Managing Time on DAYS OFF

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I spent my first year of nursing on night shift. I loved the shift itself, but my days off were consumed with--well, sleeping! I have finally moved to dayshift, to which I contribute better overall health and energy, BUT...

What do I do on my days off?!

I'm a 20-something, single girl. Most of my friends are either married or working regular 9-5 jobs. I honestly don't know what to do with myself when I have a full day off during the week with nothing on the calendar! I have recently joined the YMCA. I'm still having to force myself to go (I don't necessarily like exercise haha). Otherwise, I don't know what to do. I can fill my day with maybe an hour of cleaning, an hour of working out, and an hour of running errands; that's on a good day!

Does anyone have any tips and tricks on how to stay productive with all of this time on your hands? I suffer from depression, and I've found myself throwing pity-parties in front of the TV on most days off. Clearly, this isn't the quality of life I'm looking for! Thanks, everybody!

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What type of things do you enjoy? Do you have knitting classes in your area? (Just as an example) my older family friend relieves stress by knitting. Maybe there's a writing class. I guess you should see what activities you have locally that you can join.

Hope you find something! I hate being bored too lol.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I don't get days off very often since I work five eight hour shifts, but when I do, I like to practice one of my newest hobbies: photography. Is there a hobby you've been wanting to try? Books you've wanted to read? Sometimes, a change of scenery (such as taking that book to a park or finding a new place to take pictures) is energizing in itself, not to mention the benefits of doing something for yourself that you've been wanting to do.

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School

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Specializes in CVOR, CVICU/CTICU, CCRN-CMC-CSC.

Nursemaple2: I'm right with you there!

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

I started volunteering at the animal shelter, best way to spend an afternoon ever

I also read, knit, garden, and play video games with my days off. After I finished my ASN to BSN of course!

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I understand completely. I recently started a 3 day every two weeks job and even though financially it is the same as what i was previously doing, the thought of being home alone has me working my old job on my days off. I too suffer from depression/anxiety so Im not sure what to do with myself

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Specializes in Nephrology, Dialysis, Plasmapheresis.

Lots of things to do, just a matter of getting started. I like to go on a walk or run in an outdoor park, around a lake, or around my neighborhood. The sunshine really helps and you can go as slow or fast as you like and listen to music. If it is winter or raining, I try to make a to do list for the week. Organize my closet, find some stuff to take to a consignment shop, try to sell some clothes and maybe buy some new. That always boosts my spirits. What about trying a new recipe that is challenging and may take a while? I have a slow cooker and try different soups, which I can then take to work for the week and gets me to the grocery store, out and about. You could roast a chicken, or make a lasagna. Why not try? It's fun. Look on your schedule and see if any coworkers are off, invite them out for something- coffee, a movie, wine and paint, who knows. After I started moving to new cities every couple years, you just have to be fearless with asking people you don't know to do stuff. What's the worst that could happen, they say no? If I don't, then no one will ever ask me to do anything in return. I also like to go on photography trips, pick a destination and go out and take some cool photos. Recently, I've been walking to a yoga studio nearby, takes up half the morning. What about meetup.com? It has everything you could possibly want. You like to bowl, hike, read, meet the opposite sex, go to happy hour, cooking classes, they have it all.

Watching movies or tv doesn't feel as guilty or bad at the end of the day, if you've done something productive or fun with your morning. Meet new people, try new hobbies, don't be afraid of the unknown, challenge yourself. You may be surprised at who you become!

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Agree lots of things to do. I usually make a list and then list them again by priority. However, most time I never exhaust my list.

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