How Nurses Can Have A Good Work-Life Balance
The idea of the work-life balance is one that is gaining more and more importance as life, work, and the world in general becomes more stressful and hectic. It is now known that burnout is a very real and devastating issue that can affect anyone who works too much and doesn’t take the time needed to relax and unwind. Having a good work-life balance means that this problem is far less likely to occur, and not only will you be healthier physically, but mentally too.
For most people, having a proper work-life balance is something that is always going to be possible, even if it takes a little while to get into the routine of it. However, for nurses, it is often more difficult. Nursing is a hugely rewarding profession, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility, and the working hours are long. There are shifts to contend with. There are also lots of emotions at play, even if the nurse themselves won’t be allowing them to come to the fore during their working day. Being able to apply the idea of the work-life balance to nursing is not, therefore, as easy as it can be in other professions, and it may well seem impossible at times.
The truth is that it is not impossible. It will, however, take a lot of thinking about and plenty of planning. When that is in place, nurses can have as good a work-life balance as anyone else. With that in mind, read on to find out how it can be achieved so that you can start putting these ideas into practice and become not only healthier but happier too.
Protect Your Energy
Life is busy, even for those who don’t work as nurses. When you’re a nurse on top of everything else, it can feel overwhelming – there is always something to do. This can mean that your energy is potentially at risk of being entirely drained every single day, perhaps multiple times a day.
This is why it’s so crucial to protect your energy. You need to learn to say no to things that will drain it so you can use it to focus on the important things in life. In some cases, this might mean saying no to taking on additional work if you already have plans (or if you know you need some time to yourself to unwind – that is important and should not be compromised if possible). Or it could mean not doing any activities in your spare time that make you feel bad; this could involve scrolling through social media, visiting people you don’t really want to see, or even watching or listening to the news.
No matter what it is, if it is going to drain your energy and leave you unable to truly relax or unable to work at your best, then it is something that you need to remove from your life. When you do this, you’ll have a much better work-life balance.
Invest In Self-Care
The role of a nurse means that you are always taking care of other people. This is why many people are drawn to the profession, and it’s what makes nursing so rewarding. Every day you can see the effect your compassion and skills are having on other people’s lives. Yet although this is important and it’s what you went into nursing to do, it can often mean that you neglect to invest in self-care, and when this happens, the work-life balance will be negatively affected. You’ll be spending so much time helping others that there is no time to help yourself, and you’ll quickly become exhausted. Not only that, but you might also miss out on important family and social events because you are so focused on your work. This might seem admirable at the time, but when you look back on your life, you’ll see that you missed a lot of it – that is something that will lead to regret and sometimes even mental health issues.
So, what can be done? As a nurse, your job is to help other people, so there is no way that you can stop doing that. That’s true; you shouldn’t stop doing that. As we’ve said, it’s what you want to do (and if it’s not, then nursing might not be the career for you) and how you spend your working life. However, when you’re not working, you need to think about yourself and take time for self-care.
Self-care comes in many forms, and it will depend on you as to how you make it happen. It might be that you ensure you go for a walk every day by yourself and give yourself a chance to breathe in the fresh air. It might be that you always get enough sleep or that you make sure you eat properly. Perhaps you have a night out with friends once a month, or you read a book for five minutes a day. Do what you need to do to ensure you are happy and healthy and are taking care of yourself as well as others.
Set Priorities
Sometimes the reason that nurses aren’t able to practice the work-life balance in the way they should is that they don’t have any priorities or goals in life. When you have nothing to focus on, it’s easy to get caught up in work because you don’t have any other paths to consider. It’s all about nursing, which isn’t an entirely negative thing, but it’s not one hundred percent healthy either.
When you have goals to work towards, whether they are work-related or personal ones, you can ensure that you make the time to do what is needed to reach those goals. This means that having a good work-life balance is a lot easier; you’ll have something to think about other than your specific job.
In some cases, your priorities might be that you want to work towards additional nursing qualifications, such as becoming a nurse practitioner, so you need time to keep moving forward with your education. If this is the case, consider UTA’s FNP program, which is online and flexible. Or perhaps you want to spend more time with your family and friends. Maybe travel is something that excites you. Whatever it is, whatever your priorities and goals might be, don’t let them fall by the wayside; instead, make sure that you are able to focus on them so you don’t have any regrets and you can make your life just how you want it.
Exercise
Of course, there are some specific things you can do to ensure you have a good work-life balance when you are a nurse, and exercise is one of them. You might feel as though you already get enough exercise at work because nursing is certainly a physical role to take on, but this is not the same as actively pursuing a workout or going for a bike ride or a run. That’s because when you choose to exercise, not only are you helping your body become healthier, but you’re helping your mind to do the same. When you exercise, you release endorphins into the bloodstream, and these offer a natural ‘high’ that makes you feel great by boosting your energy and even promoting a better ability to focus.
The more energy you have (and the more focus), the better you can work. You’ll get more done during your shift, meaning that when you’re not working, you can focus more on other things – you’ve done everything you needed to do, and you can stop letting your work as a nurse interfere with your homelife.
The issue that many nurses find is that they don’t have the time to exercise. They can’t join a regular gym class because they work shifts, and since those shifts are often long and tiring, the motivation to exercise can be difficult to find. This is why it’s crucial to discover the right way for you to personally exercise. This might be following workout videos at home or perhaps going for a brisk walk. It might be investing in a treadmill on which you can exercise and listen to music (thus relaxing as you exercise). When you realize the positive effect exercise is having on you, this will help you get the most out of it and ensure your work-life balance is a positive one.
Ask For Help
No one can do everything by themselves; it’s why communities have always been so important. As a nurse, you might feel that you should be able to do it all, from saving lives to spending time with loved ones. This could be because society holds nurses up to a high standard, and although this is good in many ways, it can cause a lot of unnecessary pressure.
The key is to remember that you cannot do it all alone, and that you shouldn’t have to. You work hard and you deserve time to yourself to enjoy your life in the way you want to. If that means you don’t want to use that time to clean the house, to cook food, or to take on extra shifts, so be it. Ask for help. Get a cleaner, buy meal kits (or have healthy food delivered), and speak to your manager about the hours you work and why you need to stick to your current shifts. It can be hard to ask for this help, but it’s crucial you do because you need your life to be a good, healthy, well-balanced one, especially if you want to be able to help your patients in the best way.
