Nursing: Keep Your Spirits Up while During Holidays

You often hear people commiserating with the retail employees who are forced to work on Thanksgiving or very early on Black Friday, but you rarely see the same sympathy extended to those in the healthcare profession who must also work through the holidays. After all, patients who need round-the-clock care are just as sick on holidays as they are any other day of the week, but healthcare staff are often taken for granted.

A recent study showed that nurses suffer from depression at twice the rate of the rest of the population, and this can be especially true during the holidays. Depression can lead to fatigue, errors in judgment, and increased susceptibility to illness, so it is important to do what you can to keep you spirits up.

Tips to Get You through Working the Holidays

1. Focus on the positive: Nicole Lehr of Scrubs Magazine writes, “The most important thing to remember, no matter which holiday, is to be thankful that you are not the one IN the hospital. You get to leave after your shift and proceed with your plans while your patient spends the rest of the holiday in a hospital bed.” Shifts don’t last forever and as you build seniority, your time spent working holidays will lessen.
2. Make your environment festive: Decorations at the nurse’s station, in your locker and even on your name-tag can do wonders for lightening your mood. These decorations can also be uplifting to your patients so have a good time as you and your coworkers make your workplace a happy and festive environment. And don’t forget to decorate your home too so that when you return after a long shift, you can maintain the holiday spirit.
3. Celebrate on your time: The holidays are about more than just a specific day. They are about spending time with loved ones, giving, sharing and celebrating the meaning of the season. This can all be done on days other than the specific holiday. Make sure to schedule visiting and gathering time with your friends and family during the days that you are not on-the-clock.
4. Celebrate at work: There is no reason why you cannot also spend a bit of time celebrating in your workplace.  Lynda Lampert RN at MightyNurse.com writes, “Put up a signup sheet in the break room and have your coworkers sign up to bring a plate on the day the holiday… Invite doctors, transport guys, girls from the lab, and anyone else that’s on your floor while their families are at home celebrating without them.”  As Lampert points out, it sure beats eating a bagged lunch by yourself.
5. Take pride in what you do: Remember that your patients may be feeling a bit down about being in the hospital during the holidays as well. Doing a little extra something to brighten their day while attending to their comfort and medical needs can make you feel extra good about yourself and your job. After all, isn’t helping others really within the true spirit of the season?