Chapter 7 - Solution #3: Seek Social Support

Summary

The data strongly support the position that social support is a powerful source of stress reduction and, thus, a valuable tool for managing burnout. Indeed, much of the stress-management literature suggests that social support is the single most powerful of the whole array of stress-reduction strategies available to and recommended for individuals. Such comfort and support may center on emotional (expressing empathy), instrumental (giving tangible assistance), informational (giving advice), or reappraisal (reframing, suggesting different ways of looking at the stressors) help. Most commonly, social support will comprise a combination of those four types. A critical factor in the effectiveness of social support is the level of trust between the receiver and giver of such support. As widely accepted as the critical role of social support is, healthcare workers generally underutilize their support systems, formal or informal, for a variety of reasons. The ongoing pandemic has made this powerful stress-reduction/burnout-reduction strategy all the more critical.