The nursing profession can be tiring at times. The schedules are demanding as you work for over forty hours every week. It can eventually leave you feeling exhausted. Mental and physical stress can take a huge toll on your life, which can sometimes cause medical mistakes. On the one hand, you find your profession rewarding and feel grateful for impacting a human’s life, and on the contrary, it can be hard for you to find time to create a meaningful connection with your patients and provide the care you actually want to deliver. This may leave you feeling uncomfortable.
You want to deliver your best at work but don’t get enough time to do so. You go back home feeling embarrassed as you wonder you could have done more. You worry that working in a hurry and rushing from patient to patient throughout the day may cause more harm than good.
Staying motivated in such a stressful situation can be a challenge for nurses. Responsibilities, obligations, ongoing stress, and other things can become reasons for losing motivation. But you don’t need to worry as everyone struggles to find motivation sometimes. If you are a nurse, look at the few tips below to stay motivated and driven.
1- Set Your Goals
Due to stress and burnout, you lose vision of your personal goals, particularly when pursuing ambitions like advancing your career in the nursing field. It is essential to set objectives for yourself and think about specific things. Like if you want a particular job promotion, think about the requirements. Which degrees and certifications are required for that? Do you need to improve any work skills?
For instance, according to your prior experience and to land the job of your dreams, you may want to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing FNP Degree to expand your nursing practice. Setting your goals will help you evaluate your progress and keep your eye on the reward.
2- Remember Why You Started It All
Individuals in nursing give it all to their work. When the negative thoughts hit you and your motivation towards your work starts to tremble, you need to think about various things. Ask yourself why you came into the nursing field, what caused you to do it why you wanted to be a nurse.
Remember that it’s because you wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, help human beings, and wanted to serve the community. Remind yourself of the struggling times, how far you have reached, and the things you have achieved.
3- Find Your Support Network
Nurse professionals need care, too!
Yes, you heard it right. Nurses spend their entire time caring for others, however, they don’t get the same support they deserve. They even forget to ask for help.
Don’t be afraid to ask your friends, family members, mentors, or even colleagues for support. Your loved ones can listen to your worries, suggest helpful advice, and motivate you whenever you need it. Knowing that you have someone behind you as your support is one of the biggest reliefs and can help you work harder.
4- Celebrate Small Things in Your Life
This goes for everyone, but particularly nurses, because they often feel unnoticed. Most of the attention usually goes to surgeons and doctors; however, the truth is, the crux of healthcare is nurses.
Nurses are there when we go for a routine checkup, blood draw, or vaccination. Nurses are almost everywhere, and they should be celebrated. Even when no one does that, celebrate yourself. Celebrate your achievements. Do it with your friends and family. Celebrating small things will bring joy to your life, which in turn will help you keep energized.
5- Work on Your Time Management Skills
Time management is one of the crucial elements required in the nursing profession. Nurses are required to accomplish a bundle of tasks in a limited time. The tip is to look for what is needed for the next day. You can break down the assignments into small tasks. Plan properly to make things manageable. This way, once you are done with one task, you’ll immediately move on to the next without any hassle.
6- Take out Time for Yourself
If work is the only thing you have on your day’s checklist, it would be the only thing you will do. If you want to balance work with everything else in life, you need to take a step further. Make time for things that you love to do apart from work. Get yourself involved in different activities. Walk to your nearest park with your friend, play games, read books, paint, do breathing exercises to relax yourselves, or explore nature. Do whatever relaxes you.
Incorporating these things in your life will not only cheer you up but improve your mood and allow you to work with more concentration.
7- Stay Positive
“Think positive”, is what you hear almost from everyone to keep you motivated. Thinking good all the time is almost impossible, especially when you have a ten-hour shift every day. But you know what? Your mind is incredibly powerful. If you wake up in the morning thinking, ‘I already feel today’s going to be bad ‘, it probably will be a bad day for you.
The mindset you must have is ‘it was the worst day yesterday; let’s make today amazing!’ When you start your day with a positive thought, your entire day will be filled with joy no matter what happened the day before. You’re more likely to feel positive when you choose to think positive.
Conclusion
Nursing can be challenging for you. The demanding schedules and the day and night shifts can leave you feeling drained. Sometimes you may feel like giving up. All you need is motivation to stay focused on your work and goals. Reminding yourself why you opted for nursing can be enough to motivate you. Moreover, getting support from your loved ones, managing your time, staying organized, and making time for yourself outside of work can play a big role in keeping you motivated.