As a busy nurses, I bet we all would like two things in a life: a nursing career we enjoy AND a social life that we have time for. Even if we do not use terminology like ‘holistic health’ or ‘self-care’, I can guarantee with confident certainty that we all want to be happy and healthy at work and at home.

Having a social life as a nurse can be tough. We work long hours. Many of us are night shift staff. Nurses have to cover weekends, holidays and on-calls, since as we all know, the ‘store’ never shuts down.

However, if we spend so much time at work, wouldn’t it make sense to enjoy our nursing careers? I surely hope so! Well, in case your career setting is less than ideal, here are two ways to leave work with a smile:

• Surround yourself with things you enjoy. Utilize all of your senses. If you have a desk in a nursing office, can you bring in flowers, photos or inspirational quotes? Let’s say your nursing career involves driving to-and-from patient homes all day. Instead of listening to the news, could you try to jam out to your favorite type of music? When you eat (and I know we don’t get lunch breaks, but we all have to eat something during the shift), can you treat your taste buds once a week to your most favorite indulgence? Bringing in the beauty of what you enjoy to your workplace can make your day a much more uplifting experience.
• Go to bed earlier so that you can get up a few minutes before you usually do. This one is a double-duty benefit. Not only will you be more rested if you go to bed earlier, but you will have more time before work so that you do not have to rush around. When we set the pace for our day, we can find that things go much smoother. What do you do with that extra time in the morning? Can you try a breathing exercise like the Breath of Joy? Or how about some Yoga postures? Maybe a mini-meditation or visualization? Giving yourself a few more minutes before you have to rush off to work can totally set the tone of your entire day.

If you like these two and want more, feel free to join us on my upcoming webinar ‘Allow for J-O-Y at Your J-O-B: 3 Secrets to Leaving Work with a Smile‘. This call will be recorded so even if you cannot attend live, feel free to register and join us in anyway that you can. I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on the webinar. You can join us by clicking here.

What would you add to the above list? I would love to hear your tools, techniques and suggestions for career enjoyment.