Burnout Rx

[ACRN06]

I'm tired... I'm so tired. I'm worn out.

I've found myself thinking more and more of different jobs I'd like to do if I weren't a nurse. And the thing is... I can't think of one that I'd really like that would provide enough. Don't get me wrong, I really do still love nursing... it..just..... really gets to you after awhile. You're dealing with the sick and the dying, the sick in body and sick in mind. You're being lied to, cursed at, conned, and unappreciated. Your putting yourself at risk of exposure to a hundred different illnesses, some life-threatening. And they just don't stop!

When I'm fulfilling my morning ritual of paying alms to the Starbucks god in exchange for some coffee goodness, I watch the baristas and think of how much fun their jobs must be, how relaxing, how nice, what bright shiny happy people they are. I want to be a shiny happy person. Haha. No lives in danger in you screw up. Just delivering caffeinated goodness to grateful customers.

I think I need a hobby. I've thought of taking up a second non-nursing part time job...but maybe just a good hobby would do the trick.

What do you do to stave off the burnout?

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Hobbies,, yes, that really helps.

Find something that you really like to do on your days off.. Whether it be redecorating your home,,, planting a garden,, volunteering for a local clinic,,, heck reading... ANything!

Do your minimum hours needed for full time and stop doing overtime. Move to a different specialty. What about newborn nursery?

[Straydandelion]

I used to think a Walmart greeter would be fun :wink2: I guess hobbies would help, the problem is you need one that you can do when dog-tired. As far as what I do, I like to read..nothing related to real life.. pure escapism.

[kanzigak]

I am a video game player, so going home in the morning and vitually blowing things away on the television helps, but neither is it appropriate for everyone or desired. Making sure to make time for yourself each week, not time out with someone else (i.e. significant other/husband/kids), actually go to dinner by yourself, or to a movie, treat yourself to a date. Sometimes I just go to the driving range and hit golf balls over and over while my iPod plays my favorites. Remember, if you can't take care of yourself, how can you take care of others?

[NrsheartTS]

On my days off i try to read, exercise and clean the house and when I get home after a stressful 12hour shift I may put on some music to try and settle down. When i get home I try not to think about or talk about work. Before i go back to work, I pray in the parking lot before I walk through the door.

[michael79]

I try to journal my frustrations. It's such a great outlet for me because I can say anything on paper that I wouldn't dare say to someone's face. It really gets the agression out and it only takes a few minutes. The other thing i LOVE to do is bird/squirrel watch. I have a few bird feeders and critter feeders. I fill them up and let the watching begin. it's very relaxing to get lost in your thought while watching these happy creatures.

Peace be with you!

Kayla

[kimmy740401]

i guess we all go through the same problem at certain stage of our nursing career..My suggestion is "Time OUT", take a vacation. ..

[MzMouse]

Exercise-in particular yoga and cardio has been wonderful for my stress. I would have rolled my eyes at this a year ago-but I tell you, it works! :)

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

I destress by being totally mindless with my toddler. Something about reading Dr. Suess over and over again has a strangely calming effect.

I also read a lot. Primarily sci-fi. It's a total escapism and I love it.

[d!gger]

Yeah Yoga! At first I thought it was organo-groovy nonsense, but it has done wonders to clear my head and thinking and makeme more limber. The slow, noncompetitive, stretching and deep breathing has really gotten me into evaluating how I respond to stress and how my thinking affects my muscle tension - and vice versa. It works. Plus, my back and shoulders feel SO much better. And my posture has improved too.

And journaling works for me too... especially when I'm too tired/burnt out to write.

Get out of the facility on your break! Then concentrate on something really small and insignificant (that has nothing to do with work) for a few minutes. Watch a bee hop from flower to flower. Watch a piece of paper being blown acorss the parking lot. Watch the ants move little pieces of whatever from here to there. Watch the traffic and see if you notice any patterns developing. It's a good burnout countermeasure.

dig

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I'll be honest, I work 2 jobs(neuro/ortho floor and skilled nursing facility)...and time for myself is far and few between. I like to play games, surf the net, watch tv/dvds, and spend time with my girlfriend.

When the weather is decent, golf is a good excuse to get out on the floor...refiguring new projects, or planning a getaway is always a plus.

There are those weeks where all you do is work...but you work to live, not live to work....something else, non-nursing related, will probably help. I always think I'd like to do something with animals when I don't need to work 2 nursing jobs....GL

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I also read a great deal and look at documentaries. I also decided to cross train in a different department. Now, the cross training is a double edged sword, because while I am getting a chance to learn new things, I am also seeing how other departments are suffering greatly. Just the other day, I stayed late and ran into the pharmacy director. He is really a nice guy, down to earth and realistic. Even he said that he hates his job now, because he is tired of having to agree with insane policies and then, having to enforce this insanity on his workers. They are becoming more resistant, and while he understands, he also has a job to do.

This seems to be the current trend, unfortunately. Some of the suggestions mentioned here, such as journaling, reading and even mindless television are hobbies that the tired and weary can do without too much effort. It does sustain me, at least for now. Reading and television allow me to escape to other worlds and that is a great pleasure for me. I can close the book or cut off the TV at any time and then go to sleep.

I find that each place I go to, I bring the same zeal and enthusiasim with me, until I get slammed down with people who try to make things more difficult than what they need to be. Yes, the patients have their own issues, but to me, what makes it worse is the co-workers I have to contend with. As you may know, in most cases, in order to accomodate the needs of a patient, you have to somehow involve someone else...may it be a resistant CNA that will argue when you tell them to do their job, the nurse that knows how to start an IV line better than you, but will never let you forget it, the doctor who will not change an order that is either impossible to do, or is no longer needed...the pharmacy who will not send the pain meds up on time, the messenger that comes late with the blood products...equipment that doesn't work...we can go on and on. THOSE are the little incidentals that can really tick you off, become more depressed and just plan weigh you down.

I am looking for another alternative to nursing. Like the OP, I like nursing also, but it is becoming less and less worth it when you are so worn down that you cannot enjoy your private time. Nothing is worth that in the long run, I feel, because although we committed ourselves to be caretakers, we are entitled to have lives of our own that are not consumed during our off time with this nonsense.