Health and Nurse – How Nurses Can Improve Their Quality of Life
Save a life, and you’re a hero, save a hundred, and you’re a nurse. Nurses are known for being the caregivers that play an integral part in your treatment and healing process when you fall sick. Nurses don’t just deal with the sick and ill; they also deal with the upset and enraged. Some days can be severely exhausting for nurses and impact their entire outlook on life.
With packed schedules, sleepless nights due to late on-call duties, and no time for meals in between work shifts, nurses hardly let these factors impact the quality of care they provide to the patients. However, sometimes the mental stress and physical burnout can be a lot to deal with. Consequently, it impacts their performance during work hours. Patients who worked with a dull or uninterested nurse reported having a slower recovery than otherwise.
As difficult as nursing is for a career, it can be highly rewarding. It is one of the most well-paid professions in the US and provides immense job security. Thankfully, becoming a nurse today is more convenient than ever due to the advent of online education. You can now easily obtain your advanced degrees in nursing with flexible schedules and a very low-cost manner. If you want to learn more regarding how this works, check out FAQs about MSN in Nursing Education for more clarity. That being said, continue reading to learn more about how nurses can improve their quality of life.
- Expect Growth And Remain Open To Challenges
We can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your prospects open for growth. Expecting anything otherwise will only demotivate you and lead you towards stagnation. Thinking about growth empowers you to pursue challenges and opportunities. It also enhances your drive and will to work. Moreover, if you keep yourself open to challenges, you’ll always find yourself working towards something new. Consequently, you may learn a new skill or come across helpful information that’ll benefit you in the future. All of this will only make you go home content and satisfied with yourself.
- Build Positive Relationships At Work
There’s no denying that you can’t be on your own in a place where every task links with another person or another department. Hence, embracing your relationships at work will only make work more convenient and enjoyable for you. Building positive relationships at work will also help your personal and professional development, construct new and enhanced goals, and help your teamwork and collaboration skills. Plus, you can always connect with a coworker you trust for some assistance during a time of need. The first step towards building strong bonds with the team is to be kind, generous, and offer help when witnessing that someone needs it.
- Give It Your All
Reaching the top of the hierarchy in nursing can be very difficult. It takes a lot of courage, discipline and potential to grow in your nursing career. Most people will hold back on their potential and only go with the flow. Why? Because it’s convenient, doesn’t consume a lot of time or effort, and is less challenging. However, it also makes you overshadowed in a pool of people doing the same thing. Your performance is likely to decline slowly and gradually with the lack of recognition and growth at work. It takes a great deal of self-actualization to realize your potential, and just when you think you’re reaching it, you set new limitations to pursue. This course of action makes you eligible to perform better than yourself and others.
- Establish Autonomy
Autonomy in the workplace refers to having the authority to make decisions. Nurses may often feel constantly being dictated by peers, patients, executives, etc. Mentally establishing autonomy on oneself can help you avoid any such dilemmas. Several research studies prove that establishing autonomy in the workplace can improve your performance at work. It can make you more creative, more encouraged to work, and faceless mental stress. Autonomy also increases job satisfaction in nurses and helps them to adapt to the workplace better.
- Don’t Compromise On Your Meals and Sleep
The packed schedules of nurses may sometimes make them skip meals during their shifts. Long and stressful work hours barely let you make room for chores and other social activities in the day. For example, you might end up being awake at night scrolling through your social media. You may also feed on leftovers from days old or anything else that you find in the refrigerator. This lifestyle will only have detrimental effects on your performance at work. You may not realize it, but the fatigue you’re witnessing at the start of or during your day is a consequence of it.
You can start by eating three healthy meals a day. We don’t necessarily imply that you should eat greens only when healthy. But you can start by skipping the junk food. Moreover, try to get a full 8 hours of sleep every night. Without it, you’ll only wake up more tired and make you tired even before your shift starts.
- Include Yoga And Meditation In Your Routine
Yoga and meditation can be a game-changer when it comes to improving your quality of life. It enhances your physical and mental health. You’ll find yourself more flexible, sturdy, and willing to work. It also improves your breathing and respiratory function. Making time for yoga will also greatly benefit your mental health. Mediation is a literal weapon for nurses against burnout.
The Bottom Line
While nursing is a fairly rewarding career professionally, it can take a toll on your life mentally and physically. However, you can implement several abovementioned tips to improve the overall quality of your life. For starters, you can have a positive outlook on work by building positive relationships and consistently perceiving growth. Growth also has a prerequisite, i.e., challenges. Moreover, always try to work to your full potential to stand out from other nurses. Establish autonomy in the workplace, and never skip meals and sleep. Finally, incorporate yoga and meditation into your daily practice if you have the time.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
