Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, front-line workers like doctors, nurses, technicians, EMTs, and paramedics are heroes. Unfortunately, they are dealing with their own battle of trauma. We need to do what we can to help treat the trauma of our front-line workers to ensure they can do their job to take care of us.
What Healthcare Workers Are Going Through
Due to the work they do, front-line workers are fighting an invisible disease. Healthcare workers have to be two steps ahead in order to fight this. As a result of the trauma they face at work, they could be facing a number of symptoms like having trouble sleeping, anxiety, irritability, having trouble concentrating, and being easily startled.
They are seeing things that will be burned into their memory, like watching their patients die alone from this virus. Front-line workers also have to deal with not being able to save everybody, often causing a feeling of helplessness. The same could be said if they lose their coworkers to the virus, which could lead to survivor’s guilt.
Proactively Offer Support
Do not ask front-line workers if they need anything—many of them will surely need some form of help. Offer to do their laundry, make meals for them, or even make a thank you card to show how grateful you are for their work. These front-line workers are going to be too preoccupied to ask for help, or may be afraid to. You can take a proactive approach and just offer support without being asked.
Offer to Make Masks
If you have skills with your hands, you can put those skills to the test and make masks for a front line worker. You can sew together a mask, fold a bandanna into one, or make any other protective gear. Just like World War II when volunteers would make munitions to support their troops, the same can be said for the troops on the front-lines at your local hospital.
Encourage Social Distancing
To ensure that front-line workers do not catch this virus, it is important to speak to your peers about social distancing. Let them know to try their hardest to stay at home unless it is an essential trip like food shopping, helping an elderly peer, or anything else that cannot wait. We are all in this together. We are not alone in the trauma and worries we are experiencing.
Everyone is experiencing a shared trauma right now, especially front-line workers. The Guest House can help, offering personalized treatment for addiction and mental illness caused by trauma. We offer care for men and women over the age of 18, including breath work, equine therapy, art therapy, grief therapy, cinema therapy mindfulness, individualized and group therapy, and more. Call us today at (855) 876-3884 to learn more. We are here to help.