Have you ever faced issues related to stress, anxiety, or burnout while working at a library?
If so, or if you are not sure but you care about your personal wellness and the wellness of your community, watch a recording of the Well-being for Library Workers webinar hosted by Innovative, featuring international library consultant and former ALA President and recent ALA award winner Loida Garcia-Febo.
In this session, Loida took a holistic approach to wellness, sharing vital information as well as tips and strategies to promote well-being in ourselves, in our libraries, and throughout our communities.
Highlights from the webinar include:
Facts about global mental health – and how it impacts libraries
Loida shared that 1 in 5 adults the world struggle with mental wellness and the many factors that influence our mental well-being, as well as some of the unique factors that specifically impact the well-being of library workers. When the mental health of library workers is not prioritized, it in turn impacts the quality of library services.
The 8 dimensions of wellness according to ALA-APA
Loida served as a member of ALA-APA, an organization dedicated to promoting professional interests of librarians and other library workers. She discussed the organization’s interest in helping library workers address their own wellness and the wellness of their libraries, across these areas:
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Spiritual
- Environmental
- Occupational
- Social
- Financial
- Physical
Defining and identifying signs of stress, anxiety, and burnout
What is the difference stress, anxiety and burnout? Loida discussed in depth the unique characteristics in each of these areas, as detrimental impact they can have on our bodies, mood, and behavior.
Additionally, she shared simple tips to reflect on our experiences along with tips and strategies for coping with or alleviating the sources of stress, anxiety, and burnout in our own lives.
- Stress is the physical or mental response to external factors. It can be positive or negative, motivating us to meet an important deadline – or making us feel tense about it – and it usually resolves when the external factors that cause the stress is resolved.
- Anxiety is the body’s internal reaction to chronic stress, ongoing stress resulting in such physical manifestations as muscle tension, worried thoughts, and can cause such changes as increased blood pressure. Unaddressed anxiety can lead to acute anxiety disorders, which affect 4% of the global population.
- Burnout is a syndrome that results from unmanaged, chronic stress in the workplaces. It is not formally categorized as a mental health condition, though its impact on mental health is significant. Signs of burnout include exhaustion, dissociation or mental distancing in your role, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
Plus, lots more…
If you missed this session, want more information, or would like advice on promoting wellness for yourself or your library community, a recording of Well-being for Library Workers is available. Watch now.
Additional resources from the webinar: