5 Ways Nurses Can Celebrate The Holidays At Work

Working a holiday is rough, especially with short staffing on top of it. Instead of sulking through the shift, here are five ways to celebrate while you are on duty.

1. Bring the celebration to work

You are not the only one stuck at the hospital. Your colleagues and patients are there too. Organize a potluck, put up decorations at the station, and pull patients into crafts if their condition allows and they want to. A unit full of baked cakes, home-cooked meals, and a few boxes of pizza can turn the day around.

2. Send gifts home

If you cannot be at the dinner table, send something so your family knows you were thinking of them. Share with coworkers too. It does not have to be grand: a note, a favorite cup of coffee, a card to lift a patient's mood.

3. Set aside time for family

A shift runs 8 to 12 hours, which leaves room to celebrate before or after. Your family will not mind shifting the date as long as you are there for it. Many nurses end up with a double celebration, lunch before the shift and a late night after.

4. Stay appreciative

It is easy to feel angry, but your mood affects the care you give and rubs off on your coworkers. Reset your thinking instead. Be glad you have a job, and that you get to impact this many lives doing it. The work is hard and it is worth it.

5. Do not overindulge

A bad mood plus a station full of treats is a setup for stress eating. Save the second serving for later. On a busy shift, the last thing you want is bloating or stomach cramps.