How to Stop Bringing Work Stress Home as a Nurse

Nursing is an interesting beast, as it can slowly consume you and feel like it’s taking over your life. So much emotion goes into this job, so stress is bound to creep in.

Over time, the stress can get so bad you may be bringing it home with you. Today I am sharing how to stop bringing work stress home as a nurse! Learning how nurses can lower stress is crucial to having a healthy and happy nursing career.

By implementing certain strategies and life habits, it will get easier to leave work at work and create a clear distinction between you and nurse you.

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That is one of the most important things to remember. You aren’t a nurse 24/7! Although your instincts may kick in outside of work when you see someone who needs medical assistance, there is a lot more to you than being a nurse.

As a nurse, you see so many different personalities and people at work, and there is just a lot of stimulation of the brain.

It can feel draining and exhausting, and when you come home, you just want to whine and complain about it all because it feels good.

But even if venting can be healthy for the brain, there is a proper way to do it so it isn’t damaging.

My Experience With Nurse Stress

When I was a new nurse, I remember all I did was complain about work. I disliked my first job so much that I felt like it became my identity.

I thought about it all the time, it ruined my mood even on my days off, and my emotions started to become more and more unstable. I was losing myself.

I absolutely used to bring work stress home with me because… I didn’t know any better! I didn’t know how to navigate through my emotions properly nor did I have the guidance to do so.

To be honest, I wish I had this blog post as a resource a few years back! It would have definitely come in handy.

I distinctly remember leaving my medical-surgical shift 6 years ago, walking to my car, and calling my boyfriend (now hubby!) crying.

I was explaining how awful my day was, how drowned I felt every day, and how much I absolutely hated my job. It was such a terrible, sinking feeling that I wish upon nobody.

No job is perfect, and hardships are inevitable. However, there is a place you can reach where work-life integration is healthy.

How To Stop Bringing Work Stress Home

In order to reach this healthy work-life integration, several habits have to be practiced consistently. They are completely doable and not crazy difficult. All they require is your consistency!

Managing nurse stress is a journey because nursing isn’t always a predictable job. You never know what type of patient you are going to get, or what complications may arise.

However, the one constant in nursing is the type of nurse you are! Reaching a point where you know your approach to things is consistent and meaningful will help you in managing nurse stress.

1. Focus On Other Aspects Of Your Life

There are so many subcategories of your life.

The time between ending your shift and starting your next one is where you are you, not nurse you. You are not working or taking care of a patient.

You are doing other things like:

cleaning
watching TV
socializing
gardening
eating food
shopping
talking on the phone
reading

All of these things and your nursing job make up your entire life. What I am trying to say is your ENTIRE LIFE is not work!

There is so much more your energy needs to go into.

When you clock out of work and make your way home, you can do one of two things.

You can hold onto all of the frustration and emotions from your workday and travel with them home…all the way to bed, OR you can leave it at work, and reshift your focus on the things your personal life entails.

Maybe you’re excited to come home to resume your favorite show, or maybe you have a few tasks to accomplish, like getting your car’s oil changed or folding laundry.

The point is, there are a lot of other things aside from work that deserves your focus and attention. Be present in other parts of life and do not tie every situation with the stress you are feeling from work.

Your thoughts truly become your reality.

2. Distract Yourself With Friends And Family

Being around good company can feel like coming back to life after a terrible day at work. It recenters you and makes you realize that there is so much more to life than your work stress.

This doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t valid or your issues aren’t important.

They absolutely are, but in order to meet a healthy work-life integration, you must allow your mind to be open to other topics.

When you are with friends and family, it is best to keep the discussions about work to a minimum, at least the negative parts. Instead, enjoy your time with them to the point work just slips off your mind!

Remember, the more you do this, the more it is going to work. Consistency is the key here.

3. Refrain From Talking To Coworkers On Days Off

At one of my old jobs, the nurses and I had a group chat.

I remember when things got really bad due to new and poor management, the group chat was blowing up even after hours. Nurses were complaining left and right, and it was starting to take over my entire day.

It got so bad that I had to put the group chat on mute. I felt like I could not escape thinking about work and all of the negativity it was bringing to my life. I wanted to see the silver lining, but talking about it all the time was making it nearly impossible.

Try not to get into it when you’re off. Give your mind the rest it deserves; work is always going to be there.

4. Learn The Term “Let It Come Then Let It Go”

Challenges in nursing are inevitable, but you can handle them better with this method.

Now, this may sound funny to you, but I learned this mindset during my very first heartbreak.

I’m someone who loves research and reading other people’s advice, so during that time, I was reading a lot of articles about heartache and grieving. (classic dramatic teen)

This one particular piece of advice stuck with me for all these years, and it’s the “let it come, then let it go” mindset.

What this means is to let any pain or negative emotion come into the mind when it naturally does, acknowledge it, feel it, but then do NOT let it linger. Let it go.

There is a certain amount of time an emotion is organic and natural, but if it surpasses a certain length of time, it is just living rent-free in your brain.

At this point, it is only harming you. Do not hold onto the stress just because it’s easier than fighting to let it go.

5. Recognize When It Is Time To Leave

We then reach a point where all of the above advice just does not work, and that is because your job is too toxic.

Recognizing this can be difficult. It takes a lot of bravery and courage, but it can also be the best thing that happens to you.

If your job is affecting your health (ie. you are getting sick, getting into arguments, eating too little/too much), you have entered that phase of a job where you lost your spirit.

Start aggressively applying elsewhere so you can shift your focus to the next step rather than your current situation.