For those of us who are in a care-giving place, taking care of ourselves is paramount. Taking care of ourselves helps maintain our physical and mental health, along with reducing the risk of burnout and injury. When we are healthy in all ways, we are able to offer our patients our best possible care.
Dental hygiene is incredibly stressful and taxing on our bodies. Carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet along with a host of other repetitive injuries plays a role in our health and in our abilitiy to show up everyday for ourselves, and for our patients. Aches and pains play a role daily where we demand so much from our bodies -we spend hour after hour hanging over patients, leaning and even standing in static positions. By prioritizing self-care, we can reduce our risk of physical strain and injury. And by prioritizing self-care, we are able to enjoy our time outside of the office!
Second, dental hygiene is emotionally taxing as we often interact with patients who may be experiencing their own trauma, or emotionally difficult times. We are on the receiving end of yo-yo emotions all day long as we have patients in and out of our chair. Learning excellent coping skills is a must where we can learn to show and express compassion to our patient, but yet not absorb or transfer those difficult emotions to ourselves.
Third, taking care of oneself can improve the quality of patient care. We've all heard the flight attendants instructions to put our own oxygen mask on first before we help others. Self care is no different. We must take care of ourselves before we can help others. As hygienists, we are true care-givers, we want to give our patients our absolute best because we care about them.
In short, taking care of oneself is essential for dental hygienists to maintain their physical and mental health, reduce the risk of burnout and injury, and provide the highest quality of patient care. And of course, taking care of ourselves will allow us to more throughly enjoy our time off where we can spend our time doing the things that bring us joy and inner peace. Being healthy enough to participate in our hobbies that refuel and replenish us are vital!
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