HEALTH & WELLBEING
THREE-DAY BREAK
In a disaster relief setting and communal living environment, it’s important that we take time away for our physical and, most importantly, mental health. All staff and volunteers are required to take a three-day mental health break away from the program every month; all costs associated with this are covered by the individual taking a break. Please find some options for your break here in the local area. For more information, see our Break Policy document.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Volunteers should be in good physical health, as most of the work on this program will involve repetitive manual labor, often in a very hot climate. Volunteers will be encouraged to take regular breaks for rest and rehydration. However, if you have any physical limitations you may want to consider the impact manual labor will have over several weeks.
Living communally may pose its own set of challenges. Remember that frequent hand washing and good hygiene is the first line of defense in staying healthy and productive, and more important than ever during the pandemic!
If you suffer from an underlying health condition we strongly recommend you consult a medical professional before committing to join. You should consider the impact of living and working in challenging conditions for a prolonged duration of time. It's important to note, outside of emergencies, access to medical assistance may be limited while you are on the program.
For advice on vaccinations, volunteers should consult with a travel medical professional for advice based on your individual needs. In addition, please be up to date with your Tetanus vaccination.
As we move further past the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to relax the requirement for Covid-19 vacation for on program staff and volunteers. We continue to strongly encourage all staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 along with other standard and travel immunizations as recommended by the CDC and WHO. This is to help minimize the risk of requiring hospitalization during illness and to avoid taking valuable health resources away from the local community.
Testing schedules and other precautions will be determined by local program situations and needs. Standard precautions, including proper hygiene and sanitation practices, for disease prevention will continue to be emphasized across all programs.
Please familiarise yourself with our COVID-19 advice document for the most up to date information on our COVID-19 safety measures.
MENTAL HEALTH
People are often viewed as mentally 'well' or 'unwell'. However, we know that mental health is NOT a static state. Rather, it is always changing along with every other aspect of our lives.
The Mental Health Continuum offers some general indicators you can use to track your own mental health and wellness. This can be used to proactively identify when you're moving away from the green end of the continuum, and steps to take at each phase.
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Your mental health is an essential part of your wellbeing. Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health.
Working in a post-disaster environment and communal living situation is tiring and stressful. The work is full of its own rewards, but do not compromise your mental health or the safety and effectiveness of the work by ignoring your limits. To support the well-being of our hardworking global team, we provide access to mental health and emotional care services that are available to our volunteers and staff, 24/7.
WHY DO WE HAVE THESE RESOURCES?
We recognize that there are a variety of stressors that can affect your well-being while working and volunteering with All Hands and Hearts. Our aim is to provide you with the means to proactively care for yourself and access mental health support whenever you may need it.
THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU
BetterHelp BetterHelp removes the traditional barriers to therapy to give everyone access to affordable and convenient mental health care 100% online. All Hands and Hearts has partnered with BetterHelp to offer three months of free therapy to support you and give you a head start on your mental wellness journey.
We also partnered with two licensed professionals, to ensure you have the support you need:
Ana Leticia Bedwell is a former staff member and volunteer, who has worked with All Hands and Hearts on many occasions Ana has Primary and Advanced training in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), which allows her to practice as a psychotherapist in that method. You reach Ana via email at analety.bedwell@gmail.com.
Carol Benjamin is licensed clinical social worker, whose experience includes working with clients of all ages. Carol specializes in trauma, attachment, family relationships, adoption, depression/anxiety, ADHD, neurodivergence, and vicarious/secondary trauma. Her approach is person-centered, and often incorporates cognitive behavioral theory. You can reach Carol via email at carolbenjliu@gmail.com.
For more information about wellbeing resources, please feel free to reach out to our Manager of Well-being, Rowan St. Clair at Rowan.s@allhandsandhearts.org.
Check out the Wellbeing Resource Guide to learn how to access these services while on-program. You will see this information flyer posted around base, however we also recommend printing your own copy and keeping it with your other important personal documents.
Learn more about how to take care of your wellbeing on program by completing our wellbeing training. You will also find more important training materials to work through before arriving on program.
humanitarian mental health
As a volunteer serving disaster-impacted communities, you may find certain elements of the role more challenging than others, such as the long work days & communal living environment. You may also face additional challenges at this time related to COVID-19 adaptations, such as the duration of the cohort and limited community interaction.
If you haven't prepared yourself, these challenges may become overwhelming. To avoid this and proactively set yourself up for success, it's important to start thinking about your mental health now and how you may cope with challenges that arise. First, let's look at a few common mental health challenges that humanitarians sometimes experience in the field.
BURNOUT
Burnout is a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. In a humanitarian role, Burnout is even more likely to occur. Check out these resources to learn more about burnout.
compassion fatigue
Also called “vicarious traumatization” or secondary traumatization. The emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. It differs from burn-out, but can co-exist. Compassion Fatigue can occur due to exposure on one case or can be due to a “cumulative” level of trauma.
We've gathered a few self-care tips, tricks and tools you can use to take care of yourself on program. Check out the resources below!
Self care means knowing who you are and your limits. It means recognizing when you are doing more than you are used to and how to slow down. It means finding a way to decompress throughout your day. Self care in essence is the mindful taking of time to pay attention to you, not in a selfish way, but in a way that ensures that you are being cared for by you.
Learn more about how to take care of your well-being on the program by completing our wellbeing training.
You will also find more important training materials to work through before arriving on the program.
