Wellbeing, Burnout and Self-Care

For immediate mental health crisis support or if you or anyone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000

Taking care of your wellbeing can help you manage stress, maintain healthy relationships, communicate effectively and recognise when you may need additional support. 

Your mental and emotional health shouldn't be viewed as a luxury or something that only becomes important when you are struggling. It is an important part of maintaining your wellbeing, resilience and ability to continue supporting others effectively. 

If stress is being driven by workload, staffing, scheduling or lack of support, personal wellbeing strategies alone may not address the underlying cause. Organisational interventions including workload reduction, schedule changes, safe staffing, better communication and teamwork are important for creating a supportive work environment and reducing the risk of workplace stress and burnout.

Ways to Support Wellbeing

Take regular breaks and allow time for recovery

Rather than repeatedly working through breaks, build opportunities to mentally step away from workplace responsibilities where possible. Workplaces that provide regular breaks, appropriate working hours, flexible schedules and effective workload management can help reduce job strain.

Set healthy boundaries around work

Creating healthy boundaries between work and personal time is a shared responsibility. Healthcare workers can be encouraged to recognise and maintain their own boundaries, while employers can support these by promoting manageable workloads, reasonable working hours and opportunities to properly disconnect and recover from work.

Stay connected with colleagues

Workers and employers can work together to build strong and supportive professional relationships. This may include regular team check-ins, peer support, mentoring, clinical supervision and opportunities to discuss challenging experiences, helping healthcare workers feel supported rather than managing workplace pressures alone.

Maintain physical activity

Physical activity and mental wellbeing are closely connected. Participating in regular physical activity, such as walking, aerobic exercise, resistance training or strength training, can help support healthcare workers’ mental health, overall wellbeing and ability to work effectively.

Develop practical stress-management strategies

Different approaches work for different people. Psychosocial approaches including mindfulness, cognitive behavioural approaches, stress-management training and self-care training as potential individual interventions.

Seek help early rather than waiting for a crisis

If stress, anxiety, low mood or exhaustion are persisting or interfering with everyday life, reaching out for professional support can be an important next step. Support could include a GP, psychologist, your workplace's Employee Assistance Program (EAP), or another appropriate mental health service.

Check-In Regularly

Take time to notice changes in your mood, energy, sleep, motivation and ability to cope. 

A mental health or wellbeing self-assessment is a structured opportunity to pause and reflect on how you have been feeling, coping and functioning emotionally. Completing a self-assessment can help you become more aware of changes in your mood, stress levels and overall wellbeing that may otherwise be overlooked, particularly during busy or demanding periods. It can also help you identify when you may benefit from additional support and provide a useful starting point for a conversation with a GP or other health professional.

• Medicare Mental Health self-assessments
• MindSpot wellbeing course
• Black Dog Institute mental health check-up

Please find below services that can provide urgent mental health support.

Lifeline provides a 24/7 free telephone line 13 11 14, text and online crisis support for anyone experiencing distress or crisis 

Suicide Call Back Service offers a free, 24/7, telephone line 1300 659 467 and online counselling services for people affected by suicide.

Beyond Blue offers a free, 24/7, telephone line 1300 224 636 and online counselling services for people affected by suicide.