Happiness is an important element in life. In fact, some would say it is the most important thing you can have. If you are happy, you can be more positive in general, you’ll see more opportunities in front of you, you’ll be less stressed, more motivated, and you’ll make the most of every moment you have. 

So, of course, it makes sense that you should be happy with your work. On average, we spend one-third of our lives working, and even if you are very happy in your personal life if you dislike what you do for a living, which is certain to have an impact. In other words, there are always more ways to be happy, and having a job you like and that you do well in is one of the biggest ones. 

As a nurse, you need to be there for other people; this is your main function, and it’s what you’ll do from the start of each shift to the end, and often well beyond the end too. Yet that doesn’t mean you can forget about making yourself happy. If you are happy, you’ll be more emotionally equipped to help others, and you’ll be healthier in general. Yet nursing is a hard job with many challenges, and sometimes being happy isn’t always easy. With that in mind, here are some of the ways you can be happy in your nursing career, ensuring you take care of yourself and others in the best possible way. Read on to find out more. 

Create Your Own Happy Space 

When you work as a nurse, there isn’t much of a chance most days for real downtime, especially if you are on shift work and there isn’t a long break between the end of one shift and the beginning of another. For much of your working day, you will be inundated with requests and jobs to do. This is not necessarily a negative thing; it’s good to be busy, and being challenged in this way is often preferable to being bored and doing nothing at all (although it will depend on the kind of person you are as to whether this sounds like you or not). Once you get home, you’ll have other responsibilities to think about, whether you live alone or with others. 

This is why it’s a good idea to have a happy space to relax in. Even if it’s only for a few minutes at a time, this space is where you can forget about everything. Use it to meditate, listen to music, read a book, watch a video, or just get a quick nap – do whatever it is that calms you and helps you to re-center yourself. This happy space can be at work or at home, although it is probably easier to create one at home, as you can have it exactly how you want it. It should be a place free of distractions and one that you can shut the door on so you can really be alone, whether it’s for two minutes or two hours at a time. In this way, surrounded by the things you love and in a quiet, peaceful environment, you can feel happy and energized. 

Exercise 

Exercise is important no matter who you are or what you do for a living, but for nurses, it’s absolutely crucial, enabling you to have a healthier body and mind, which in turn means you are in the right place to help others in the most efficient, effective way. 

Not only does exercise keep you fit, but it also makes you happy. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, otherwise known as happy hormones. At the same time, you’ll produce less of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin. You’ll feel calmer, more relaxed, and in a generally excellent mood once you exercise, and if you were feeling somewhat stressed before, perhaps due to a bad day or because you know you have a lot that needs to get done, you’ll be much more able to deal with it, and your stress levels will lessen. 

The great thing about this surge in happy hormones is that it lasts for hours. Therefore, if you can exercise for thirty minutes – or more, if possible – before your shift, you’ll have more energy, feel more alert, and you’ll be in a great mood too, making the shift a much better one, no matter what happens. 

Keep A Gratitude Journal 

Everyone has good days and bad days, and no matter what job you do, this will affect you. A good day is sure to boost your mood, and a bad day will lower it. When you are a nurse, there is the added pressure of dealing with other people’s health, which is stressful in itself. A bad day as a nurse could mean losing a patient or having to give someone some bad news, for example. This will make everything seem much more negative. 

This is why a gratitude journal can be a good choice or hobby. It will only take a few minutes each day, and it can help immensely. Take time before bed every day to write down what you are grateful for from the day you just had. Even if there was a bad part, if you take the time to think carefully, you’re sure to find something good, even if it was just that you had a great cup of coffee or that your feet don’t hurt like they sometimes do. Not only will this remind you that every day has good parts to it, but when you are feeling very unhappy, you can read through your journal and be reminded of all the good you have experienced and all the things you are happy about in life. 

Talk Things Through 

As we’ve said, everyone has bad days thrown in with the good, and even if there are very few of them, they are the ones that tend to stick in the memory, and that can lead us to believe that things are much worse than they are. This is why talking to someone about how you’re feeling can be an ideal way to become happier. 

You can talk to anyone about how you’re feeling. A qualified therapist might be your first thought, and this can be extremely useful, but it’s not the only course of action you can take. Another might be talking to your colleagues. For example, you can swap nurse stories from COVID-19 and know that what you’re saying is being understood on a deeper level; you can discuss the pros and cons of this treatment or that; you can just rant about a bad day or gush about a good one if you like. Then you can listen to your colleague when they do the same. By having someone you can rely on to talk to in this way, someone who understands exactly what you mean, you’ll remember you’re not alone, that everyone feels the same at times, and that you can always rely on your colleagues to help you. 

Learn New Things 

Sometimes unhappiness can come from feeling as though you’re stuck in a rut. Even if your nursing day is busy and you’re always doing things, which doesn’t mean you’re making any progress, and after a while, this can become wearing and cause stress and even some symptoms of depression. At the very least, it will make going to work each day a chore if you can’t see any progression for yourself. 

It could be that you are closer to moving forward than you think and taking an online course to enhance your nursing qualifications would give you that extra nudge to get the promotion you want or to seek out work in a department that would interest you more than where you’re working now. 

Not only will learning new things help your career, but it can be good for you in other ways too. Keeping your brain active, having something to focus on, and developing new ideas will help you stay healthy and happy, whether you are studying for a nursing promotion, or you have simply picked a topic that interests you but that you won’t necessarily use in your career. 

Get Enough Sleep

You know that if you’re a nurse, you need to take care of yourself just as well as you take care of your patients, but you’ll also know that in some situations, this can be difficult – busy shifts, lots of patients, emergencies, lack of staff, and other things can all mean that breaks are shorter, lunch is taken on the go, and shifts don’t end when they’re supposed to. 

Yet despite all of this, there is one thing you can do that will help you, no matter what kind of day you have had or what needs to be done. This thing won’t just make you healthier; it will make you happier too – it’s getting enough sleep. 

Sleep has a huge impact on how you are feeling, and your mood will be much improved if you get enough sleep. You probably know how irritable and grouchy you can get if you don’t sleep for long enough or you keep waking up in the night (or day if you’re working a night shift), and that’s because your body is not rested enough. So, make sure you have a dedicated bedtime and wake-up time, and you stick to it as much as possible, and it will make a big difference to your happiness levels.