NURSES HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Published By Blog Breed

Exciting times lie ahead as you embark on your nursing career. The thrill of your first overnight shift, the satisfaction of putting your newfound knowledge to use, and the satisfaction of assisting those in need make up for a fulfilling experience. However, as frontline healthcare professionals, nurses often have to skip breaks, work long hours, and operate at odd times. So maintaining nurses healthy work-life balance could be a tough nut to crack once you have been a nurse for a while.

To help you strike a healthy work-life balance, we have compiled a few tried-and-true tips:

Also Read: 7 BODILY SIGNS THAT REFLECT VITAMINS DEFICIENCY

Stay On Top Of Time Management

Overtime is common in the healthcare industry, and finding time to unwind is difficult because of the pressure to meet deadlines. That is where time management rolls into action. It will enable you to do everything that has to be done during the day and still have time to spare before you depart.

The first step is to get to work early, preferably 15 minutes before the start of your shift, so you can settle in and get yourself organized. Prioritize your day’s work based on how urgent it is, beginning with the items at the top of the list and working your way down to the less pressing ones.

If you want to continue your education during the job, it is highly recommended to opt for online programs. They will give you more control over your schedule compared to attending physical classes. The best part is that several well-reputed institutions are offering a broad range of nursing online nursing programs.

Know You Cannot Change Everything

In every field, there are always some job-related aspects that you wish you could modify. Sometimes you can change them, and sometimes cannot. Nursing is no exception to that. Acknowledge your stress and accept it as a part of life. Despite our best efforts, denying a stressful situation only makes it worse, whereas admitting it relieves frustration.

Nurses are known to have soft hearts and may be carrying more than their fair share of stress. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, it may be helpful to schedule regular breaks throughout the day in which you can relax, take a few deep breaths, and realign your attention.

Make Your Life Easier

The job of a nurse is demanding and time-consuming in and of itself, but that is not all nurses have on their plate. When not at work, several nurses are busy taking care of their families or undertaking other equally challenging obligations. Though simplification may seem insurmountable, you may still take certain actions to cut back on chaos substantially.

For example, you can look for opportunities to implement procedures that can streamline tasks in the hospital. Thanks to advancements in technology, monitoring and responding to patients are now easier than ever with the help of various tools. Aside from that, working with other nurses can help you divide up tasks and reduce individual stress levels. Nurses may also revisit their workload and ask the management for additional medical personnel if they feel that a particular patient requires more specialized care than they are able to provide alone. 

If you are feeling stressed outside of work, try decluttering your life and scaling back a bit. By relieving yourself of some of your duties, either through delegation or simplification, you can achieve a better work-life balance as a nurse.

Resolve Disputes Immediately

Emotions usually run high during distressing situations. Make it a point to hold the required dialogues and settle any disputes that may have reared their ugly head during such scenarios. Conflicts that drag on waste time and energy, so it is better to confront them head-on before they escalate.

Clearing the air and addressing everyone’s concerns can help see things from a different angle, which can resolve many of the confrontations that arise from misconceptions. Usually, all that is required to resolve a conflict is for both parties to admit that there is a problem. In some situations, you may need to apologize first or receive an apology with grace.

Sometimes you can do everything in your power to fix a dispute, but the other party might still be adamant and refuse to budge. If that is the case, you might need to take a step back and let it go. Holding onto anger or resentment will not help the situation at all. Once you have done what you can, you can move on in peace.

Make Health A Top Priority

If you are not feeling well, you cannot meet your commitments like a pro. And, naturally, nurses healthy work-life balance will be a distant dream for you! So think about how you want to handle your emotional and physical well-being, make a detailed plan, and stick to it. Break times between shifts are typically short for nurses. They get home too exhausted to prepare food for themselves. That way, most of them end up ordering takeout or snacking on leftovers that they do not particularly enjoy. Well, preparing meals in advance is arguably the most practical solution to this problem.

As a fairly recent practice, “meal prepping” entails preparing all of your meals for the week in advance. By doing so, nurses can easily bring a nutritious lunch to work and eat it while on shift. On top of that, the next time you get home from work exhausted, you will not have to make a full supper. The food will be ready to eat when you get there.

Regular exercise is another method for maintaining good health, both mentally and physically. Do not assume you have to attend a two-hour-long fitness class. Just 15 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning will do the trick. In addition, meditation is also helpful for learning to control your emotions.

Get Good At Saying “No”

Although saying “no” occasionally might make you feel guilty, setting boundaries is important to preserve the proper work-life balance. You need to come to terms with the reality that you may get caught up in situations when saying “yes” could make it more challenging to engage in excellent self-care and increase your stress levels. Therefore, let go of any regret or guilt you might feel and allow yourself to say “no” when necessary.

Make sure you do not hedge your answer with phrases like “maybe” or “I do not think so”. Ensure the person asking you for a favor fully understands that your answer is a resounding no If you come up with an evasive response, your coworkers may feel compelled to ask you the same question again.

Conclusion

The demand for nurses is projected to increase by around 10% through 2030. While job security in nursing is assured according to statistics, this does not change the fact that nurses experience significant stress and emotional depletion on the job. However, the good news is that nurses can still adhere to a solid work-life balance by walking the tight line of the steps covered in the write-up! So follow these tips and tap into a nurses healthy work-life balance in no time at all.