Tag: Self Care

Recovering Between Shifts: Practical Habits for Long-Term Well-Being

Posted on by Compassion Coherence

Why “time off” isn’t the same as recovery

After a hard shift, most advice tells you to rest. But time away from work does not always feel restorative. After hours of sustained focus, decision-making, physical demands, or emotionally difficult situations, it can take time to shift out of “work mode.” You may feel exhausted but still have trouble winding down, or reach a day off and realize you still do not feel fully refreshed.

Recovery is more than simply not being at work. It can involve creating conditions that help your body and mind settle, recharge, and prepare for what comes next. Those conditions will look different from person to person, but small, intentional habits between shifts can support recovery and make it more sustainable over time.

Four habits that can support recovery between shifts

Recovery does not look the same for everyone, but a few approaches may help make the transition from work to rest feel easier:

  • Create a transition. Give yourself some separation between work and what comes next.
  • Notice whether movement or stillness helps. Different days may call for different kinds of recovery.
  • Adjust stimulation. Pay attention to whether light, noise, screens, conversation, or quiet help you wind down.
  • Reduce unnecessary decision-making. Simplifying small choices can make time off feel less mentally demanding.

What this looks like over time

Recovery is not limited to the hours immediately after a shift. The routines and opportunities you have to rest between shifts can also shape how restored you feel over time. A wind-down routine may help after one difficult day, while regularly making space for sleep, movement, quiet time, social connection, or other activities that feel restorative can support longer-term well-being.

There may also be times when days off are filled with errands, caregiving, appointments, or other responsibilities, leaving little room for recovery. If you regularly return to work feeling unrested or mentally drained, it may be worth looking at both your personal routines and the larger circumstances affecting your ability to recover. The answer is not always to “try harder” at resting, sometimes schedules, workload, responsibilities outside of work, or workplace conditions also need attention.

Putting it into group on an unpredictable schedule

An unpredictable schedule can make recovery harder to plan. Rather than aiming for a perfect routine, look for small opportunities that fit the time, energy, and responsibilities you have that day.

  • When you only have a few minutes after work: change clothes, sit quietly in the car, take a short walk, or listen to one song before starting the next task.
  • When you are physically exhausted: choose rest, stretching, a shower, or gentle movement based on what feels restorative that day.
  • When you are coming off a night shift: make your surroundings quieter or less stimulating if that helps you wind down, create a comfortable space for sleep, and keep your transition routine simple.
  • When your day off is full of responsibilities: protect one small block of time that is not assigned to errands, caregiving, or productivity.
  • When decision fatigue is high: rely on easy meals, familiar routines, prepared clothes, or a short list of low-effort options.
  • When being alone does not feel restorative: recovery can also include connection, such as spending time with family or friends, talking with a coworker, or doing something enjoyable with other people.

Day shift and night shift recovery may look different

Recovery can look different depending on when you work. After a day shift, winding down may mean creating some separation between work and your evening routine and reducing stimulation as bedtime approaches.

After a night shift, daytime light and noise can make sleep more difficult, so a dark, quiet, comfortable sleep environment may be especially helpful. Light exposure can also affect alertness and sleep timing, but it should be managed carefully. If you are very sleepy after a night shift, avoid strategies that could increase drowsiness while driving, including sharply reducing light exposure during your commute home.

A quick gut-check

If any of these sound familiar, it may be worth paying closer attention to how you have been feeling between shifts:

  • Your days off regularly do not leave you feeling rested or restored.
  • You notice ongoing irritability, emotional disconnection, difficulty concentrating, or feeling mentally drained.
  • You start dreading upcoming shifts well before they begin.
  • You feel like you are spending most of your time off just trying to recover enough to return to work.

These experiences can have many possible causes, including workload, sleep disruption, stress, responsibilities outside of work, or other health and life factors. They are not proof that any one part of your recovery routine is the problem. But if they are persistent or getting worse, they may be a sign to look more closely at what support you need—whether that means adjusting your routine, talking with your team or supervisor about workplace factors, or reaching out to an appropriate health professional.

The bottom line

Recovery between shifts is not about following a perfect routine. It is about finding realistic ways to support your well-being, especially when work is demanding and your schedule is unpredictable.

If you are regularly feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or unable to recover between shifts, you do not have to figure it out on your own. Our providers can help you talk through what may be affecting your ability to recover and identify practical strategies or additional support.

If recovery between shifts has started to feel harder than it used to, consider reaching out to one of our providers to start the conversatio

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours: Improving Your Sleep and Alertness.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours: Coping With the Night and Evening Shifts—Sleep.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours: Work Organization Strategies to Promote Alertness and Health in Nurses

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours: Researchers Have Proposed These Guidelines.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours: Organizational Improvements.

Beyond the Spa Day: Realistic Self-Care in Healthcare

Posted on by Compassion Coherence

What does sustainable self-care actually look like when your schedule is demanding and unpredictable?

For many healthcare professionals, self-care is easier to talk about than to fit into real life. There is always one more task, one more person who needs something, or one more thing to finish before you can focus on yourself.

But taking care of yourself does not have to mean doing something big. Sometimes it starts with noticing when you are running low.

When the glass is empty, it shows up in the work.

Most of us know the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty glass.” It can sound a little cliché, but there is something useful underneath it, when you are exhausted, overwhelmed, or stretched too thin for too long, it can become harder to show up the way you want to.

Maybe you notice that your patience is shorter than usual. You have to reread something a few times before it sinks in. You feel less connected in conversations. Small decisions feel heavier than they normally would. Or you get through the day, but you feel like there is not much left of you afterward.

None of those experiences automatically mean something is wrong or that you are burned out. They can simply be signs that you have been carrying a lot and may need more support than you have been getting.

Self-care is not about becoming better at pushing through. It is about paying attention to what you need before you are completely running on empty.

Self-care is basic maintenance, not a reward.

Self-care does not have to be something you earn after a hard week, it can be much more ordinary than that.

Sometimes self-care looks like eating before you are famished, drinking water during a busy day, protecting the sleep you can get, keeping up with your own medical appointments, or asking for help when something feels like too much to carry alone.

It can also look like setting limits. Saying no to an extra commitment, asking someone else to step in, or deciding that one more task can wait is not always easy, especially when you are used to being the person others rely on. But boundaries can be part of taking care of your capacity, not a sign that you care less.

And self-care is not always something you do by yourself. Connection matters too. Talking with a friend, spending time with people who help you feel grounded, checking in with a coworker you trust, or reaching out for professional support can all be part of caring for yourself.

The point is not to build a perfect wellness routine. It is to make sure your own basic needs do not disappear completely while you are busy meeting everyone else’s.

Match the response to the type of depletion.

Not every kind of exhaustion needs the same response. Sometimes what helps most is figuring out what’s running low before deciding what to do next.

  • If you are physically fatigued, start with the basics. You may need food, water, sleep, a break, movement, or time to address something you have been putting off physically.
  • If you are mentally overloaded, try reducing what your brain has to hold. Write things down, simplify a decision, postpone something nonurgent, or choose a familiar option instead of making one more choice.
  • If you are emotionally drained, the answer may be less about “doing nothing” and more about support. Talking with someone you trust, spending time with people who help you feel grounded, or reaching out to a counselor or provider may feel more restorative than trying to push through alone.
  • If your social battery is nearing empty, you may need something different. That could mean quiet time, fewer interactions, or space to be by yourself for a while. For someone else, feeling disconnected may be the problem, and a little connection may help.

The goal is to pause long enough to ask, “What feels most stretched right now, and what would actually help?”

Small actions still count.

Self-care does not have to be a full reset to be worthwhile. On busy weeks, the most realistic version may be one small thing that makes the day a little more manageable.

That could mean eating one real meal instead of skipping it, taking the break that is available to you, setting one boundary, scheduling the appointment you have been putting off, or having one honest conversation with someone you trust.

Small actions may not fix everything, but they can interrupt the pattern of always putting yourself last. They can also make it easier to notice what you need before you reach the point of feeling completely depleted. Try choosing one small action that would make today feel a little more manageable.

Sometimes the problem is bigger than self-care.

There are limits to what individual habits can fix.

A better meal, more sleep, a protected break, or a stronger boundary can help—but they cannot solve chronic understaffing, an unsustainable workload, unpredictable scheduling, or a workplace culture that expects people to keep going without enough support.

If you are doing what you can and still feel constantly worn down, that does not automatically mean you need a better self-care routine. It may mean the conditions around you are asking too much.

That is where support at the team, leadership, or organizational level matters. Sometimes the next step is not adding another wellness habit. It may be asking for help, raising a concern, using available workplace resources, or having an honest conversation about what is and is not sustainable.

Self-care can support you, but it should not be used as a substitute for reasonable workloads, adequate support, and a healthy work environment.

Ask: what is running low right now?

When you are stretched thin, it can be hard to know where to start. A simple check-in can help:

  • Have I eaten and had enough to drink?
  • Am I physically tired, mentally overloaded, emotionally drained, or feeling disconnected?
  • Do I need rest, support, connection, or a boundary?
  • Is there one thing I can make easier today?
  • Is this something I can address on my own, or do I need more support?

You do not have to fix everything at once. Pick one need and respond to that one first.

Our providers can help you identify what may be contributing to feeling stretched thin and build realistic routines, boundaries, and supports that fit your life. Small changes are often easier to maintain when they are built around what you actually need.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Risk Factors for Stress and Burnout: Healthcare Workers. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/healthcare/risk-factors/stress-burnout.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Professional Wellbeing. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/healthcare/impactwellbeing/professional-wellbeing.html

World Health Organization. Burn-out an Occupational Phenomenon. https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon

World Health Organization. Psycho-social Risks and Mental Health: Occupational Stress, Burnout and Fatigue in Health Workers. https://www.who.int/tools/occupational-hazards-in-health-sector/psycho-social-risks-mental-health

World Health Organization and International Labour Organization. Caring for Those Who Care: Guide for the Development and Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Programmes for Health Workers. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240040779

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Resources for Health Worker Safety and Well-Being. https://www.ahrq.gov/action-alliance/resources/foundational-area.html