Taking care

I'm learning more and more that a big part of my personal happiness comes from taking care of myself first.  In the past few weeks, I've had 2 unexpected days off from work.  One EA (excused absence) and one on-call shift.  These days are the result of the hospital trying to balance the patient census with the number of nurses scheduled to work.  It saves the hospital money while offering time off for people who would like it, but not mandating people to stay home (although that still happens occassionally).  It's funny because I've always worked myself so hard because I'm always trying to make ends meet.  So time off needed to be paid time off.  Now I take an occassional day to myself without pay (scary) and it's still ok.  I feel conflicted about taking time for myself (afterall, I've always worked 40+ hr weeks), but I'm learning that I really need it to stay grounded and healthy.  Not only do I give better patient care when I return to work, but I am more patient and happy in my daily life.

My last few days off were so great, last night especially. It was a beautiful evening so I went for a 5.5 mile run, which was amazing. I felt energized and refreshed and hit a good stride, which resulted in a faster pace! Sweet! After my run, I stopped at the gym to swipe my card (I need those 12 visits for insurance reimbursement) and do some stretching.  On my way in I ran into some friends that I haven't seen in a few months since I started to work evenings.  I joined them for a bite to eat and caught up on girl time.  Short and sweet, but necessary.  It was really nice!

Moral of the story:  take time to take care of yourself.  Daily, weekly. The little things add up and can make a huge difference in the long run.  For me, it's taking a night to go for a run or go to the gym.  Or maybe a night to veg on the couch and read or watch a favorite movie.  Whatever the little things are for you, make time to do them.  I promise, you won't regret it.