5 Ways to Balance Your Nurse Life

Nurses are givers and caretakers by profession. But who takes care of the nurse? LPN, RN, APRN – who is feeding your soul and speaking life into your spirit? Friend, I hope that one of those people is YOU. That’s right – YOU! Here are 5 ways to balance your nurse life and feed those chemical pathways that lead to better wellness (and be your secret weapon against burnout)!

Before we get to the good stuff, let’s list out how you can produce those chemicals that enhance wellbeing and help balance your nurse life:

1. Exercise (you knew this one was going to be on the list, didn’t you)
2. Kindness (to others and yourself)
3. Positivity / Gratitude
4. Connection
5. Sleep

#1 on the list of 5 ways to balance your nurse life: Exercise

It can be squats and jumping jacks in the morning before you get dressed for work, yoga to wake up or wind down, getting outside and playing with your kids or fur babies (added bonus!), working in your garden, anything that makes you move more than you typically do in your normal daily routine.

I get it – nurses move a lot. We are up, down, here, there, busy and bustling at work. Sometimes we only half-sit to chart. And that’s 12+ hours. But… did you know that your body will say THANK YOU if you add a little more? When we educate patients on exercise, we recommend at least 30 minutes 3 days a week. That is our recommendation to add wellness in the lives of others. Why is that recommendation and practice different for ourselves?

• I don’t have time
• I don’t want to
• I don’t have the energy
• I work nights — are you kidding me?

Yep. I have said them all. And you know what suffered every time I chose not to move my body: my wellness. YouTube is your friend. Find you a guided video exercise and start. I have a fav yoga routine that takes 12 minutes. I can do that super tired. Lower body workouts are my bang for the buck and there are a bunch of them that are accessible online on different platforms. I don’t have to go to the gym, don’t have to get childcare, I just have to DO. THEM.

Exercise = Endorphins

Endorphins lead to activated opioid receptors and elevates mood, while decreasing STRESS, ANXIETY, and even PAIN. Big benefits from movement.

How to best tap into this resource: Get a routine. Stick to the routine. Incorporate the practice of investing in YOU through endorphin producing exercise.

#2: Kindness to Yourself and Others

Kindness is infectious. Kindness takes practice. Kindness can be a lifestyle. Even when people are not kind to you – you can cultivate kindness in your life by choosing to act in a caring way. Kindness can brighten your mood and those around you, it can enhance relationships, feelings of happiness and even health! Kindness to yourself and others is a big part of the 5 ways to balance your nurse life!

Kindness = Neurochemicals

We have all heard of the “good” chemicals: oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine. Guess what the practice of kindness triggers in our lives? The release of these beautiful little neurochems! Sending out these good vibes and chemical signals leads to a reduction in the negative emotions that can really harm our wellness. Anger, depression, stress, anxiety – all take a toll emotionally, mentally and physically. Building resiliency to these attacks through the purposeful practice of kindness is a powerful ally in your wellness journey.

Find ways to speak positivity, forgive yourself, let go of tension and work on being kind to you to fill your cup. Extend the same grace to yourself as you give to others.

#3: Positivity and Gratitude in your nurse life balance

Sometimes nurse life is hard. Legit. Hard. We have been there. But you know what else nursing can be, regardless of your professional role? Rewarding. Fun. Inspiring. Educational. Fulfilling. Enlightening. The balance between the good and the bad – the dark and the light – the hard and the oh so good – is sometimes out of your personal control. Just let that one go. There are super hard cases. There are people who don’t get better. There is loss. But in the middle of that – there is you trying to make a difference. You are there. And, you are not alone.

• Who is someone that has helped you on your nurse life journey?
• Is there someone who taught you something?
• Who helped you stop and smell the roses?
• Is there someone who helped you enhanced your skill set?
• Who came into your life and helped you find joy and balance as a nurse, a son, a daughter, a wife, a mother, a husband, a friend?

Pause. Reflect. Write down their names.

Take a moment to let your mind focus on what an impact that person (those people!) have made in your life. Dwell in that gratitude for a minute. And if you want to go the extra mile – send that person a text, a card, a tweet, a pigeon, whatever. Just to say thanks. Let your gratitude impact positivity in your life and in the lives of those who have invested in YOU.

Cultivating gratitude can change not just your outlook and how you think about things, but actually impact brain function. One impact of gratitude on the brain is seen in the hypothalamus, which just so happens to also secrete those feel goods of endorphin, dopamine, and oxytocin. These signals help bring better mental wellness and relieve feelings of sadness and depression. That can help us see things overall in a better light and help us find the joy and the positive in situations.

Focus on the positive enhances nurse life balance through our change in mindset that leads to change in behaviors. And this one – the gratitude and positivity – is infectious! While practicing these things may not have a magical impact and make everyone around you nice and kind, the paying it forward and resiliency practicing these things grows in YOU helps reset your mindset and approach to your life: Professional and Personal.

#4: Connection

Professional and Personal: Connection is vital.

If you don’t have your “group” that you love to work with on the unit – find one or make your own tribe! These nurses are the lifeblood of helping you be successful in navigating all the things nursing throws your way. The highs. The lows. These people are in your corner, helping with the codes and the code browns. They help you develop your medical sense of humor and help you develop your skills. They share their knowledge. They want you to succeed. And you want the same for them. And they are everywhere in every area of nursing – if you look hard enough. If you work in an office, work remotely, work in the hospital, work wherever – there are people who are passionate about patient care and working together to make the best outcomes possible. Look for these people. Be one of these people.

Connectivity is important out of the work setting too. There are many dimensions of wellness, including mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. What do you need to do to fill your cup? How can you connect with your family? What time do you spend with friends? Is that time invested? How can you be purposeful about nurturing connections and building a life?

Connectivity with others impacts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical and oxytocin pathways. These pathways help to strengthen mental wellness. Impacts can be seen in improved resiliency, self esteem, and make that big circle back to help you connect more with those in your social support network. This gift of connectivity keeps on giving and is one of the big things out of the list of 5 ways to balance your nurse life.

#5: Sleep

Rest is important to our bodies and our minds. Finding that rest can be difficult for some. In addition to eating right, exercising, practicing positivity, cultivating kindness and pursuing connectivity, this last piece is important to help that brain restore and reset. If you are a day shift or a night shift nurse, the same basic principles can help you find the balance of sleep.

Basic Sleep Hygiene

1. Keep it regular: Have a start and stop time. As close as you can. Every day. Can’t sleep? Get up. In a darkish room. Don’t stay in bed if you are lying there awake. But don’t turn on electronics and do something boring / not stimulating (examples used to include reading a phone book – do we have those any more?), and go back to bed when you feel tired. Train your brain that the bed is for sleep. Also avoid napping during the wake time hours.
2. Keep it clear: Are you a worrier? Write it down. Before bed. Just brain dump all the lists and to-do’s on a piece of paper and let it go. They will all be there waiting for you when it is time to get up.
3. Keep it simple: Comfortable, quiet, dark, cool.
4. Keep it calm: avoid caffeine (including chocolate!) and other stimulants at least 4-6 hours before bed. Also – no blue lights or screens. Turn them off, put them down.
5. Keep it balanced: believe it or not, a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you with sleep! Just don’t do any strenuous exercises before bed. Gentle stretching or restorative yogas allowed.

What are some ways you work on your nurse life balance?

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