Isolation and the Locum – Ways to Deal With Loneliness

With GP burnout being a topic we discuss openly, we are looking into the working/family life balance of locums within the industry and discussing the issues healthcare professionals face in their working lives.

AppLocum have created a community in which locums can discuss, converse and focus on building a support network with like minded individuals, battling the isolation often felt by healthcare professionals.

Here we are going to focus on relationships within family life, friendships and the issues that come with time heavy careers.

Over worked and Lonely

In the UK two in five GPs will experience a form of mental health issue, ranging from anxiety through to depression. Focusing on the GP lifestyle it is clear to see how isolation surrounds the career and stress is often not discussed.

Isolation and loneliness can be linked to further mental health issues, causing social anxiety, depression and even addiction. Human connection and closeness are crucial in the matter of isolation, a simple conversation can be the key to opening up about this potential mental health issue.

Individuals within high powered careers are often victims to loneliness. Time consuming jobs make it difficult to withstand human connection and emotional intimacy. The twenty first century has seen the development of communicating without vocal word. In a recent report, text has now become the most used method of communication, overtaking communicating via word with 58% of adults in the UK discussing important emotional matters via text. Text, email and social media have quickly become the main methods of communication, however intimate conversations including mental health and isolation are awkward to discuss via an impersonal method such as email.

With the staffing crisis in the NHS at an all time high we can see how time constraints are one of the main causes for locum mental health and isolation issues. Healthcare professionals are often overrun with clinics, under pressure with time targets and facing pay issues for the level of work expected.

The introduction of locum opportunities within the healthcare industry has offered back control to healthcare professionals and enabled them to manage their time efficiently, while focusing on their personal life. It is important to ensure you know your time schedule and focus on your ability to say no to shifts that may get in the way of your work/personal life balance.

The Answer to isolation?

Working as a salaried healthcare professional can be demanding, stressful and time consuming within today’s climate. An alternative to the time constraints within the NHS is taking on the opportunity of full time locum opportunities.

A common misconception of locum work is that you often will visit different settings and have no permanent team in place, which in some ways can feel isolating in itself. Locum’s in fact have the ability to choose long term shifts within the same surgery, creating friendships and a stable support network within work, while also having the opportunity to say no to a shift and focus on yourself.

When focusing on how to address isolation and loneliness the important word throughout all medical advice is; balance. The balance of work and life itself. To ensure a healthy balance between your career and your mental stability you must ensure that you focus on your personal time and give yourself the opportunity to be surrounded by friends and family in order to gain true human connection.

Turning off from forms of technology and communication via email, phone etc. can be imperative to beneficial mental health.

A Family Connection

Family life is extremely important to provide stability and support. For those within high powered, time constrained careers it is imperative to have a support network to gain human interaction and have the opportunity to discuss issues they may face within work.

A way to deal with isolation is to discuss the key issues and factors of your emotions with people close to you. Gaining a close family lifestyle enables you to discuss openly and address the issues you may face with working in a lonely career.

Ways to deal with loneliness:

-Identifying with the reasons behind the isolation and loneliness you may feel. Understand what may be causing the underlying feelings and address these issues within a proactive manner. It is important to understand when you feel lonely, what can be the key trigger and most importantly focus on what feeling lonely makes you do. How do you deal with the emotion?

-Realising that you aren’t completely alone will enable you to move forward. Focus on friends and family, work colleagues and ensure you open up an honest relationship with those who can support you.

-Your time is precious, prioritise your mental health and give yourself time to see those who support you. Taking on locum opportunities will give you the freedom you require while focusing on creating a balanced working/family lifestyle.

What we do to Help you

AppLocum understand the issues healthcare professionals experience within an industry that can often feel very isolating. Due to the high rise in demand for healthcare professionals and the increased pressure, we want to support and engage with our locums and offer the support they deserve.

We are creating a supportive network in with locums are empowered by those facing the same working issues, home life and emotional status in the healthcare industry. By creating an online community, we are using technology to support, connect and empower.