Tips, education and support for healthcare workers facing burnout, grief and fatigue.
We'll text you expert tips for preventing burnout, tools for coping with ongoing loss, and scripts for compassionately caring for patients, bereaved families and your team.
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How it works:
Healthcare support texts offer ongoing, expert text messages to people working in the healthcare field.
1. Tell us a little bit about you
Healthcare support texts are customized with your name and the specific areas you'd like to receive support.
2. Add supporters
This step is optional, but research shows that receiving support from others helps healthcare workers feel less isolated and more cared for at work.
Using your customized email template or QR code, easily send invites to the people you'd like to support you. Once they accept, we'll text them gentle suggestions and tips about how to be there for you.
You focus on taking care of yourself; we'll take care of educating your friends and family.
3. Start getting texts
Once you're signed up, there's nothing else you need to do. You'll receive your first text within minutes. Sit back and let helpful, expert support come to you.
Real Help Texts messages
Explore examples of real messages we've sent
- Hi, Celia. One way you can encourage staff to care for their mental health is by modeling it for them. This sends the message that prioritizing mental health is part of the culture in your workplace. Share with your team when you're taking a walk outside for a break or logging out of your email for the day, and ask them in return what they're doing to take care of themselves that day.
- Hi, Reggie. There are occasions when we develop a deep attachment to our patients. And for those people we will grieve. Hospice nurse Barbara Karnes suggests developing a closure ritual for your patients, whether that's putting a single flower on display in your home or keeping a private journal with a blessing for each patient. Do what you feel is meaningful.
- Hi, Shannon. As the leader of a team that witnesses death often, you might foster an emotional connection with your employees by hosting an end-of-month ceremony to give your staff an opportunity to remember patients who have died. You could paint rocks, light candles, or use thoughtful prompts to encourage story-sharing. Providing an intentional space for your team to process grief at work can help them feel supported.
- Hi, Rae. Burnout can come with a sense that things are meaningless and that your efforts don't matter. One way you can bringing meaning back into your work as in your role is by displaying a reminder of your value and worth at your workstation. This could be a note of encouragement written by a friend or family member or even yourself. You could also keep a list of kind words from your patients.
- Hi, Arjun. As a social worker, you may witness a lot of pain, suffering, and injustice. There can be a cumulative toll that comes with repeated exposure to trauma. You may find yourself experiencing common responses such as exhaustion, cynicism, numbness, and irritability, to name a few. Increasing your awareness about how these symptoms appear in your life is an important first step in recognizing and managing trauma exposure responses.
- Hi, Harlow. Have you heard about active optimism? Karen Furr, founder of The Resilient Nurse Project, says active optimism is intentionally taking time to notice positive interactions, thoughts, or feelings. She writes, "It's easy to forget about the one patient that said, 'Thank you,' when the others were complaining! But taking time to remember and document positive moments is a way to balance out the brain's tendency towards negativity."
- Hi, Steven. It's normal to have doubts during your first year in healthcare. If you're feeling unsure of your abilities, remember that all of your colleagues were once beginners too, and may be willing to answer your questions. Additionally, when working with patients, it can be helpful to reflect on, "What is this interaction with this patient teaching me?" You are surrounded by teachers of all kinds.
- Hi, Minnie. Do you get headaches a lot at work? Keep ibuprofen or acetaminophen at your desk. If your wrist is frequently aching, get a small heating wrap you can use when those aches flare up. If you feel tense at work, maybe an aromatherapy lotion could be soothing. Think about creating a personalized first aid/wellness kit that you can keep at work and that can bring you immediate relief and comfort.