Achieving the perfect work-life balance as a nurse can be tough.
Nursing is a demanding profession that requires dedication, compassion, and hard work.
But as a nurse, it's important to find ways to keep a healthy work-life balance and maintain your personal well-being.
Midway through the summer, there's still plenty of time to enjoy the warm weather and the holidays with friends and family.
In this article, we'll explore practical tips for nurses to find the perfect work-life balance this summer.
Tips to Help Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Prioritize Self-Care
Make it a point to make your well-being a priority. Self-care is essential for nurses to recharge and maintain their physical and mental well-being.
After all, you can't give your absolute best care if your own well-being isn't being addressed.
Make time to do activities that make you happy and help you relax — Whether it's spending time with loved ones, pursuing your hobbies, or engaging in outdoor activities with the kids, schedule regular self-care time into your calendar and treat it as a non-negotiable commitment.
Set Boundaries
Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life is the key to maintain a healthy balance.
Sometimes we can't help but take the work home with us, but that does nothing for our brains besides stress us out. When you're off the clock, you're off the clock — detach yourself from work-related matters.
Turn off work notifications on your phone and avoid checking emails during your personal time. By setting these boundaries, you create space to fully immerse yourself in leisure activities and focus on recharging.
Utilize Your Vacation Time
Summer is the ideal season to take advantage of your vacation time.
Plan your vacations well in advance to ensure you make the most of your trips and treat yourself a little while you're away. Whether it's a short getaway or an extended vacation, make the most of this time to relax, unwind, and rejuvenate.
Disconnect from work completely during your vacation, allowing yourself to fully recharge before returning to your work.
Explore Flexible Options
Many healthcare facilities offer flexible work arrangements or shifts that can help nurses strike a better work-life balance. Consider discussing flexible scheduling options with your employer, such as part-time hours, compressed workweeks, or rotating shifts.
You may also consider per diem work through a nursing agency. Working through a nursing agency like Caring Staff is the best way in 2023 to have a flexible nursing career. If you're a nursing student, working per diem shifts through a nursing agency is a great way to balance life, school, and your career.
By exploring these options, you can allocate more time for personal pursuits while still meeting your professional obligations.
Meditate
Nursing is a high-stress profession, and it's crucial to find ways to manage stress effectively. Meditation has been proven as a great way to relieve stress. Mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines.
These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking.
In an 8-week study called A Comparison of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and An Active Control in Modulation of Neurogenic Inflammation, meditation was show to reduce the inflammation response caused by stress.
Looking for a flexible career in nursing that will allow you to enjoy life outside of work while also providing you with a fulfilling career in healthcare?
Apply now at www.thecaringstaff.com and see why thousands of nurses and CNAs choose Caring Staff!