As Allied Health Professionals we all have a passion for health, and a drive to help others; be it our clients, their families or their friends. Unfortunately with all this helping others, we can forget to look after ourselves.
Last September, we noticed that although we all got along well as a team, our individual moods were trending lower. That is to say, whilst we couldn’t put our finger on exactly what was wrong, we knew something didn’t feel quite right.
So to try and get more information, we each filled out an anonymous survey about our personal and work related health and collated the results, here’s what we found:
- We were happy in our profession
- We were happy with our team
- We enjoyed working with our cliental
But:
- Our average rating of physical health was well below average
- Our average rating of mental / emotional health was below average
Basically the survey helped us find the problem: We were neglecting our own health!
So here’s what we did about it:
FIRST – we focused on our mental and emotional health
- We started mindfulness / meditation breaks throughout the week
- We started writing a wellness score out of 10 each day to look for patterns in mood and to help identify if work colleagues are having a tough day
What we noticed: Everyone started to check in on each other more often without being asked. Staff were more ready to lend a hand for anyone who was struggling, or having an off day. The clinic morale, and relationships between the team skyrocketed.
SECOND – we focused on our Physical health
- Started an exercise challenge including pushups, pull ups and sit ups 3x a week in clinic.
- Went bouldering as a clinic activity
What we noticed: Pull ups are super difficult, everyone feels better when they get more active, and getting active is much easier when you have a partner to do it with. Shout out to Mat Munro for heckling everyone into staying on track!
Next month we will be working on our gymnastics routines with Liv Burnett our Gymnast extraordinaire and Physio. Wish us luck – and keep track of us on Facebook and Instagram.
Need a challenge or change in regards to your physical health? Get started by seeing your physiotherapist. We can help you create a lifestyle program and assist you to stay on track!
Nick Callanan - Physiotherapist
Nick completed his Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) degree from Monash University and joined the Back In Motion Health Group mid 2018. For Nick, his passion for physiotherapy developed naturally from a love of sport, exercise, and helping those around him. Nick thrives on empowering others to reach their goals and aims to make every session significant through his enthusiasm and poor quality humour.
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