We all are swamped with work, overworked, and burned out. It can be so easy to go to work each day and just go through the motions week after week, but it’s important to remember that we are people too, just like our residents. We have needs and wants too.
We often think doing the things on our job description is enough, but unfortunately if you really care about doing your job to the best of your abilities, it requires going above and beyond. Through the madness of each day. We care so much about our residents and helping them that we forget US, but it’s important to remember YOU!
There are very simple things you can do throughout the day to remember you:
DON’T Skip Lunch
Many of us get so caught up in our day and workload that before we know it, it’s the end of the day and we realize we haven’t eaten all day. That is not good for your body or your mental state either. When your body is not getting what it needs, how can we expect it to give our brain what it needs. It’s as simple as that. When you don’t eat for long periods of time, your body gets tired, it changes your attitude, and both of these things will affect your work. Eat lunch!
Take Breaks
Taking breaks are also important. You need to not only give your mind a break but your body. Although we often don’t realize it, we tend to tense up while focusing on a task. Most of us focus on tasks for 8+ hours a day, so imagine the stress that puts on your body and mind. According to Michigan State University, taking breaks throughout the day provides you with: increased productivity, improved mental health and well-being, the feeling of being valued by an organization if they provide you breaks, increased job satisfaction, restoration of focus and attention, prevention of fatigue, increase in healthy habits, better emotional and physical health, and improvement to memory and learning. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. You can just take a short break to stretch or just walk around, but take breaks! You will see a big difference in your work day.
Use Your Vacation Days
According to article by Forbes, 55% of Americans reported that they didn’t use all of their paid time off in 2018, and the numbers are probably rising. This is not a game. These are facts. There are so many people that wake up each day wishing they could be off that day, so why are we not using our vacation time? It’s a mystery to be solved. But this is just a wake-up call to our readers. If you have the time, use it. It will be a great de-stressor and will restore you, and you will come back to work refreshed and ready to conquer the world!
Focus on Work Life Balance
It is so imperative, especially for those with kids, that you have work life balance. We give so much of our time to our jobs. Out of a 120-hour work week, we give 40 of those hours to a job. That’s a 1/3 of our life each week. Let that sink in. Although there may not be anything you can do about the schedule, you can make sure you have work life balance. Don’t work overtime. Don’t work during your off hours. Use that time for family, friends, and yourself. Make time for things that are important to your loved ones. Don’t miss every one of your kid’s games because you don’t want to take off work. Don’t work during your lunch and breaks. We do this all too often. These are just a few examples of having work-life balance. We understand that sometimes things happen and you have to do what you have to do for unseen circumstances, but at least try not to make these things consistent and long-term. Remember, you are more than just your job title.
Burnout is real! And it happens all too often. We call ourselves being loyal to our job or driven to succeed and before you know it, we can barely do our job because of burnout. It is proven that people are more successful at their jobs when they have balance. Remember, if you are not doing well yourself
and can’t do your job correctly, how can you help your residents! Don’t cheat yourself. You are important too!
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