IRC’s Duty of Care program has developed guidance to assist IRC staff and their family members in maintaining resilience during infectious disease outbreaks. Section one below offers practical suggestions for enhancing overall wellbeing during an outbreak, while the second section offers additional guidance and support resources for staff.
1. General psychosocial wellbeing guidance for IRC staff and family members
- Expected stressors associated with outbreaks: Communicable disease outbreaks create an environment of stress for everyone involved. Normal life can be disrupted by strict public health control measures such as cordon sanitaires, lockdowns, cancellation of group events or travel restrictions. Panic-buying of health care supplies and staples of daily life are common. Constant media coverage and rumors spread through social media can contribute to a climate of anxiety. Individuals who work in healthcare, who may come from outbreak-affected areas, who have recovered from a communicable disease, or even those who may have inadvertently been in contact with individuals affected by a communicable disease, may face stigmatization and social exclusion. For staff deployed in response to an infectious disease outbreak, additional stressors may include: fear of personal infection with a high case fatality; physical and psychological exhaustion from the working environment; witnessing severe illness and death; moral distress arising from resource constraints in the response setting; and heightened stigma or anxiety from family members, colleagues, or community members upon return.
- Feeling stress is normal: Feelings of stress, fear, and anxiety during outbreaks are normal and expected. Accepting that stress will be a part of our lives during this period can help us cope. Fear of personal infection and moral distress are also legitimate and common responses. Acknowledging these feelings – rather than suppressing them – is an important first step in managing them.
- Social supports: Stay in close contact with the people who are important in your life. Talk often with family and friends and try to avoid social isolation. For staff working in field settings, this may include scheduling regular calls home, leaning on peer support within your response team, and maintaining contact with your health focal point and support system. This can be a particularly valuable source of connection and understanding.
- Remote counselling support: IRC has an excellent program that allows all staff and their family members to access free and confidential counselling. Visit the Employee Assistance and Resilience Program (EARP) page for more information. Remember that this service can be accessed remotely by telephone, Skype, WhatsApp, or other web-based communications platforms, even in low-bandwidth settings.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle: When faced with additional stress, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. Try to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day. Eat a balanced diet and avoid taking in high amounts of sugar, processed foods, caffeine, and alcohol. Focus on getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night and practice the “Wind-Down Routine”: eliminate all screens 30 minutes before bed to help the nervous system transition out of hyperarousal.
- Limit media exposure: Media coverage increases tremendously during outbreaks. Try to limit your exposure by only checking news sites 1-2 times per day. Avoid rumor spread through social media and focus your attention on credible sources of health information such as the WHO, CDC, and local health authorities.
- Actively use stress management techniques: In addition to the basic tips above, there are many proven behavioral techniques which can help you manage stress. IRC has assembled a number of excellent tools on our Digital Health and Wellbeing Resources page. Here you can access high-quality, free apps and websites, including guided meditations, mindfulness instruction, and other behavioral techniques that can be useful for managing stress.
- Plan for your self-care: For any staff who would like help in planning for their own resilience, IRC offers an excellent free service called “Customized Self-Care Planning.” Through this remotely provided service, staff can explore their strengths, vulnerabilities, coping techniques, and personal goals with a counselor who will help them develop a personalized plan to optimize their own self-care. This service is 100% free and confidential. Please consider taking advantage of this great service.
- Personal choice: All IRC staff have the right to make personal choices regarding their safety, as guaranteed by our Global Safety and Security policies. Before any deployment to a high-risk outbreak response, IRC ensures staff are fully briefed on associated health risks through the pre-deployment process. Any staff member with concerns about a planned deployment should raise these with their line manager and the Duty of Care team prior to departure. Staff are not compelled to deploy against their will, and IRC will support any staff member who needs to withdraw from a deployment for health, safety, or well-being reasons. Staff with specific concerns can contact DutyOfCare@rescue.org.
- Ask questions: If you have any questions about outbreaks or how best to promote your health and wellbeing, please feel free to reach out to DutyOfCare@rescue.org. We are happy to assist in whatever way we can.
2. Specific health and well-being guidance for staff in self-isolation or quarantine due to potential exposure or post-deployment health monitoring
For staff who have been asked to self-isolate at home or inside a designated transit/containment facility due to potential exposure to a communicable disease, this can be a stressful time. The isolation period will vary depending on health guidance and may involve daily health monitoring in close coordination with the IRC Duty of Care team. Please read the guidance outlined above for general well-being and consider the following additional recommendations as well:
- Work from home: If possible, with your role and physical health status, please work from home during the self-isolation period. This is constructive for both IRC’s business continuity as well as your personal well-being. Staying busy is a helpful strategy for managing the stresses associated with periods of quarantine.
- Seek social support: When in self-isolation, social support is more important than ever for remaining healthy in mind and body. Make plans to stay in regular touch with the important people in your life through phone calls, Skype/Teams conversations, and emails. Try to set a schedule and avoid social isolation.
- Integrate stress management into your daily routine:If you have personal practices that help you manage your stress, try to make them a regular part of your routine. If you are new to behavioral techniques to control stress, we invite you to explore IRC’s Digital Health and Wellbeing Resources. On this page, you can find links to websites and apps with guided mindfulness meditations, high-definition nature sounds for relaxation, breathing exercises to control stress and more. Consider using this time to explore different stress management approaches and find ones which work for you. Having these routines established will help you maintain resilience long after the self-isolation or post-deployment monitoring period is complete
- Stay physically active: Staying as active as your circumstances and space constraints allow will help relieve stress and maintain a healthy body. Follow these links for excellent free online yoga classes and guided workouts you can do with no equipment and in limited spaces.
- Stay mentally active: Keeping your mind busy can help you avoid boredom and overconsumption of media. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, reading, journaling, and other games and puzzles can be a good way to keep your mind sharp and engaged.
- Acknowledge and process difficult emotions: Witnessing severe illness, managing fear of personal infection, and the moral distress if involved in an outbreak response are significant psychological burdens. IRC’s EARP counsellors are experienced in supporting humanitarian responders and can be reached confidentially by different intake methods including email, phone, online form, or the KonTerra Connect app.
- Ask questions: If you have any questions about outbreaks or how best to care for your well-being during self-isolation, please feel free to reach out to DutyOfCare@rescue.org, and we are happy to assist in whatever way we can.