Following times of unprecedented overwork of medical staff, thanks to Covid-19, many healthcare workers struggle to find a healthy work-life balance. Consequently, the rate of burnout is soaring ever upward. 92 percent of nurses surveyed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses stated that they believe the pandemic has depleted nurses at their hospitals to such a drastic extent that their careers will be shorter than they ever intended.

However, with the waves of Covid-19 patients slowing, there’s a new opportunity for healthcare workers to take time and focus on themselves — allowing them to not only be happier in the long term but also provide their patients with better care. This article will focus on how you, as a healthcare professional, can take the proper steps to a positive work-life balance and enjoy the benefits.

How to achieve a positive work-life balance in healthcare

Please be aware that while all of these tips can help anyone in the healthcare field find balance, the majority of these tips truly only work, given that the healthcare professional in question takes them seriously, which leads us to our first tip.

Invest in your self-care and make time for your health

It can be truly hard to pull yourself away from the seemingly never-ending flow of tasks and responsibilities, such as caring for patients. It’s a struggle that is felt far and wide across the field. So, many healthcare professionals will simply wait and put their self-care on pause. Almost as if they are waiting for a break in their life responsibilities, allowing them to face inward.

Unfortunately, that break will seldom come. Instead of waiting for it, you must create a break and place time aside for your health. That is truly the only way to guarantee that you’ll be able to focus within and put the other tips on this list into action.

Maintain a realistic schedule

Healthcare professionals are certainly superheroes to many people. Yet, as a healthcare professional, you know that you don’t possess any such spectacular abilities — save determination and stamina. And to push yourself to a harsh extent to maintain an unrealistic schedule will only lead you down the path of burnout.

Thus, as you plan your schedule, have some compassion for yourself and don’t expect too much of yourself.

Ask for help

Life is not a solo adventure — unless you force it to be. In most cases, and especially in a medical facility, there are always going to be plenty of people around. And all it takes is occasionally asking one favor from a single person to reduce the pressure on your shoulders significantly.

Develop friendships, not just acquaintances

All healthcare professionals work long, long hours. As a result, you spend substantial time with your coworkers. To save yourself and your fellow workers from a toxic working environment, you need to constantly apply the skill of patience and understanding when with them. Try to understand that they are in the same boat as you. And you can’t go anywhere without their help steering.

Get your priorities straight

Juggling too much, or taking on every task simply because it’s in front of you, will eat up all of your time and energy, leaving you nothing left over to do what you want or need to do for yourself. To make changes to your priorities, examine the tasks on your plate, both professionally and personally, to determine how you can rearrange things.

Take a break

It seems too simple, and yet, according to a study, employees who take a break from work for at least a few minutes have increased productivity, job satisfaction, mental health and well-being. So next time that you feel the pressure building, just take 10 minutes for yourself.

Use vacation time

Don’t fall victim to vacation guilt. You work extremely hard to provide an expert level of care for those at your facility, and you deserve your vacation time. However, it’s likely that you never touch those vacation days, much like many workers in the United States. Break the cycle, and take your vacation days.

Don’t let work follow you home

Boundaries are essentially, and they must be upheld at all times. So when you get home after a long shift or are “off the clock,” act like it. Take time for yourself and your loved ones to decompress. Then, with a fresh mind and body, you can return to work the next day. 

Treat your feet to luxury

Healthcare workers are constantly stomping around on their feet, day and night. Over time, that can do a lot of damage that causes intense pain and other problems. If you want to avoid all of that, you need to invest in taking care of your feet. Steps like buying better shoes, icing your feet and even massages help a lot.

Put these tips into practice as soon as you can for the better meant of your life and health. You won’t regret it.

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