Ways I Decompress From a Stressful Work Day

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Hello everyone! I hope everybody had a great thanksgiving. I know I did! I was blessed to not only have off on the Holiday, but the weekend as well! I got a lot of great family time in, which is always good for the soul.

As we head into late fall/early winter, this is notoriously a time in the Emergency Department where wait times are long, and we are filled to the brim in the back seeing patients in as many ways that we can. This busy time is filled with A LOT of patients who are not true emergencies and could have waited for their family doctor, but also filled with an influx of REALLY sick patients who end up getting admitted to the hospital. During this time, it can be increasingly stressful, especially if the hospital is understaffed. The ER is already nonstop, but during these times it is this way x100. You feel like you have no time to eat, drink, or even pee. A shift that is constantly filled with stimulation, high stress, and never-ending tasks definitely leads to exhaustion.

During this time, it is more important than ever to decompress after a shift and allow myself to reset so I can go into my next shift better than ever. So, how do I do this?

There are many ways you can reset after a shift like this. My ways to decompress will likely be different than yours. However, if you find yourself struggling to turn off your brain after work and let you shift go once you get home, please, continue reading. This is something I too struggled with during my first year working as a PA. I found it hard to stop analyzing what I did throughout the shift. During my new graduate phase, I was always hyperaware of everything I did, because I was so afraid of messing up. This over-analyzation honestly would just lead to more stress and cause me to keep on spiraling inside my head. I had to teach myself over time how to unwind, relax, and let things go when I came home.

When I first started my ED job, I literally didn't want to do anything because I was so mentally exhausted, I didn't have the energy to literally do anything else but work, eat and sleep. I will 100% admit this was not a healthy balance at all. I recognized this and started actively making changes about 6 months in, when I realized something had to change. I was sick of coming home exhausted, and continuing to feel exhausted even when I wasn't working.

I started making small changes at first. Things like not logging onto the EMR from home to finish notes if I still had some left. When my boyfriend and dog would greet me when I came home, I embraced their welcome a little longer. I would hold a hug or intimate moment with my boyfriend for as long as I could, and I would drop all things I was carrying to get on the floor and greet my dog back, showing him, I was equally as excited to see him. They both were always so glad to see me after a long day that I realized them being excited to have me home made me more excited to see them. It made me feel so loved, and in return, good.

Once coming home from work, I would change out of my scrubs. A shift where I am off for dinner time my boyfriend will have dinner ready for me when I get home. Sitting at home, talking to him about our day helped me practice mindfulness instead of coming home, eating dinner in front of the TV and scrolling on my phone. I found making plans with my boyfriend, friends or family for when I got home held me more accountable to let work behind and focus on the moment instead of medicine. These plans could be something as simple as planning to open a bottle of wine and watch a movie with my boyfriend. Or even a plan to go out for dinner after a shift. Doing this initially forced me to make time for things in my life and forced me to change my focus onto something else. Honestly, this helped a lot in the beginning. Now, I don't need to schedule things to force myself to make time for things outside of work.

In addition to these methods, I started incorporating more selfcare into my evening routine. I did this by reading before bed, making a cup of hot tea for my boyfriend and I that we could sip on the couch together, work out, or listening to a podcast. In the summer when there is still light outside when I get home, I enjoy taking my dog for a walk. At bedtime to help my mind from going a million miles a minute I will do a sleep meditation.

In the early days when I felt anxious or still very overstimulated after coming home, I would lay on the couch with a weighted blanket. I even bough Olly stress-relief gummies to take right before doing this to help myself calm down. I don't know if the gummies truly worked or if they just have a placebo effect, but honestly, I didn't really care. They worked for me.

In all, I find that the best way to decompress after work is to listen to your body and to surround yourself with the things you love. If I was feeling high-strung, anxious and over stimulated, I found that I needed to do things in my routine to calm myself and my mind after my shift. These are things like drinking hot tea, using my weighted blanket, and meditating. If I found myself tired, groggy, and "bleh" after a shift, I knew that for me, I needed to do something that makes me smile and brings me joy. This would be taking my dog for a walk, watching an episode of a feel-good show, or making dinner plans with a friend.

Initially, you may not know what you need. That will take time for you to figure out. But I promise, it is so worth it when you do! Additionally, don't forget that trial and error in this process is normal. If you try something and it doesn't work to help you de-stress and decompress, then try something else. I do find the best things that work will be doing things you enjoy and surrounding yourself with things you love. Do things that fill your cup, whatever that is. After doing this over and over again, and if you're a person of habit, finding your routine that works for you, it will pay off greatly.

Learning to decompress after work enhanced my mood, my happiness, my work life, my life outside of work, and even my personal relationships.

What things do you do to decompress after a stressful day? Please share in the comments! 😊

XO,

Manny

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