What are your tricks for leaving work at work?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

The title says it all :) How do you keep your mind clocked out when you've left the building?

Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
The title says it all :) How do you keep your mind clocked out when you've left the building?

My ability to leave work at work is due to my previous career. As an engineer and Project Manager, I was CONSTANTLY on duty. I brought work home and my phone might ring at any time, requiring some action.

Totally different now. When I clock out, I am DONE. No matter what happens, I cannot do anything about it. When I come back to work and clock in, I'm back on duty.

Of course, if something happened that day that I WANT to delve into, I am free to do so.

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Im not even in the field yet, but know this is going to be a problem for me. I have always had that problem, not being able to leave work at work. I lose sleep, stress, have heartburn, I spent a lot of time worrying about what's going on when I'm not there. hear exercise is a good way to releave stress and worry, although I'm def a fan of the wine cooler plan lol

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Specializes in LTC, office.

It has gotten easier over the years. I used to run everything through my head all the time and let it keep me awake at night. But these days if I did everything to the best of my abilities while on the clock I can go off the clock and leave work behind me.

Exercise does help too; it has been an unexpected benefit of my recent fitness fight.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

We have had a rule for over 20 years that we do not discuss our work at home (except for practical things like promotions, salary changes, changing jobs, etc). It is a forbidden topic, lol. I don't socialize with my coworkers, so there is no one to yammer on to about it. Makes it easy to just forget about it and get on with what is important.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

I 'debrief' myself in the car on the way home - what went well? What could I have done better? How can I improve myself next time?

Then... I like to go to the gym, watch a movie or show that I've been saving on the DVR, read a book or my Kindle, visit my mom, etc. Baking and cooking are fun too :) I've been a nurse for about a year and it's not hard for me to check out of work anymore.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

My new plan is to go to the gym immediately after work (even though I work night shift). Been doing this for 3 weeks now and it's working pretty well. Then, shower, read a little of a book, and go to sleep.

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Specializes in ICU.

What do I do to unwind after work? Why, I wander thru AllNurses, of course! I would love to go to the gym, but my knees just can't take it anymore, not to mention my back. (Getting old sucks.) I used to work in business (my first degree) and you simply were never done with any project, it was always waiting for you the next day. When I went into nursing, it was hard for me to get thru everything, meaning charting couldn't be left undone. I would be sooo tired, and still had to stay and chart everything for every patient for 12 hour's worth. And that was long, narrative charting, not computer. In my business job, I could easily leave anything undone and complete it later. Not so in nursing! That was hard for me to master. I ate, lived, and breathed nursing, until I had enough years experience that I finally realized I finished my shift and that was the end of it.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

There are days when I can leave work at work but then there are days when I don't mind not leaving work at work. I believe it is all how you cope. For me, I love talking about work with my nursing buddies whether it was a good day or bad day. My peers often tell me what I could have done better or they validate my actions.

I don't stress or worry about work at home, talking about it relieves/prevents any anxiety.

Not leaving work at work becomes unhealthy when you do not vent and take your fustrations out on people you love the most.

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Specializes in Psych.

I have an hour drive home. If I have a bad night, I have a specific playlist in my iphone for the ride home. If its a really really bad night, I do that and then I go zombie hunting ( House of the dead on the wii) when I get home. Something about killing the zombies helps me relax

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go for a walk or a run if possible

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.

I find this funny scene from That 70's Show pretty much sums up how I do it...

That 70's Show - Eric and Kitty sings Bad Blood - YouTube

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
i find this funny scene from that 70s show pretty much sums up how i do it...

that 70's show - eric and kitty sings bad blood - youtube

luv' it!!!! however, now i have that darn song embedded in my brain :lol2:

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