Staying Healthy as an Essential Worker: A Comprehensive Guide

As an essential worker, you may find yourself spending more and more time at work with very little time to kick back and relax. Make sure you use the time that you do have to focus on maintaining your physical and mental wellbeing.

Continue reading to learn how to maintain essential worker health while working on the front lines. It all boils down to keeping yourself healthy while working, maintaining a safe environment at home, and focusing on your mental health.

Keep Yourself Safe at Work

Wash your hands as much as possible. If you can’t get to a sink frequently, make sure to use hand sanitizer to get you through every shift. If you work in the type of environment that requires Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), make sure you always use your gear. If you don’t, be sure to wear a mask or a face shield to keep yourself protected.

Try to maintain a safe distance (also known as social distancing) between you and your coworkers (or customers) when possible. Sanitize your workstation all often as possible, especially if multiple people touch it during your shift. Whether this means your cubicle or your cash register, it’s important to keep that area free of germs at all costs. 

Consider taking a daily supplement to help boost your immune system. BioRite Nutritionals has several supplements that can help you to maintain your health. Turbo Power Plus is a liquid vitamin and mineral complex, made up of 47 nutrients and 17 anti-oxidants, that helps promote natural, all-day energy.

Don’t start any new regimens without consulting your doctor first.

Keep Your Home Germ-Free

Your home is meant to be a safe space separate from work. To keep it this way, you need to take certain precautions to prevent possible germs from gaining access to your home. As an essential worker, you don’t have much of a choice but to neglect the stay-at-home orders that have been placed.

You may be carrying home germs, bacteria, and viruses on your clothes and shoes. Remember to shed your street clothes and work uniforms the second you walk in the door, then wash them as soon as possible. Sanitize your shoes and any of your other work equipment that cannot be thrown in the washing machine. 

Keep your frequently touched surfaces germ-free by sanitizing them often. The doorknobs, the countertops, and even the toilet are all things that need to be cleaned more often than you may have before becoming an essential worker.

Protect Your Mental Health (Avoid Burnout!)

Burnout is inevitable if you don’t take care of yourself. This means that you need to prioritize physical health just as much as you should be prioritizing mental health. Sometimes you have to bring work home from work with you, and that’s fine! However, it can be helpful to leave your work at work when possible. 

Manage Stress and Anxiety

If you are struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out to your therapist (or start seeing one) via telemedicine. Having someone outside of your circle to talk to can help you through your specific situation.

For stress reduction, remember that it is okay to take it easy on yourself. Don’t push yourself harder than you can handle.

Anxiety can get the best of anyone during a pandemic. If you find that you are feeling anxious about the current state of the world, it may be a good idea to take a hiatus from social media and other outlets that may deliver misinformation to the community.

Prioritize Self-Care

With everything going on during your time as an essential worker, it’s important to take time for yourself. Set aside a few hours each week to focus on you. This time can be spent exercising, eating a healthy meal, practicing yoga and/or meditation, having a mini spa day, learning a new hobby, or even just soaking in the tub.

Stay Connected!

It is easy to feel isolated in a world where you have to continue working through an uncertain time while being unable to go out with friends or travel to different countries. Make sure that you stay connected with the family members and friends that you’re unable to see face-to-face right now. 

Call your mom, sister, and best friend and check in with them frequently. Arrange a socially-distant coffee date with friends in the Starbucks parking lot. Set up weekly video chats to see your loved ones’ faces. You never know if they are feeling the same way that you are. This effort on your part can make a world of difference for your mental health.

Take Medications

This can be a daily supplement like our Turbo Power Plus to make sure you are getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals.

This could also mean your existing prescription for any health condition that you may have, including mental health. Your mental health is too important to risk not taking your medication as a means to avoid the stigma with mental health disorders.

Focus on Positivity

Most importantly, take time to focus on the positive. It’s easy to focus on feelings of being hopeless and powerless, but there are still things that you can change. One of these is blocking out negativity and highlighting the positive things that are happening in your life. Remember that even though things aren’t ideal right now, you are healthy and your family is healthy.

Maintaining Essential Worker Health

All of these things can help you maintain essential worker health. It’s important to remember that these things may not work for everyone. Try out a few things and weed out the things that won’t work for you. It’s all about prioritizing your health and wellbeing.

Check out our BioRite Nutritionals store for a comprehensive list of our products. You can reach out to us with any questions that you might have. 