Healthcare and Self-Care
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5 Self-Loving Things To Do When You Work In Healthcare

Healthcare professionals are probably some of the most hard-working individuals and sometimes need a break from the stress of work to live a real life.

Avani
Mar 11, 2019
Millennials of New Jersey
75
5 Self-Loving Things To Do When You Work In Healthcare
Matt Madd

As a healthcare professional, I always am attempting to balance my work life with my real life. Some days I feel that it is difficult to discern my own life from that of my work life because my compassion for the patients I take care of gets in the way. If you are a healthcare professional who works pretty much around-the-clock hours, then you'll understand how difficult it can be to do some self-loving things in the free time available to you.

1. Try to leave work at work where it belongs. 

One of the hardest things to do is to leave all the troubles of work at work and not try to have it muddy up your personal life. I can attest to the fact that I have slipped up (more than just a few occasions) on that fact. While you care a lot about the people you are taking care of, sometimes it's hard to unplug from that. So take a deep breath, breathe out the stress, and move forward.

2. Call your mother. 

I know it sounds ridiculous to think that your mother (who may not understand what is happening in your life) but talking to her may help take you out of the funk that you could be in because of work. Taking time out to see how she is doing (or how she does her job without little complaint) will help you put a difficult day with difficult patients in a little bit more perspective.

3. Know that every day will be different.

Simply knowing how every day will not be the same as every other day is freeing in its own way. For those who are not normally okay with the fact that every day is different and like the schedule that is set out the same way, this may be a bit harder to grasp. But letting go of order makes getting through each day easier because there will be a lack of expectations which makes making decisions about patients.

4. Journal it.

Even if it takes a few minutes out of time, writing it down always helps to relieve stress and make sure that what you are feeling that day about patients, workload, coworkers, etc. is justified. Maybe all it takes is a pen and paper to compartmentalize feelings and put it into meaningful words. That way things from work do not bleed into your home life.

5. Find an outlet. 

Whether it is working out, watching tv, playing video games, finding an outlet between home and the hospital helps give you a transitional period where you can start winding down. If you do not feel like talking to people or engaging with others at home, it makes sense to make it completely known to the other people in your life. You need time and space to process the big things that happen in your day-to-day life. Not everyone understands nor are you able to put it into words. So having one outlet just for you helps to sort it all out.

Whether you work as a resident, a nurse, patient transport, or any number of important jobs in healthcare, the patients and people can bleed into everything else. Part of having a healthy outlook on your job and avoid burnout is knowing when you need to do certain things for yourself. It is completely okay to have that time to sort out feelings and it is okay to have compassion for the people that you work for. But sometimes all it takes is being there for yourself first.

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