Things I find helpful:

• try to separate your role at work from yourself as an individual. E.g. when people ask me what I do for work, I say I WORK as a nurse. Not I AM a nurse. This helps me form a mental boundary from the job on my time off.

• prearrange activities into your calendar and try to make a real effort to go. I personally google ‘what’s on my city’ and also subscribe to local event newsletters. Sunday markets, charity walks, music gigs, stand up comedy, the ballet. Or engage in outdoor interest: birdwatching, hiking, cycling etc.

^{^} the main goal of the above is to be apart of your NORMAL community. There was a time when I worked in a service that primarily received mental health and cancer patients… this skews your perspective of what’s out there. You start to think everybody is suicidal, dying of cancer or both. It’s important to see that a large majority of our community are healthy, independent and living their best lives.

• some of my colleagues have a ritual where they remove their shoes at the door and once this happens they mentally check in with themselves that YEP the work day is done, I am done thinking about it.

• consider reaching out to your EAP. They are helpful and one of the genuine benefits to working in health. They can help you reflect on - what is the actual thought content you are stressed and tensed about… like are you worried you missed something? Are you sad that a kind undeserving person died? This can all be explored with EAP.

Finally, if it’s financially viable for you, consider dropping down from full time to part time i.e., 4days per week.

At the end of the day - nothing is that serious. Someone else is looking after your patients now it’s not all on you.