Planning for a good day - holiday or not

Happy Fourth of July! Do you have plans?

When it comes to Independence Day, most of us have some kind of plans, even if those plans are to have no plans and relax at home.

We think about it ahead of time, we weigh our options and decide what we want to do. 

Then we take the necessary steps to make it happen.

Sure, you might throw in some laundry or run to get groceries, but this doesn’t bother you. You are going to have a good day.

It begs the question, what would happen if we did this with non-holiday days? If not every day (although that would be epic), what about a few days a week?

What if we thought about a workday like this?

What do you WANT the day to look like? What are the things that are in your control to move toward this? 

(hint hint- how you think, your attitude, and how you act)

It may seem arbitrary, but we have all dealt with a moody teenager or a tantruming toddler on a holiday- we know that how THEY think and act can significantly impact their experience of the day.

The same is true for us. We actively practice this on holidays, planning ahead, minimizing obstacles, stacking the odds in our favor to have a good day.

It doesn’t mean that if you have a bad day at work that it’s your fault, it means we have some control to turn around our experiences.

And that starts with planning to do so.

Here’s a list of things you might try.

1. Set the mood: I am going to have a good day at work today. Say it out loud and often. Cheesy, but it works.

2. Understand the characters: I am going to recognize my initial judgements of my coworkers or patients when they come up. Then I am going to choose to ask myself, “If I took myself out of this equation, what might be true for what they are experiencing right now?” The shift to understanding leads to a shift toward compassion. Compassion gets me out of a lot of difficult situations.

3. Don’t go on side quests: Notice when I go down the rabbit hole of chasing things that aren’t really that important. (Don’t get caught up in drama). Stay focused on giving great care.

4. Make sure there is an intermission: Even if it’s only for a few minutes, eat lunch. Go to the bathroom. Create a mini intermission between patients by taking a few slow deep breaths and resetting your nervous system.

I hope you have a restorative holiday weekend. May the teenagers and toddlers be on their best behavior!

P.S. Do these suggestions sound great, but you forget to do them in real time? Do you doubt that it could work for you? I get it, I have been there and 1:1 coaching is what helped me integrate these skills into my own life. Reach out if you need the same and we will schedule a time for a free consult call. Megan@NursingBeyondTheJob.com