{"id":5397,"date":"2023-09-01T22:12:48","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T22:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/?p=5397"},"modified":"2024-10-21T19:41:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T19:41:24","slug":"balance-social-life-with-shift-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/work-life\/balance-social-life-with-shift-work\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Balance A Social Life with Shift Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shift work has a lot of pros and cons that go with it, as any healthcare worker who started in a hospital or currently works in one can tell you. On the one hand, it\u2019s great to technically have four days off each week, but on the other hand, it often doesn\u2019t feel like it. A significant amount of a nurse\u2019s time goes into preparing for those three shifts and then recuperating from them afterward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rotating schedules can pose even more of an issue as you\u2019re trying to figure out when to sleep and when to get things done. On top of that, working 12-hour days makes it challenging to spend time with your 9 to 5 family and friends.\u00a0There\u2019s really not a lot of time to do anything but rest and accomplish the bare essentials between 12-hour shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make the most of the free time you do have, here are some tips to help you balance your shift work and your social life.<\/span><\/p>\n

7 Ways to Balance A Social Life with Shift Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Plan Ahead<\/b><\/h4>\n

The most important element to finding a balance is planning. This includes planning vacation days, your sleep and social events. It\u2019s often hard to say no to social outings because night shift and shift work naturally come with FOMO (fear of missing out), but it\u2019s essential to listen to your body and know your limitations. No one can fit everything in, so plan ahead for the things you definitely don\u2019t want to miss. Also, know it\u2019s ok to say no to plans. It\u2019s in your best interest not to over-schedule yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all been there. You work three nights in a row and a group of friends wants to meet at a winery around 1 p.m. the day you finish your third shift. You decide to go despite only getting three hours of sleep. I don\u2019t know about the rest of you, but this decision leaves me regretting my choice to skimp on sleep for a day or two after. Try not to alter plans like this and if you do, limit them.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to take a vacation, planning it pretty far in advance is vital. Many floors only have so many hours of PTO to give out each week, in order to ensure there are enough nurses available to work. That being said, most units want you to request PTO several months in advance, making it even more important to plan ahead. This way, that trip to Italy can definitely happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Prioritize Me Time<\/b><\/h4>\n

Schedule time for yourself. You must put yourself first to have the energy and love to give to others. Scheduling time with yourself could be something small, like a 30-minute workout that bumps up your endorphins, taking a bath, enjoying a special meal, etc. It doesn\u2019t have to be an entire day (unless you want it to). Just 10-15 minutes of self care each day can have a monumental impact on your mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Set Boundaries<\/b><\/h4>\n

Create boundaries. Having boundaries between work, friends, and family is really important. Don\u2019t be afraid to let people know when you\u2019re free and when you\u2019re not. Boundaries allow us to be more efficient with our time, giving us more energy for the things we really want to do.\u00a0Know that it\u2019s okay to be honest with yourself and others about your priorities with your time. If you know you\u2019re lacking sleep, that has to be a priority for your health. When people know what you need, and you\u2019re able to communicate your needs, they\u2019re much more achievable.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Cluster Your Shifts<\/b><\/h4>\n

Schedule your shifts together when possible. If working three 12s doesn\u2019t absolutely destroy you, work them back to back so you have more time off in between shifts. Clustering is super helpful when you might want to take one or two days of PTO and still have more than a week off between work.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you work a rotating schedule with days and nights, make sure your work pattern avoids flipping from days to nights (and vice versa) within the same week. We should treat the time difference like jet lag. Acknowledge that your body only acclimates about an hour each day to a different time zone. Because of this, try to ensure you have several days between rotating shifts to give your body the time it needs to adjust.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Get Outside<\/b><\/h4>\n

Spend time outside<\/span><\/a> every day, even if it\u2019s only a few minutes at a time. Enjoy nice weather when you can. Bask in the sunlight! It boosts your mood and rejuvenates the soul, especially after working three nights in a row and missing out on the sunshine most of those days. Whenever I work three nights in a row, I always get out for a 15-minute walk with my dog before getting ready to head back to work. It\u2019s a nice reset, and the sun\u2019s warmth truly does warm your soul and boost energy levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Enjoy Pool Time<\/b><\/h4>\n

Plan pool days as a way to decompress, especially after waking up from your post-shift snooze. The feeling of weightlessness is rejuvenating and offers the reset you need. When we had access to a pool, I\u2019d spend a couple of hours just bobbing in the water after working three nights in a row. The sunshine helped me to wake up, and the water felt so good on my body.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the many beneficial aspects of longer days is that you don\u2019t need to skimp on sleep to make it a pool day. You can sleep 6 to 8 hours and still get to the pool while the sun shines. If you need to join a fitness center to access a pool, consider all the added benefits that come with membership.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Utilize Long Weekends<\/b><\/h4>\n

Take full advantage of the long weekends for fun trips and plans. Shift work often leaves us with extended weekends to plan quick trips. If you find it\u2019s hard to make these plans with those who work five days a week, plan a couple of weekends when your significant other, family or friends can take a three-day weekend with you. Or maybe, you can make some long weekend plans with coworker friends who share your schedule and also need a getaway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let Vivian help make the most of every shift. Browse job listings<\/a> for roles in various nursing specialties and settings, plus travel and per diem work positions.<\/p>\n

Browse Jobs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn to balance shift work with your social life to ensure you make the most of your free time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,7,107],"tags":[290,294,303,75,90],"class_list":["post-5397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-work-life","category-inspiration","category-wellness","tag-discipline","tag-employment","tag-permanent","tag-rn","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/iStock-1437466176-e1729265682833.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivian.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}