How to maintain the health of mentality as a nurse?

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 26, 2002

I do it very simply: I NEVER EVER take my work home with me. At home I am NEVER thinking about work, if I can help it. At home, I am in my sanctuary with my family. THEY are the focus of my mind and life.

And, the reverse is true: At WORK I do not BRING my HOME LIFE in....I leave it all at those whooshing electric doors at the hospital. It saves my sanity every day.

Simply, You have to draw the lines between your personal life and your work life, especially in nursing. I see coworkers come in all the time when they are supposed to be "on vacation".....why? I think that is truly INSANE! Life is WAY too short! But that is JMO.:)

CATHYW · Jul 26, 2002

a-rose, I find that having someone to talk with that understands the situations that nurses find themselves in helps more than anything. In fact, allnurses.com has been an excellent way to relieve myself of stress. Everyone here knows what it is like to care for other people, and how wonderful and how awful that can be.

In my experience, the most successful teams of nurses I have worked with are ones that share not only their professional lives, but their personal lives, as well.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 26, 2002

A-Rose:

One American term is "Preventing Burnout of Nurses"

Using google search engine , here is result of many articles, books and web sites.

Good comprehensive article can be found here:

Nurses and burnout

What you can do to prevent it

http://www.nurseweek.com/features/97-2/burn.html

Sleepyeyes · Jul 26, 2002

I pray a lot, a-rose. There is a God and He is a good God. Nurses do His work, and He loves us.

It helps me to hold a patient's hand and give them a hug, too.

adrienurse, LPN · Jul 26, 2002

You talk about not taking the work home with you. How do you achieve this? How do you stop thinking about work when you're home.

I'm very fearful of getting burnt out. My father, who used to teach burnt out a few years ago and it scares me when I see some of his traits in me. We are both type As, and are both perfectionists. These traits make for good employees but bad stress managers.

zumalong · Jul 26, 2002

One major aspect in my life that has helped me to survive nursing, personal tragedy x2, and working as a nurse for 18 years has been humor. I can laugh and cry at the same time.

a-rose · Jul 27, 2002

I do it like SmilingBluEyes.¡± I NEVER EVER take my work home with me. At home I am NEVER thinking about work¡±. But I think that it is easy to do as a general nurse but it is very difficult as a manager in nursing. So there are many nurses who is unwilling to become a manager in nursing. Yes, allnurses.com has been an excellent way to relieve ourself of stress.

Thank all of your answers!

mattsmom81 · Jul 27, 2002

Good advice from all!! It is a great thing to be able to leave your work at work! As a nurse, I know how hard this is...as we know of the suffering of patients, and the understaffing in many cases....makes it hard to leave.....

Prioritize with home and family is my best advice!! Good luck to everyone...it's not easy.

fedupnurse · Jul 27, 2002

I come here often and I also make sure to maintain a very sick sense of humor. I also usually leave it at the hospital when I clock out and I maintain work friends and non healthcare friends as separate entities in my life.

alwaysthere · Jul 27, 2002

Have a sense of humor, you will need it. Have nursing friends, have regular ones too, keep them separate for the most part, but keep them, You'll never be able to survive without someone who understands excactly what you are saying, and without someone who can bring you into the outside world for a while.

a-rose · Jul 28, 2002

Originally posted by adrienurse
You talk about not taking the work home with you. How do you achieve this? How do you stop thinking about work when you're home.

Nurses need wear nurse-dress and hat when nurses are working in China. I feel that I am a nurse when I wear nurse dress and hat. And then I think I am not and stop thinking about work when I take off nurse dress and hat. Have colorful life after working.