How do you decompress after work?

[QuilterLPN]

I had a difficult shift this afternoon, and was called off after only 4 hours. That's fine, I can go home, kiss my kids good night and go to bed. Well, I woke up a few hours later and laid in bed thinking, "I should have done XYZ better....". Could not go back to sleep. It was so frustrating, I just could not turn off the internal clinical instructor! She would not be quiet!

So, what do you do to unwind after work?

[queenbeelws]

A really good medical thriller takes my mind off my hectic day. I especially love Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. Oh yeah, and Tess Gerritson and....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[AMARTIN1]

A hot shower, nice cold bottle of beer and some fun with my husband (wink). AMARTIN1

[christvs, DNP, RN, NP]

I vent to my husband & mom about my day, then I vent on allnurses.com :) & then I watch TV, eat some cheez-it crackers & then go to bed.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

Try to do anything you can so that when you're in bed, ready to go to sleep - you aren't thinking about work. Read a book, watch TV, listen to music, whatever works for you. Just don't lay there tossing and turning, thinking about how rough work was. You are bound to either have dreams about work, or wake up later and be still obsessing about what you could or couldn't have done. By escaping into another world before falling asleep, your mind is more relaxed.

Exercise after work is really good to get tension out. I especially like taking a bike ride in the morning after a bad night shift, because it gets me out in the fresh air and, let's face it, it's fun to ride a bike! It works for my fiancee, too - after a bad day at work, even a half hour bike ride and he's a new man.

ETA: A bath is also really great for so many reasons. First, it gets the hospital off you! Second, you can read a book or listen to some music in there, and further decompress. And finally, there is medical proof that shows a hot bath before bed really helps induce sleep - something about the temperature change that occurs when you cool down after being in the hot water.