The Importance of Work-Life Balance in the Healthcare Industry

Work-life balance is essential in every industry – for every professional, employee, and executive. Yet, it is often the people in careers devoted to helping others, like those in the healthcare industry, who are challenged finding time for self-care and the “life” side of the scale.

As a former nurse, I know that healthcare professionals – from management to doctors and front line practitioners – are intensely proud of the work they do, but they are being stretched to the max! They provide outstanding care for patients but many of them are becoming burnt-out. They are tired,   stressed, and their morale is low.

And for good reason! Across the board, healthcare organizations are undergoing massive change. For example:

• Changes in the leadership structure
• Financial restraints
• Aging population
• Increased waiting lists
• Increased work-loads on the floors and units

Healthcare practitioners are under a lot of pressure, but in their commitment to taking care of others they are sometimes forgetting to take care of themselves!  We know that taking care of others starts with taking care of ourselves. . We can’t be at our best when we’re exhausted and unbalanced.

We all get caught up in our busy lives. If we’re lucky or organized, after work we rush to the gym for a class or work out with thoughts from the day still going through our minds, until we rush home to have time with our family or partner, make dinner, notice how messy the kitchen has become, take the dog for a walk, and finally collapse, exhausted.

Making the time to step off the busy treadmill has never been more important.

We have a choice about how we carve out those precious moments in our day. It’s so important to take the time to step off the treadmill of life. Tune out. Laugh. Invest the time to build the resiliency and build what I like to call your ‘Bounce Back Factor’ so you can bounce back from whatever the day throws your way!

Take 30 minutes a day to “check out” and fill your energy tank – and consider those taking 30 minutes outside. You will be amazed how it can lift you up!

At a recent session, I spoke to women physicians. Here is some of the feedback from the entertaining session on creating a positive workplace:

• “We all needed such laughter at this time in our immediate world and the world as a whole.”
• “Great break from the mundane.”
• “You can’t (or you can) imagine how wonderful it is to laugh.” 

I encourage you to find the things that help you stay balanced (is it reading a novel, going for walks in nature, laughing with a friend over coffee, watching a film with your spouse?) and prioritize them in your daily life. A good work-life balance helps you stay healthy, happy, and fulfilled with your work in the long run! 

Meg Soper is a Registered Nurse, stand-up comedian, and motivational humorist speaker who can help you learn to take on life’s stressors, create positive workplaces, and achieve work-life balance. Get in touch with Meg today!

See Meg’s speaking for yourself! Watch these clips.

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• Generations & the Workplace: “Now Let’s All Just Get Along!”