How Healthcare Workers Balance Work and Home Responsibilities During the Holidays

Work and home responsibilities often feel more overwhelming during the holidays, when many people feel constantly on the go. Healthcare workers are at a higher risk of experiencing physical and emotional exhaustion and burnout during the holidays unless they prioritize self-care. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to create a healthy balance between personal and professional responsibilities during busy times of the year, including the holidays. 

The Need for a Balance Between Work and Home Responsibilities

Healthcare professionals must find a healthy balance between work and home responsibilities to reduce their risk of burnout or mental health issues. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “The primary concern for burnout is not being able to emotionally take care of each patient individually or uniquely.” During the holidays, when staff often feel the most emotionally drained, clients frequently experience more challenges. Addressing the risk of healthcare worker burnout ensures clients receive appropriate care. 

Creating a work-life balance involves doing the following: 

• Setting specific times for work hours and personal time 
• Focusing on time-intensive and high-priority tasks first 
• Openly communicating needs and concerns with supervisors and family members 
• Using time management tools, including apps and calendars, to track responsibilities 
• Taking regular breaks 
• Setting realistic personal and professional goals

The more steps a person takes to separate work from their home life, the easier it is to create a sense of balance. Healthcare workers frequently face workplace stress, and the holidays cause additional stress in their home lives. If left unaddressed, the combination of pressures may interfere with a person’s ability to function. 

Maintaining Healthy Boundaries With Supervisors and Coworkers

Boundaries at work allow people to say “no” if they are asked to work additional hours or perform tasks that might negatively impact their mental and physical health. The holidays involve shopping for gifts, preparing meals, connecting with distant relatives, and other time-intensive activities. Healthcare workers must allow themselves to take the time they need to do these tasks without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Setting clear boundaries reduces stress and will enable professionals to enjoy their holiday plans while remaining productive at work. 

How Work and Home Responsibilities Can Affect Mental Health

Some of the ways work and home responsibilities impact mental health during the holidays include: 

• Higher caseloads, holiday staff shortages, and increased hours increase workplace demands
• Long and irregular hours reduce time spent with family 
• Holidays often intensify emotional reactions to client discomfort and pain
• Missing family traditions or events may lead to guilt, stress, and resentment 
• Reduced access to support networks due to traveling or other holiday plans

Healthcare workers can take steps to protect their emotional wellness by preparing for these potential challenges before the holidays arrive. Informing loved ones of possible shifts in work hours, completing holiday shopping in advance, and doing other things to lower stress around the holidays can help healthcare workers maintain emotional stability. 

Avoiding Unnecessary Tasks

The holiday season is full of personal and professional tasks people must complete to meet their goals. Avoiding unnecessary tasks can give people additional time to complete other things they must do at home or work. 

Some examples of unnecessary tasks people can delegate to others or avoid entirely include: 

• Household deep cleaning to impress family or neighbors
• Last-minute shopping trips 
• Overly complex or extensive holiday decorations 
• Personally preparing every dish for a holiday meal
• Sending personalized holiday cards to friends and family 
• Attending all social events 
• Responding to nonemergency work calls during time off.

Professionals significantly minimize holiday stress and anxiety by reducing home and work responsibilities. 

Spending Time With Loved Ones During the Holidays

Social engagement is essential to positive mental health. Professionals are less likely to feel burnt out if they spend time with loved ones during the holidays, making new memories and enjoying the company of the people they care about most. According to Plos One, “[S]ocial connectedness protects and promotes mental and physical health.” Driftwood Recovery ensures staff members have the time to disconnect from work and spend time with their loved ones. 

Practical Ways to Avoid Burnout From Work and Home Stress

Staff with mental health disorders have an increased risk of developing more severe symptoms during periods of heightened stress. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “64 percent of individuals living with a mental illness reported that their conditions worsened around the holidays.” Prioritizing self-care and taking the time to reenergize each week helps healthcare professionals avoid burnout from the combination of work and home stressors. Using self-care to address symptoms and lower stress levels can help healthcare workers with mental health disorders experience fewer side effects during the holidays. Driftwood Recovery supports staff experiencing additional stress during the holidays, ensuring they have the resources to create effective work-life boundaries. 

Balancing work and home responsibilities is difficult for healthcare workers during the holiday season. Some individuals may have large family get-togethers or mandatory work events interfering with their ability to remain productive while connecting with loved ones over the holidays. Workplace stress may also interfere with personal relationships unless people establish firm boundaries between their work and home life. Driftwood Recovery supports employees’ mental health by encouraging staff members to create strict limits that set apart their personal and professional responsibilities during the holidays. Management has an open-door policy and is always available to help staff cope with stressors. To learn more about our workplace culture or treatment programs, call us today at (512) 759-8330.

Many healthcare facilities treating substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health issues see a spike in clients during the holidays. The increased caseload has the potential to cause burnout and additional stress for healthcare workers unless they take steps to prioritize their mental and physical health. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to create a healthy work-life balance and work as a team to address any increased client load during the holidays. 

What Causes an Increased Client Load During the Holidays?

Holiday social gatherings may lead some people to realize their need for help. In addition, families that may not connect throughout the year often meet for holidays. Sometimes, families take the opportunity to prompt loved ones to get help. The holidays also create a sense of fellowship in many communities, causing people to reach out to individuals struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. 

Holiday plans may significantly reduce the number of healthcare workers available to take new cases. Time off for family vacations and traveling causes some departments to have fewer people available to keep up with increased client loads. Flexible scheduling and other solutions support staff without sacrificing the quality of client care. 

Interventions Are More Popular During the Holidays

Many people seek treatment during the holidays. Families often use the holidays as an opportunity to host interventions or urge loved ones to get the help they need to manage substance abuse and mental health disorders. Frequently, people go directly from the intervention location to a treatment center, causing a spike in potential clients for some healthcare facilities during the holidays. Intervention specialists may contact rehabilitation programs and facilitate the transfer of intervention clients on behalf of families. 

How Can Healthcare Workers Manage an Increased Client Load During the Holidays?

Clients may come all at once or as a steady stream of intakes. Healthcare professionals must find ways to manage the increased client load. Additional personal responsibilities during the holidays may make it more difficult for some professionals to focus at work. Combining additional responsibilities and more clients can stretch some people’s skills to breaking. Healthcare professionals need to plan for these moments and develop strategies to avoid emotional burnout during busy seasons. 

Some of the ways staff at rehabilitation programs manage a large influx of clients during the holidays include:

• Temporarily increasing staff or cross-training to fill empty spaces in schedules
• Implementing a more streamlined intake process to more quickly assess and treat new clients 
• Offering additional group therapy options to accommodate more individuals in treatment programs 
• Providing flexible scheduling 
• Offering telehealth services for individuals who do not require in-person care
• Partnering with private and community-based services 
• Consistently communicating with families to facilitate family engagement during the holidays 

Healthcare workers and supervisors can take many steps to improve the experience for clinicians and clients, reducing stress and increasing the effectiveness of treatment. 

Setting Realistic Expectations and Strict Work-Life Boundaries

Professionals must set realistic expectations with clients, coworkers, family members, and friends to avoid feeling pulled in multiple directions. The best way to do this is by being specific and considering all factors affecting their ability to achieve the goal. 

Clinicians treating SUD and mental health disorders often talk to clients about creating S.M.A.R.T. goals. Professionals can use the same principles to develop realistic expectations for work and home. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives is a good way to plan the steps to meet” short and long-term goals.

Making S.M.A.R.T. goals involves doing the following: 

• Clearly defining what you want to achieve by setting specific goals
• Identifying criteria for tracking progress 
• Setting attainable goals 
• Ensuring smaller goals align with larger objectives 

Structured and realistic goals set healthy expectations and increase the likelihood of success. 

Effectively Navigating an Increased Client Load Without Compromising Treatment Quality

Driftwood Recovery is a leading rehabilitation center with luxury accommodations and high-quality services. The clinical team maintains high standards and provides world-class treatment programs. Staff members learn to effectively navigate increases in client loads without compromising treatment quality or client engagement. Professionals use their support network to develop healthy strategies for remaining productive with a large workload. 

Practicing Self-Compassion and Self-Care

Healthcare professionals must treat themselves with grace and compassion to avoid feeling overworked and underappreciated. The holiday season is a difficult time for many people. Some professionals feel guilty for working longer hours and spending less time with family during the holiday rush. Practicing self-care and self-compassion can help healthcare professionals develop a more positive mindset. 

Clients and coworkers benefit when clinicians give themselves the time and space to reenergize each week. A few examples of self-care people use to manage higher stress levels at work include: 

• Spending time alone meditating or practicing mindfulness 
• Participating in hobbies or other enjoyable activities 
• Spending time with pets, loved ones, or social circles
• Setting clear boundaries 
• Getting quality sleep each night 
• Eating balanced, nutritious meals

Healthcare workers can provide exceptional care while maintaining positive mental health during the holidays. 

During the winter months, many treatment facilities get inundated with new clients, contact from potential clients and their families, and alumni needing additional support navigating their first holiday sober. The increase in workload significantly impacts the emotional and physical health of clinicians and support staff. Management at Driftwood Recovery encourages employees to develop a work-life balance and set boundaries to support their mental health during the holidays. Staff need to prioritize their own well-being to provide high-quality care to clients recovering from addiction or mental health disorders. To learn more about our facility and how we support staff members during the holidays, contact our office today by calling (512) 759-8330.

Individuals in healthcare may experience unusual or emotionally charged situations with coworkers and clients, leading to ethical dilemmas. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Moral dilemmas arise when two or more principles or values conflict and there are mutually inconsistent courses of action.” Driftwood Recovery provides comprehensive training and staff support to help clinicians navigate ethical dilemmas with dignity and compassion. 

5 Common Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare and How to Address Them

Ethics is a cornerstone of good healthcare. Ethical guidelines protect clients and healthcare professionals from legal issues, ensuring people have access to relevant and appropriate care. Identifying and adequately addressing moral dilemmas improves treatment outcomes for clients and reduces workplace stress for clinicians. Below are five common ethical dilemmas encountered in healthcare and how professionals can manage them. 

#1. Maintaining Client Privacy While Addressing Threats to Public Safety

Client privacy is essential to the therapeutic process. Ensuring confidentiality and privacy builds trust and confidence in the client-clinician relationship. However, some situations may make it challenging to maintain client privacy while balancing public health and safety. For example, clinicians may have to break confidentiality if a client expresses intent to harm themselves or others. Finding the right balance between ensuring public safety and maintaining client trust involves practicing good judgment. Driftwood Recovery has strict guidelines and protocols for managing client privacy and adhering to privacy laws. HIPAA and other laws ensure healthcare workers know when to break and when to protect client confidentiality. 

#2. Informed Consent and Clients With Limited Capacity to Understand Treatment Options

The effects of chronic substance abuse, complex mental health issues, and developmental factors may impact a client’s capacity to understand their treatment options. Individuals with a decreased capacity to recognize their needs and identify effective treatment plans may have difficulty understanding their situation. Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring clients under their care give informed consent for treatment services. Some clinicians may struggle with determining if a client has the mental capacity to provide informed consent. 

Ongoing assessments and ethical judgment help healthcare workers recognize when a client needs an advocate. Driftwood Recovery ensures all staff know how to identify the signs of a client’s capacity to give informed consent. In cases where clients may not be able to consent, the clinical team follows legal guidelines for working with client families or representatives to make the best decisions for their care. 

#3. Refusal of Treatment Despite Severe or Life-Threatening Consequences

Individuals experiencing complex mental health issues, substance use disorder, or dual diagnosis may refuse treatment despite a high risk of relapse or self-harming behaviors. Mentally competent adults have the right to refuse treatment regardless of how this may affect their physical or emotional health. However, determining mental competency can sometimes be difficult and cause moral dilemmas for healthcare professionals. 

Studies have shown that when “a patient’s illness is affecting their capacity to refuse care, and they are considered a danger to themselves or to others, the healthcare provider is expected to treat the patient regardless of their refusal.” Every state has different laws regarding involuntary treatment. Driftwood Recovery educates clinicians on state, local, and federal laws for treating patients who have refused care. 

#4. Balancing Respect for Cultural Beliefs With Evidence-Based Care

Some people’s cultural beliefs may clash with evidence-based care, making it difficult to treat conditions impacting the client’s mental and physical health. Responding with compassion and curiosity instead of judgment can help healthcare professionals develop tailored approaches to care that meet client needs while respecting their cultural beliefs. 

Mental health and addiction recovery experts balance respect for client cultural beliefs with evidence-based treatments by doing the following: 

• Conducting cultural competency training 
• Actively listening to client needs and preferences 
• Collaborating with clients and their families to tailor treatment 
• Using culturally appropriate assessment tools 
• Providing access to bilingual counselors 
• Encouraging family involvement in treatment 

Healthcare professionals can respect cultural beliefs and stigmas surrounding treatment while gently introducing evidence-based modalities into treatment plans. 

#5. Setting Professional Boundaries With Compassionate Care

Boundaries may become blurred sometimes, making it difficult for healthcare professionals to set limits on how they interact with clients. Professionals set clear boundaries with clients by doing the following: 

• Defining professional roles at the start of treatment 
• Maintaining consistent and clear communication 
• Avoiding dual relationships, such as becoming a personal friend with therapy clients 
• Practicing self-awareness and mindfulness during interactions with clients 
• Consulting coworkers or supervisors if boundary issues become a problem 
• Respecting client autonomy

Boundaries help clients avoid confusion or miscommunication during treatment. Maintaining a professional distance from clients while treating them with dignity and compassion improves the effectiveness of treatment services and helps clients learn to set their own healthy boundaries. 

Mental health and addiction recovery programs involve many gray areas that may lead to ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals. Strict workplace policies ensure staff members understand when they must legally report certain situations and how to react appropriately to moral dilemmas. Experts are humans, too, and may experience a lack of judgment. Comprehensive workplace guidelines help professionals know how to respond to various complex or sensitive situations. Driftwood Recovery trains staff to recognize and address potentially challenging interactions using compassion, objectivity, and transparency. Healthcare professionals benefit from relying on their supervisors and coworkers to help them navigate unusual issues that may have them worried about providing the best care to clients. To learn more about our policies, call (512) 759-8330.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 21.0 million adults in the U.S. experience a depressive episode. Moreover, depression often co-occurs with substance use disorder (SUD). While millions of people are impacted by depression and SUD, women are disproportionately impacted by depression. Women are twice as likely to experience depression, as NIMH notes 10.3% of females compared to 6.2% of males experience a major depressive episode. Addressing depression for women and peripartum depression stigma is vital for sustained recovery.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the U.S. experience a major depressive episode. In addition, during and after pregnancy, about 1 in 8 women experience depression. Yet, the challenges women experience with depression rooted in gendered experiences like pregnancy and birth have often been overlooked. Mental Health America (MHA) notes that myths have led people to believe depression is a part of being a woman. Thus, understanding peripartum depression stigma can provide insight into the challenges women face in rebuilding their lives and maintaining recovery.

At Driftwood Recovery, we recognize how important a sober community is for building a strong foundation for sustained recovery. With our commitment to connection and community, you can find the support you need to thrive. Through a community of compassion, respect, and support, you are reminded that you are not alone on your recovery journey. You can use alumni services to dismantle peripartum depression stigma.

Expanding your understanding of depression and gendered experiences can support maintaining recovery as you pursue goals like becoming a parent.

Understanding Depression Recovery and Relapse

Due to your time in treatment, you are likely aware that challenges with co-occurring depression can complicate treatment and recovery. Similarly, withdrawal and abstinence in early recovery can increase your risk of experiencing depressive symptoms post-treatment. The thought of experiencing depressive symptoms during a vulnerable period of recovery can feel understandably scary. Moreover, you may be concerned about relapsing in your depression and or SUD. Some signs of a potential relapse can include low mood, irritability, fatigue, and social withdrawal. 

You may question how you can prevent a depression relapse. Recognizing triggers is an important first step in addressing depressive symptoms:

• Family changes
  • Loss of a loved one
• Health issues
  • Chronic illnesses
• Financial difficulties
  • Unemployment
  • Low income
• Hormonal changes
  • Pregnancy
  • Menopause

Looking at different potential depression triggers speaks to the various types of depression and their roots. 

Types of Depression

When people think of depression, they are often thinking of non-clinical depression, major depression, and seasonal depression. However, several different types of depression can impact well-being and recovery. Some of the different types of depression include:

• Major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Persistent depressive disorder (PDD)
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• Peripartum depression

PMDD and peripartum depression are examples of gender-related depression influenced by reproductive hormones. Thus, forms of depression like peripartum depression highlight fears of peripartum depression stigma in recovery. Yet, what exactly is peripartum depression? Is peripartum different than prenatal depression and postpartum depression?

What Is Peripartum Depression?

Peripartum depression highlights the presence of depression before, during, and after pregnancy rather than breaking them into prenatal and postpartum depression. According to “Perinatal Depression (Formerly Postpartum)” from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), perinatal or peripartum depression replaces the term postpartum to account for depression occurring during pregnancy and/or after childbirth. APA notes in “What Is Perinatal Depression?” the term perinatal recognizes that depression related to having a baby often begins during pregnancy rather than only after birth. 

As the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA) states, unlike the baby blues, which is common after birth, peripartum depression is characterized by intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair during or after pregnancy. The symptoms of peripartum depression can last for two weeks or longer and occur at any time, from conception to a year postpartum. Therefore, addressing peripartum depression sitgma is significant for supporting the health and well-being of you and your baby.

Addressing Peripartum Depression Stigma

Peripartum depression can be caused by factors like a family history, a difficult or traumatic pregnancy or birth, SUD, or lack of social support. Yet, peripartum depression stigma continues to stigmatize women and new parents. Images of pregnancy and parenthood often paint a beautiful picture of joy. 

Although pregnancy and parenthood can be joyful, they also have their stressors. Thus, many new parents are left feeling like they are failing when their feelings and experiences do not match the rosy images presented to them. Thoughts of failure and feelings of guilt coupled with peripartum depression stigma can make you feel too ashamed to reach out for support. As a result, peripartum depression stigma is a major barrier to help-seeking behaviors.

Impact of Peripartum Depression Stigma on Well-Being

According to Frontiers in Psychiatry, the possible impact of peripartum depression stigma on perinatal women can harm the well-being of you and your baby:

• Preeclampsia
• Low birth weight 
• Premature delivery 
• Cognitive and emotional development problems 
• Co-occurring mental health disorders

Thus, dismantling peripartum depression stigma is vital to well-being and preventing depression relapse in recovery.

Dismantling Peripartum Depression Stigma at Driftwood Recovery

The thought of peripartum depression and peripartum depression stigma in your recovery is understandably distressing. However, you can support your well-being and reduce the impact of peripartum depression stigma by engaging in help-seeking behaviors like a support group and therapy. At Driftwood Recovery, we know access to a peer-driven network can give you the tools and support you need to thrive in recovery. 

With a strong and vibrant sober community, you can find the service, accountability, and encouragement needed to meet and overcome the challenges life throws at you. Whether you are thinking about becoming a parent or are in the process of becoming a parent, being involved in an active alumni program can help you lead the courageous life you deserve. 

SUD and depression often co-occur, and depressive symptoms can return in early recovery. The risk of depressive symptoms in recovery can be particularly harmful to females, who are twice as likely to develop depression compared to males. Moreover, depression related to sex, like peripartum depression in pregnancy and birth, can increase concerns about depression relapse. The ability to reduce depression in recovery for women of reproductive age is compounded by peripartum depression stigma. However, with greater awareness and a strong support network, you can combat stigma, peripartum depression, and other types of depression to thrive in recovery. Therefore, at Driftwood Recovery, we are committed to providing a peer-driven community of alumni for sustained recovery. Call us at (512) 759-8330 today.