Hi! I'm a single mom who's been working weekend option (7a-7p Sat-Mon) for six years. It's been the best thing for my kiddo's schedule. However, it's really starting to wear on me mentally because the weekdays are long and lonely while he's at school and most other people are at work.
I'm in the middle of the hiring process for the VA, which would mean every other weekend off. However, in the meantime, I'm bored out of my mind on weekdays. There's only so much cleaning and exercise one can do. I'm thinking about getting a bike for warmer weather, but honestly I think the biggest thing is the loneliness.
Edit: yes, I get that I need to figure out what I enjoy. I'm asking what others do in their time off so I can get some ideas. I'd also like to know how other nurses handle the loneliness that sometimes comes with working opposite schedules from the rest of the world.
Agree with the sub school nurse. Also, what about volunteering at your kiddos school? I am sure they would welcome you with wide open arms!
Yeah, they would! I signed up for my daughter's school when I switched to working PRN on the weekend. I had no idea how ‘involved' volunteers have become since I was in school. I was given a list of ‘blocks' that I could sign up for that helped ‘teach' the students in class....um, I want to be involved, don't get me wrong....but I would need a private tutor to teach ME common core before I could teach the kids! I'm sure they'd be correcting me because I come from the time when we taught math based on LOGIC. Explaining a word problem was quite interesting with my daughter. We definitely had been taught to totally different methods!
When my daughter went to VPK I went back to school. Fixed the boredom quickly. Made my life a chaotic mess. I would only sign up for one or two classes at a time if I were to do it again. I started wishing for boredom at one point.
You could go back to school. ������ You could take nursing-related classes, learn a foreign language, or take a class in anything you're interested in. Many college classes are structured to fit a working person's schedule, and this can be a great way to challenge yourself and meet new people.
Whenever you're bored or lonely, come hang out with us on allnurses. :) We're glad to have you!
OyWithThePoodles, RN
1,338 Posts
Agree with the sub school nurse. Also, what about volunteering at your kiddos school? I am sure they would welcome you with wide open arms!