Taking Mini-Breaks
With winter now in full swing in Australia and with Coronavirus without a doubt impacting everyones way of life, there is a general consensus that the progression of this year has felt strange
Maybe as Einstein famously quoted “Time is relative”- the current reference of time is definitely different.
There has been a massive change to our personal lives and our work, I have been thinking about nurses in all fields of healthcare especially with the affects of working differently. There has been a change in the rhythm of the work we do, in a way we are thinking on our feet more now than ever and the disruption has caused for the redefining of some of the policies & procedures that we once knew.
Some weeks have just been intense and challenging, knowing that we all have adapted to life as it is now with the added stresses. It is super important to be taking care of ourselves as not to deplete all of our energy, also to bring some balance and care back into our own lives.
As lockdown has placed some restrictions on the usual way of taking a break, for example by not being able to go on a holiday by catching a plane as it is near impossible at the moment and even being pampered with a facial or even a manicure has become so difficult.
“How we care for ourselves gives our brain messages that shape our self-worth so we must care for ourselves in every way, every day.”
– Sam Owen
It is easy to lose ourselves within all the work we do as nurses because we do consider the feelings of others before ourselves. But I’m realising that in this year it is important to be nimble and try to change focus in the ways we take care of ourselves.
By rewarding our efforts and even offering some distractions from the challenges that we face on a day to day basis, it is important to find new ways and new opportunities to take mini breaks, mainly to build and sustain our level of energy and to avoid extreme levels of fatigue or burn out.
To take care of ourselves, here are some ideas of mini-breaks-
- Buy something for yourself
- Going for a long walk as fresh air feels great
- Listening to your favourite music
- Reading a good book
- Creating a home spa
- Dance and sing (this is just the best medicine)
- Relaxing with a lazy lie in
- Buy yourself some beautiful flowers
- Start a new hobby that you’ve been meaning to for a while
- Order a takeaway and take the night off cooking
Allowing moments to recharge and slow down to breathe may ease the heightened feelings from work and even offer relief from duties caring for loved ones. It is so easy to become accustomed to being ‘busy’, whilst running on empty and draining our vitality.
Prioritising your wellbeing and taking these mini breaks may recharge your body and mind as mini breaks can be quick, easy to achieve and they don’t have to cost anything because they allow you to enjoy the simple things and in a way treating yourself is a positive as it is a way of being kind to yourself.
For myself as my days consist of just travelling from home to work and vice versa, its pretty boring and I’ve had to shift my attention to my skin care routine, it makes me feel more confident and I know I’m starting my days off right by giving myself something to look forward to with a general feeling of being happy and mellow.
Conclusion-
Recently someone said to me ‘with no change, there are no butterflies’, no one really knows how long life will be like this and focusing on how you care for yourself is important to sustain a healthier and happier you. Having mini breaks avoids overlooking your own wellbeing and resting to fight fatigue especially when you take time and care for yourself.
Support –
- Beyond Blue- 1300 22 4636 – www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support
- Lifeline- 13 11 14 – www.lifeline.org.au
- Nurse & Midwifery Support- 1800 667 877 – www.nmsupport.org.au
(Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)
“What we know matters, but who we are matters more”
– Brené Brown