Now that winter is here; the winter blues can come fast. It’s not uncommon for this time of year to feel sluggish and sad. About 20% of people above the age of 20 have a hard time through this season. As a nurse, working a 12-hour shift can make the days feel longer, especially if you don’t get to see much sunshine, and feel like the days seem shorter. If you are feeling down during winter, we have tips to help make the season easier and keep the blues away.
• Eat a Healthy Diet: By eating enough protein, carbs, vitamins, and minerals can keep your nutrition on track. Drink enough water daily. Dehydration can cause fatigue and depression.
• De-clutter: Take on small jobs of getting rid of clutter to start. De-cluttering will give you a sense of accomplishment that makes you happier.
• Laugh: They say laughter is the best medicine, which is a big help if you get blue this time of year. Laughing reduces stress hormones that typically cause sadness for the winter season.
• Cheer Someone Else Up: Helping someone can help make yourself better.
• Get Enough Sleep: Long shifts can make for long days. If you can get a well-rested night of sleep, it will help lower stress.
• Exercise: Getting active can boost your mood and trigger positive feelings.
Being a nurse can be stressful, and having the winter blues doesn’t help either. Even if it means small steps, try some of these tips to help make the season pass and help boost your mood each day.
The contest was created to thank nurses for the long hours they put in offering comfort and healing to patients and families. Winners can use the $1,000 prize any way they wish: hitting the town in a rented limousine, hosting a party, or taking a relaxing day at the spa. They are only limited by their imagination. Kendra, who is dedicated to making life better for others, is taking time to rejuvenate and visit family in Colorado.
Kendra is the assistant director of Health at Evergreen Community of Johnson County, Kansas nursing home, where she has worked the past eight years. She has a passion for assisting individuals that have Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. “I really want to make a difference for people; just making them happy and increasing their quality of life,” said Kendra. “I love my job and can’t picture myself anywhere else.”
“California Casualty protects American heroes, and we want to show our appreciation to the men and women who take care of America,’” said California Casualty Sr. Vice President, Mike McCormick.
“I don’t do this job for appreciation or recognition,” Kendra said. “However, appreciation and recognition is nice.”
The winning has just begun; there will be three more $1,000 Nurses Night Out awards given this year by California Casualty. The entry deadline for the next drawing is June 17, 2016, with a winner announced in July. Complete rules, information and the entry form can be found at www.nursesnight.com.
Other important deadlines are:
September 16, with the third quarter winner announced in October
December 9, with the fourth quarter winner announced before the end of the year
Entrants must be 18 years old. Residents of Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New York and Wisconsin are not eligible, and winners must be currently employed as or retired as a nurse (RN or LPN) or be a member of the Ohio Nurses Association or the Oregon Nurses Association.
Most of us love to get the morning (or evening if you work shifts) started with a good cup of coffee or tea. As you go through your day, have you noticed just how many mugs have a slogan or saying on them. It seems that what’s on our cup often gives a glimpse of who we are and what we think.
After doing a little research, we’ve assembled a list of some of the best sayings we’ve found on nurse’s mugs:
Nurse: the first person you see after saying “hold my beer and watch this”
How I take your temperature is directly related to how nice you are to me
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate the pain of coming to work
NURSES: We can’t fix stupid, but we can sedate it
Caffeine PO Q4H PRN
RN (Rescue Ninja)
I’m a Nurse, what’s your superpower
What happens in clinicals stays in clinicals
Yes I’m a nurse – no I don’t want to look at it
Behind every stable, well-adjusted nurse….is a patient waiting to change that before the shift is over
DO NOT make me use my nurse voice
Nurses are here to save your butt not kiss it
Don’t mess with me, I’M A NURSE: I get paid to stab people with sharp objects
I’ve seen it, smelled it, touched it, heard it, stepped in it – Retired Nurse
I hate being sexy but I’m a nurse so I can’t help it
Do us a favor, stop watching Dr. Oz
Run, the Joint Commission is coming
What’s on your favorite mug? Feel free to share it with us.
And, just like a comforting cup of hot coffee, California Casualty is a perfect complement to your day. We’ve been protecting American heroes for over 60 years providing auto and home insurance matched to your professional lifestyle. That means these exclusive benefits not available to the general public:
Waived or reduced deductibles for vandalism or damage to your vehicle parked at work
Rates guaranteed for a full year (not six months)
Free identity theft protection with each policy
Multiple payment options including EZ Pay and holiday or summer skips
Superior customer service satisfaction rating – 99 percent with claims satisfaction of 96 percent
There is nothing more heartwarming than spending the holidays surrounded by friends and family sharing wonderful meals, presents and stories. But for many families, their loved one is away working in a hospital or care facility meeting the needs of others and trying to spread a little holiday cheer. As we celebrate the holidays, let’s not forget the men and women who sacrifice to provide hope and healing for so many. While most businesses might be closed for Christmas and New Year’s Day, hospitals and care facilities aren’t; sickness, aging and accidental injuries don’t take a day off, and neither do those charged with providing care.
I was amazed by the loving spirit I observed during the year I worked at our local hospital, but never more impressed than when the holidays came. The corridors echoed with ho-ho-hos and many of the staff adorned themselves with ornaments and Santa hats. While it can be tough to be away from the family during a major holiday, here are some ideas for nurses and other care providers that can make the day better:
Be festive at work – it will raise your spirits and those around you, including patients
Play holiday music
Share a holiday potluck or meal
Take heart that you are helping those who must be in the facility to smile and know someone cares
Be thankful that you get to go home to your family and friends when your shift ends
Celebrate the holiday with our friends or family on a different day
The rest of us can make those holiday shifts a little brighter for care givers and their patients:
Bring some baked goods for the staff
Deliver some thank you cards
Find ways to volunteer at hospitals and care facilities
You know what DTaP, APA, BBP, CVA, FMPS and MI stand for.
You learned that Stable is not one of the four conditions of a patient which are: Critical, Serious, Fair and Good.
Discussions of mucus were one of the daily dinner table conversations.
You learned to dread full moon nights and what kind of mood your nurse-parent would be in the next day.
Scrubs were considered every-day attire.
You laugh at needles, catheters and don’t freak out anytime anyone slips on latex gloves.
You constantly heard, “from one to ten, what’s your pain level?”
You were regularly awakened from a dead sleep because your breathing patterns were a little too close to Cheyne-Stokes rhythm or sounded like severe apnea.
You were taught to carry four extra pens and to keep track of every one of them.
You got used to daily “bathroom visits” to check your BM.
There was nothing you could do that would gross out your nurse mom or dad.
The last place you were allowed to go when you were sick was to see a doctor.
