Anyone with a healthcare career knows that finding reliable ways of relaxing while away from work is crucial for optimizing professional performance. Without enjoyable activities outside work that can help you recharge your batteries, it is extremely difficult to complete those long shifts or perform well on a new assignment.
Take a vacation
Nothing restores energy and wipes a mind clean of stress quite like a relaxing vacation. Because you are accustomed to traveling, planning and executing such a getaway will likely be no problem. Recently, Healthcare Traveler recommended precisely this tactic as a way for nurses to relax between assignments. The source suggested warm-weather locales like the Virgin Islands, Outer Banks and Santa Fe for nurses who are looking for attractive places to unwind.
Simple measures
Although vacations are always useful for decompressing after a few months of travel nursing assignments, there are easier – and less expensive – methods.
One simple trick is to put a basket or box directly inside your residence. You can use this to store all of your work supplies – your equipment, shoes, paperwork, pager and so on – while you're home. Having one place where you keep all work-related belongings can help you leave your work at the door to give yourself the best chance for a solid night of relaxation.
This and other small routines can help you create a sense of separation between your life in the healthcare facility and your time spent at home.
Fitness
Although the life of a travel nurse is certainly far from sedentary, regular exercise and activity can help alleviate some of the stresses that are natural for people in the healthcare field. This can mean joining a gym or going for regular runs, but it doesn't have to.
Activities like yoga and Pilates have been shown to reduce stress levels after only a few weeks of practice. Both of these regimens require little in the way of equipment and can easily be incorporated into a life filled with assignments in many different locations.
Whichever path you choose, it is important to remember to regularly include relaxation opportunities in your schedule. It is easy to feel like your hectic schedule doesn't have room for such luxuries, but limited relaxation could ultimately hinder your job performance and increase your stress levels.