why? Why is this an important resolution to achieve?
• What do you want to try that you know you won’t fail?
• What resolution can you add to your busy schedule that can help you reduce stress or won’t cause you to stress?
• How will you or others around you benefit from this resolution(s)?
• How can you get your support system involved to keep you accountable?
  • Would you recommend this resolution to those around you?
• How do you want to feel at the end of the year?

With that, here’s are  7 achievable personal and professional New Year’s Resolutions for healthcare workers.

Staying Hydrated

As a healthcare worker, trying to stay hydrated during your busy schedule can be difficult, especially when you’re assisting, caring, cleaning, sanitizing, and ensuring the safety of all who walk through your facility.  But you have to remember to take care of yourself.

Reasons to stay hydrated

• It’s vital for your physical and mental health.
• Wearing PPE all day can exhaust you
• You need water to stay awake and rejuvenated.
• It’s small but impactful to everyday life.
• Water is amazing

There are many ways to remind yourself to stay hydrated. 

• Keep track of water intake by taping your water intake and timing onto your water bottle.
• Put an alarm on that reminds you to drink water every 1 to 3 hour (it’s up to you)
• Download a hydration app
  • Download the Plant Nanny App, which compares your water consumption habits to that of watering a plant.
  • Download the self-care app Aloebud to remind you to drink water, take your vitamins and remember to eat

Join A Wellness Challenge At Work

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to be and stay healthy, joining a wellness challenge may be right for you. Healthcare workers can join workout challenges to help them change their diet, meditate, or implement lasting healthy habits, i.e., walking during their breaks or quitting smoking. 

Work wellness challenges allow healthcare workers to interact with others while setting healthy goals. Also, having support from other workers and friends can help you achieve your health goals before the end of the year.

Note: Connect with your employer about Work Wellness Challenges or create your own.

Attend Webinars

If your goal for 2021 is to connect with other healthcare workers or people with the same interest, why not attend a webinar? Webinars allow you to learn more about what’s going on and get acquainted with others in your field. Expanding your professional network is important and will enable you to expand your knowledge and keep you updated on healthcare trends. 

Here are five reasons healthcare workers should add attending a webinar to their new year’s resolutions:

•  They’re interactive, and you can connect and network with others.
• You can receive CE credits
• You learn new things.
• Virtual and most are accessible and free, i.e., on YouTube, Zoom, Google Hangout 
• The host sends you repeated reminders and calendar notifications so you don’t forget.

Alternative: Expand your knowledge and socialize by reading more journals and joining an online meetup group or social event on diverse subjects.

Going to Therapy 

Healthcare can be stressful, especially during a pandemic. The work can leave you physically exhausted, anxious, and depressed. Having someone to talk to can help put things into perspective and reflect on how far you’ve come and where you’re going.

Most therapy sessions have gone remote, making it accessible for healthcare workers to connect with a therapist on the go. Using apps such as  PeerRxMed or Talkspace, which has discounts for healthcare workers, allows you to connect virtually with therapists and counselors. Virtual therapy is convenient. You and your therapist can set up a time to talk during breaks or days off.  

Note: Connect with your employer to see if there is an on-site therapist or check with your health providers for therapist recommendations.

Note (2): There’s a Therapy for Black Girls’ Directory full of Therapists, including cost.

Examine Your Relationship With Yourself

If 2020 has taught us anything, it would be to expect the unexpected and make room for the unknown.  That is why doing monthly check-ins with yourself is crucial. Whether you decide to create monthly goals, meditate, having conversations with yourself, or reaching out for support, do it 

 As healthcare workers, your priority is the patients and community at large. In the new year, make yourself a priority. Healthcare workers must take an inventory of themselves, checking in on their health, relationships, and supporting themselves.

Things to do

•  Ask yourself questions and figure out who you are and what you want, personally and professionally. 
•  You can create challenges for yourself and try to make time for self-care. 
• Write about your goals and progress. 

Although challenging, healthcare workers should try to make time and examine their relationship with them.

What are some achievable resolutions healthcare workers can work towards in the new year?

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