Nursing can be a taxing profession. Every nurse knows that once you start nursing, you never stop learning. Learning is important in nursing, but sometimes it takes up all your time when you are not at work. It is even more difficult to stay healthy when you have no time for yourself.
Here are some tips which can help hospital and home nursing care professionals take care of themselves and remain healthy while taking care of their patients.
1) Don’t be a hero.
It is important to strike the right balance between work and pleasure. This can help you prioritize yourself and achieve consistency in nursing practice. For instance, nurses should take breaks during their shift, eat on time and get rest so they can provide consistent nursing care to patients.
2) Engage in your hobbies
Studies show that engaging in leisure activities can reduce the risk of developing persistent fatigue. It is important to take time off work and spend it with friends, family, or alone doing the things you love. This can help you relax your mind, body, and soul.
You can even enjoy some leisure through smaller hobbies like reading, doodling, or listening to music during your shift.
3) Take some time for self-care
Spend some free time doing self-care activities that help you relax and keep you healthy and happy. For instance, exercise and meditation can boost your energy levels at work by reducing fatigue and anxiety levels. You can also try booking a spa or massage appointment to feel good again.
4) Stay energized with healthy options
Don’t just drink coffee or five-hour energy and call it done. Try to get in the habit of avoiding these unhealthy nursing options and drink water with lemon, tea, green tea, or try eating snacks that can boost your energy levels. You can also eat a good breakfast before going to work, so you don’t have to rely on nursing unhealthy food items when you’re at work.
5) Rest and stretch your body
Nursing is stressful, but there are things you can do to help reduce this stress. For instance, nursing breaks should be scheduled so nurses can rest or stretch their bodies. If you’ve been on your feet for a while, take a moment to sit down, and if you’ve been sitting down at the intake desk, take a moment to walk around and stretch your legs.
6) Exercise
This tip cannot be stressed enough. Exercise is one of the best activities that can help you manage stress and anxiety levels. Moderate exercise like swimming, walking, jogging, and yoga can keep you healthy and improve your mood.
7) Practice good hygiene
Nurses should always strive to keep themselves clean and healthy. For instance, nurses should maintain good oral hygiene by brushing their teeth after every meal. They should also wash and sanitize their hands according to company policies.
8) Try breathing exercises and meditation
Sometimes nursing can get emotionally grueling, and it’s difficult to calm one’s mind. It can be really hard to stay focused when you are upset or aggravated, and if you’re not focused, then you cant do a good job. In that case, try taking steps to care for your mental health and breathing exercises which help reduce stress levels and keep your body healthy.
9) Sleep as much as you can
It can be difficult to get to sleep sometimes, but you have to do your best to catch some shut-eye when you can. As a nurse, you may have much more limited opportunities to sleep than other people, so you have to catch up when you can.
10) Learn from your mistakes and move on
Don’t beat yourself up for making a mistake or two in nursing care. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, nurses included. Just do your best to learn from the situation and move on.
Conclusion
Being a nurse is rewarding, but it can also be taxing on your mind and body. The 10 tips in this article should help you manage stress levels and stay healthy while doing nurse work. Whether you’re a nurse in a hospital or providing home nursing care to elderly patients, you deserve to take care of yourself too.
24|7 Nursing Care 