For healthcare workers, it’s no secret that the job is difficult. They spend long hours at work, often in stressful environments, while working with people they care about. The last thing they want to do is send themselves into a downward spiral of fatigue and stress — but that’s exactly what happens when you don’t take time for yourself. That’s why some nurses are choosing to take a staycation: by practicing self-care, they can help others be healthier too!
Prioritizing wellness is an emerging public health trend among healthcare professionals.
When you think about how stressful the job can be, it’s easy to overlook one of the most important parts of caring for patients: self-care. Healthcare workers are under a lot of stress and pressure—and they deserve some downtime just like anyone else.
In fact, many studies have shown that people who take breaks from work experience less burnout than their colleagues who don’t take any time off at all (1). In addition to helping employees maintain focus on their work duties, self-care is also linked with higher productivity levels (2). This makes sense when you consider that people who don’t prioritize their own well being tend to make more mistakes during clinical encounters (3).
The next time someone asks what partaking in wellness activities has done for them personally or professionally as a healthcare professional? Just say yes!
The idea is that self-care leads to improved care for the entire community.
The idea is that self-care leads to improved care for the entire community.
Self-care is about taking care of yourself, and also taking care of others. It’s about caring for your community and caring for the environment as well.
Nurses cite sleep as one of the most important ways to practice wellness.
Nurses cite sleep as one of the most important ways to practice wellness. Sleep deprivation can lead to burnout, which may have a negative impact on nurses’ ability to provide care. Nurses should make sure they are getting enough sleep so that they can fully function during their shift and still be able to perform at a high level while they are not feeling well.
Between working long hours in stressful environments, nurses have little time or energy to care for themselves.
Nurses are often overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. They spend long hours caring for patients with little time or energy to care for themselves. For example, nurses must perform many duties such as taking vital signs and checking a patient’s vitals throughout the day. These tasks can take up much of their day—and sometimes even more than their entire shift!
With so much on their plates, it’s no wonder that nurses are burning out at alarming rates: In fact, one study found that 83% of nurses reported experiencing burnout at some point during their careers (which also points out another problem in healthcare: burnout is becoming an epidemic).
Yoga, fitness classes, and snuggling rescue dogs are all popular ways for nurses to decompress.
- Yoga
Nurses can take yoga classes, which are a great way to decompress after a long shift. Yoga is also a great exercise for people who don’t like to be physically active outside of work. It’s also beneficial for people who have back problems or other health issues that make it difficult for them to exercise regularly. By practicing yoga, you will improve your flexibility and balance while building up strength in your muscles and joints. Yoga also helps reduce stress levels by relieving tension from the body through stretching movements (like bending forward over the knees) that focus on specific areas like shoulders/back/hands & wrists; legs/feet/ankles etc…
- Fitness Classes
If you’re not into yoga just yet but still want some form of physical activity during your staycation then consider taking fitness classes in your area!
Self-care helps healthcare professionals provide better care to the communities they serve.
Self-care is an important part of providing quality care to your patients and community. It can help you stay healthy and prevent burnout, which will benefit you and the people who rely on your services.
- Take a break from work every day. Make sure to get some exercise, go outside, or meditate.
- Get enough sleep each night (8 hours). You’ll be more alert during the day without feeling exhausted or irritable at home!
- Practice gratitude by thinking about all the things in life that are good instead of having negative thoughts about how overwhelmed or tired you feel most days.*
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