Prioritizing Well-being and Engaging with #WellnessWednesdays
By Julie Muroff,
Ombuds Director - Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Janelia Research Campus
Last week, while serving as a guest moderator for the OmbudsLinked discussion forum on LinkedIn, I made a request to our ombuds community: to consider collectively launching #WellnessWednesdays. As ombuds, we may be navigating turmoil in our workplace and trauma in our visitors, on top of other tensions in our lives and in the world. Among other considerations, those circumstances can make us vulnerable to burnout syndrome, a work-related toll on emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. That vulnerability has been highlighted by the global mental health crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other fields, including medicine and law, have acknowledged those concerns and are promoting initiatives to address them.
Likewise, I have appreciated the attention to self-care that has been emphasized in our ombuds community, in particular during conference sessions and other gatherings, especially during the pandemic. While it is beyond the scope of ombuds practice to diagnose or treat mental health issues, I also have appreciated the attention to wellbeing by visitors in my casework, consistent with a recent survey of several academic ombuds offices in Texas. Given all above, I went back to school to bolster my toolkit of evidence-based strategies to advance the wellbeing of ombuds and our visitors, organizations, and field with a focus on interventions from positive psychology.
I have been passionate and diligent about sharing those strategies to promote the wellbeing of others, especially my visitors. Yet I have not been deliberate or consistent about practicing what I preach when it comes to prioritizing my own wellbeing. I trust that I am not alone; perhaps it is an “occupational hazard” that ombuds can be tempted to put the (wellbeing) needs of others before our own…? Observing #WellnessWednesdays can be a reminder to each and all of us, to pause at least once every week, to reflect and reassess: how can we be even more mindful about protecting and promoting our wellbeing, and supporting each other in that effort? So, I am hoping that, together, we can make it #WellnessWednesday today and moving forward, as a small step towards the big goal of taking even better care of ourselves and each other.
List of links to resources mentioned on this post:
- Article on Burnout Syndrome:
https://bjan-sba.org/article/10.1016/j.bjane.2020.10.017/pdf/rba-71-2-190.pdf - Article related to global mental health crisis:
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10020364 - Initiatives from Medical Field:
https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/ama-physician-well-being-program - Initiatives from Law:
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/lawyer_assistance/well-being-in-the-legal-profession/?login - Survey of Academic Ombuds:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2022.2159565 - Article on Positive Psychology:
https://ioa.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/JIOA_Articles/JIOA-2023-T%20Publication%20Proofs.pdf
Thank you for writing about the issue of wellbeing Julie. I am surprised that you don’t have a million comments given the importance of the topic. I suspect that Ombuds are better at focusing outward instead of inward, as you identify. Some great resources to get all of us thinking about how we can look after ourselves in the service of looking after others.
Thank you for writing about the issue of wellbeing Julie. I am surprised that you don’t have a million comments given the importance of the topic. I suspect that Ombuds are better at focusing outward instead of inward, as you identify. Some great resources to get all of us thinking about how we can look after ourselves in the service of looking after others.