How to Unwind After a 12-Hour Shift After working a long 12-hour shift, you're left feeling as though you have been in work mode for an entire day, leaving your adrenaline left in autodrive. You leave work, drive home, and know that you better get some rest since you have to be back to work in 11 hours, to work yet another 12-hour shift. It's common for most people to leave their shift worrying that they don't have enough time to relax before going to bed. Thankfully, below are a few tips to help you unwind before your next day of work after a long, tiring shift. The Best Tips Before you try anything, try to take your mind off of stressing that you will not get enough sleep. Don't worry about sleeping, let it come naturally. Once you conquer the art of learning to relax, you will fall asleep and be ready to take on any shift to come. Below are several tips that will help you unwind after your long shift. Related: Today's Nurse
Sit on the edge of your bed and take 10 deep breaths. As you inhale, put complete concentration on your breathing so that you can take very deep breaths. As you exhale your breaths, imagine you are breathing out all of your day's problems and frustrations. There are no more concerns at hand, as you just blow them out each time to release another breath. After deep breathing, try lying down or just sitting back. This will help to make you feel calm, relaxed, and ready for bed. Take a warm shower and don’t just wash off and step out. Enjoy the warm water flow over your body, and imagine it providing a liquid massage to your overworked back, neck, and shoulders. Rub some lavender scented lotion on your body after your shower. Spend some extra time rubbing it onto your very tired feet, massaging the ball of each foot. There is some validity to reflexology, and that part of your foot being massaged will help relax your entire body, while the light scent of lavender relaxes your mind. Allow yourself a certain amount of time to reflect on your day. It's human nature to think back over your day, contemplating what you did wrong, what went right, what could have been better, etc. By allocating a certain period of time for this thought process, you will learn to let it go when your time is up. Try setting a quiet alarm on your phone for 10 minutes or so, and when it goes off, that’s it, stop thinking about your day and get ready for the next.
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Things to Consider Teaching yourself to relax is an art and it may take some practice. it may be difficult to get into this routine after not practicing relaxation techniques for majority of your career. If this is the case, however, do not get discouraged, as following these tips can help you unwind from any tired work day. Don't force yourself to go to bed if you aren't tired, and try to refrain from stressing over your needed sleep. By utilizing one of these techinques, sleep will come natural in a timely enough fashion in that you will be able to get an efficent amount of sleep without having to stress about it. What tips can you offer to other nurses who struggle to unwind? Related: International Nurses Association Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter