From Chaos to Harmony: Work-Life Balance Tips for
Nurses
The work-life balance (WLB) concept is about achieving harmony between professional and personal aspirations. In today's fast-paced world, achieving this harmony can be challenging, especially in nursing.
When it comes to nursing, WLB is more than just an idea. It's essential for nurses to be happy, healthy, and productive. While it's still unclear how to define WLB, researchers agree that balancing your personal life and career can lead to fewer stress reports among nurses.
Barriers that keep nurses from a balanced life
● Work environment: Many healthcare facilities fail to support their nurses in achieving a healthy WLB. From understaffed shifts to limited time off, these issues can make it harder for nurses to balance their professional and personal lives.
● Workload: One of the most significant barriers to achieving WLB is the heavy workload. Large workloads might increase income but demand mor
e nurses' time and energy, leaving them exhausted.
● Policies: Policies and procedures around the Nurse-patient ratio can make it harder for nurses to achieve WLB by increasing their workload.
The consequences of ignoring a healthy WLB
When you neglect your personal life in favour of work, it's only a matter of time before the negative consequences pile up. For nurses, failing to achieve WLB can lead to burnout, stress, and low job satisfaction, impacting patient care. If healthcare employers support WLB, they can avoid losing their nurses to burnout and job dissatisfaction. The bottom line? Prioritizing WLB isnt just suitable for nurses, it's good for
everyone.
8 Practical strategies for nurses to achieve a good WLB
● Set boundaries: It is essential to set boundaries in your personal and professional life. Nurses should set boundaries that align with their values and priorities and stick to them.
● Plan your time wisely: Nurses should schedule work and personal activities.
Using time management tools can help you stay organized.
● Prioritise self-care: It is important to prioritize self-care needs, such as eating healthy, regular exercise, using relaxation or meditation techniques, and enjoying hobbies.
● Practice saying no: As a nurse, you should learn to say no to things that may impact
your WLB.
● Lighten the load: Asking for support from people around you can help manage responsibilities and provide emotional support.
● Speak up: If you feel you have imbalanced WLB, discuss with your manager what improvements can be made to help improve the situation.
● Personal life coaching: Through various techniques and skills, coaches can inspire you to learn and grow, helping to enhance your outlook on life.
● Promoting resilience: Embrace positive thinking, flexibility, and adaptability to adjust to unexpected events or changes in schedules or plans.
WLB is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of nursing. Nurses frequently prioritize their jobs above everything else, leading to stress and burnout.
Nurses need to prioritize their well-being and understand the significance of WLB to thrive personally and professionally.
By achieving WLB, nurses can find greater job satisfaction, motivation, and fulfilment in their work and personal lives.
Reflection:
1. Do you have a healthy WLB at the moment?
2. What could you do to improve your WLB?
3. Does your workplace promote a healthy WLB?
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1976131715000031
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2165079914565355
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/59354058.pdf
https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjon.2013.22.16.969
https://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/fulltext/2012/01001/striving_for_work_life_balance.7.aspx
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