Your best go-to source for advice is someone who’s “been there/done that.” While the internet can be a great resource for many things, you’ll never beat experience when it comes to seeking direction. If you’re feeling like you’re headed toward compassion fatigue and burnout, especially in a long-term care facility, the seasoned RNs offer the best guidance.
It’s not always easy to avoid burnout when you work in long-term care. The shifts often feel endless, and the work can become physically and emotionally draining. But by recognizing the signs, taking steps to mitigate the emotional toll, and listening to more experienced colleagues, you can often prevent compassion fatigue from taking a toll. Here are our favorite tips from seasoned RNs.
Avoid Burnout: Our Best Tops from Seasoned RNs
According to seasoned RNs, avoiding burnout in long-term care requires a proactive stance. Self-care is a must, and setting firm workplace boundaries is crucial to your emotional well-being. Finding a solid support system is also an essential component to help avoid burnout.
Here, we break down the most important tips our experienced professional caregivers can offer.
Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care is very important to your emotional health and encompasses many different things that feed your mental wellbeing. Here are our top recommendations for prioritizing and protecting your inner peace.
- Sleep: Fatigue is a huge contributor to stress and eventual burnout. And it seems as though everyone these days has fallen victim to sleep issues. If you have any issues with your sleep, consult your doctor. Prioritize your sleep schedule. Do all you can to ensure you get at least seven hours of restful and restorative sleep per night. Turn off your devices, make sure your room is comfortably cool, and use a sound machine if necessary. Try a guided meditation for sleep and take a relaxing shower or bath before bed.
- Regular Activity: Stay physically active. Go for walks, take a fitness class, try yoga, learn a martial art, or schedule a hike in nature. Not only will these activities work to manage your stress, but physical activity will also help you sleep.
- Detach from Your Job: You spend a lot of time in your workplace, which may make it hard to detach, but you must. Take an art class, learn a craft, join a book club, or develop a new hobby so you can focus your mind on something else besides work.
- Meditate: Meditation and breathing are such wonderful tools to prevent stress from overwhelming you. There are plenty of online videos to help you develop this habit. There are also free apps you can check out.
Setting Boundaries
Boundaries are the limits we set in place to ensure our well-being, personal space, time, and values are being respected. As advice queen Ann Landers famously said, “No one can take advantage of you without your permission.” Here are some tried-and-true ways to make sure your boundaries are in place.
- Just Say No: Do not overcommit at work. If you’re feeling vulnerable to burnout, don’t take on extra shifts. “No” is a complete sentence.
- Don’t Physically Overdo It: Things can feel very urgent in a long-term care facility. A patient who falls or needs immediate attention can tax your physical well-being. Refer to your long-term care facility’s protocol for managing these situations and utilize the proper techniques for patient transfers.
- Don’t Skip Your Breaks: Take your breaks, even when it’s busy. Sometimes, even just a few minutes of fresh air, away from the “noise,” can calm you and give you the strength and clarity you need for the remainder of your shift.
- Compartmentalize: Learn to mentally separate work from personal life, and find ways to signal that transition. Some nurses take a short walk when they get home, or play specific music they enjoy. Utilize these thought-stopping techniques to keep from dwelling on your work.
Find Support
Support , whether from your peers, a support group, or a professional therapist, is essential to avoiding the stress responsible for burnout.
- Peer Support: Does your long-term care organization offer regular group meetings for peer support? If not, speak with management and find out how you can start one. You may also wish to have an informal get-together where you can vent to those who understand.
- Professional Support: Caregiving is a heavy mental load. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional therapist or counseling service if your emotional well-being is at stake.
- Leave if You Must: If your work environment becomes hostile or toxic and you have no other choice, leave. Find another position or go back to school if possible. Sometimes that’s all it takes to reignite the fire of your vocation.
Feeling Burned Out? Change Can Help
If you’re looking for a change to prevent burnout, BOS Medical Staffing can help. We offer full-time, part-time, travel, and temporary jobs for nurses. Please reach out to BOS Medical Staffing today, and let’s help you avoid burning out.
