How do you decompress/debrief?

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I am a new ER nurse (3 months) and new nurse (2 years)...I am just wondering how to stop thinking about work when I am not there? I find myself ruminating over my mistakes and over what I will do differently, dreaming about work, not enjoying my days off, and I am not mentally or emotionally here for my family. Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks!

Specializes in ER.

I listen to very loud, abrasive music on the drive home. Head banger stuff, rap, classical, whatever- it just has to be really loud, and I have the windows down halfway, with the heat on full in the winter.

I particularly like Eminem, or Beastie Boys after a shift with too many drunks, psych or OD's.

My drive home is about 20 minutes, and by the time I'm in the driveway any muscle tension is mostly gone. Then the brain follows...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, & ED.

I do , I do, I do...I get in my truck and Facebook . Go through each of my brothers and sisters last comments :) . I relax for a few minutes in my truck and then start driving home. I get my kids ready for school and my hubby takes them to school. I shower and I watch tv for a few minutes. Nursing does drain u physically and mentally. But leave that at work. Take a nap and relax. Write down what you need to review when u r at work. I know what you r going through, you r thinking of the why, how, when, where, what of what you do in each procedure or process (s) which means u r a good nurse that just doesn't do by medical orders, but to the safety of ur patients. Don't turn it guard down ever and and continue to grow and prioritize as a nurse , you will become that certified Cen RN one day. Kudos to you for your professional view.

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Specializes in ED.
Hi Coke,

Not sure how practical it may be for you, but personally I practice yoga (hot yoga) every morning, after work. It always reminds me that what is done is done, and for that hr...it is all about me.:yeah::yeah:

Yoga is awesome! I ride my bike to work and back everyday about 6 miles round trip. It gets me energized for the shift and helps me de-stress afterwards. Upon arrival at home, I soak in the hottub for 30 minutes and then do some yoga for at least 30 minutes. Then I am off to sleep like a baby...

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Neuro/Oncology floor nursing..

I kind of do what Akeos does. Instead I don't run I go to the gym since the hospital I work at gives me 4 days off in a row(so a membership isn't a complete waste of money).

Also ever since I was 16 and working a 7 dollar an hour job(and hated it) I learned to keep work at work and home at home, I didn't cross the two. I know it's easier said than done and at first I used to talk about work at home all the time, but after a while I kind of trained myself to do so.

In addition to those things I have an extensive TV on DVD collection, I usually so I usually watch Law and Order SVU, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Seinfeld and many others.

The key is to TRY(key word being try) to keep yourself busy when you are not at work. Getting manicures/pedicures and massages are also VERY relaxing.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I play the news from Lake Wobegone, old time radio plays, ( "The SHADOW knows..."), just anything non-nurse related on the way home. Then when I lay down to sleep, I put on an audiobook. The sound of a voice keeps me from relentlessly overanalyzing everything that was done or said. I tell that internal, eternally self critical voice, "go listen to that, I'm going to sleep."

Of course, I may also have a split personality, IDK....*grin*

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Specializes in Telehealth, Hospice and Palliative Care.

Thank you all for the great ideas! What I am taking away most is that the divison between my work self and home self may take conscious effort. Great...more work:)

I have a 1.5 hour commute and usually that is enough, had the Abba cranked on the way home and the sunroof open...but I think maybe additional routines are in order!

Love AN....thanks friends.

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Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

I think I've done pretty much all of the things people have mentioned here, and they all work pretty well. I'm also quite fortunate to have a family full of people "on the job," so I frequently try to debrief when I get home, good night or bad.

Usually a bad night calls for a run or a workout. I go to a Crossfit gym not too far from my home, and if I've had an absolute garbage night at work I'll request a WOD with sledgehammers or ball slams. (For the non-initiated, a WOD is a Workout of the Day, which can be done as a set number of exercises or an AMRAP - As Many Rounds As Possible in a set time. Any given WOD can involve weight lifting, cardio of the run or rowing variety, martial arts, jumping on boxes, lifting and flipping tractor tires, swinging kettlebells, or pretty much anything else you can think of. Some exercises involve hammering on a tire with a sledgehammer, or hoisting a medicine ball over your head and slamming it on the ground repeatedly. Wonderful stress relief!)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

I had such a bad night last night. My own family are the worst crybaby patients (what did someone say recently? "I've seen sick and you're not it!") Then went to work where all but one patient was the exact same!

(surgery exaggerated for your amusement)

"Ok we need to get you up now."

"Can't I just use the bedpan?"

"No, you had a hangnail removed from you hand. You can get up to the bathroom."

"You're a *****."

Definitely needed decompression! So I got my hair trimmed, ate long 2 hour lunch out with 4 courses, and ambled through the bookstore for a while. I feel ready to go to work tonight.

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Specializes in ER.

Eggs and Kegs with the rest of the 7P to 7A ER nurses always works for me:)

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Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).
Eggs and Kegs with the rest of the 7P to 7A ER nurses always works for me:)

Love it! We call our department's "breakfast club" the Atheists' Bible Study. :cheers:

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Specializes in ER.

LOL, I work in an ED at a Catholic hospital, that would be the perfect name for our informal staff meetings. :cheers:

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Exercise, bad TV, wine, surfing the internet, taking an arts and crafts class, taking myself out to dinner or a movie, cranking up the stereo in my car really loud and singing along on the way home, commiserating with a fellow nurse, petting my dog, chocolate, curling up between freshly laundered sheets in my favorite pair of sweats and reading or watching a movie....

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