Hello all. I know, it has been a very long time. ¡Había mucho tiempo! I don’t remember when my last post was but I was pretty stressed from work. Seeing our cases increase and having to care for my ignorant community is really demeaning. Honestly, my hope has been zapped… I took some lengthy time of work to take a brief trip and then spent my birthday week at home. For this post, I want to share I got back into the proverbial groove after taking time from work. Keep reading if you are interested!

This post is not sponsored. All thoughts and opinions are my own and do not reflect the entirety of nursing.

1. FINANCIAL RECAP

Something I always do after having time off is review how much money I spent and make notes for future times off. One thing I did for this particular time, is begin saving up for “fun” money months in advance to allow me to treat myself and shop for items. I saved this in cash (and spent cash only during my time off) to ensure no overspending occured. I also saved my receipts and sat down to scan for rebates if applicable. I also make to budget for my next paycheck and reevaluate my savings goals if needed.

2. SCHEDULING

Since I was coming back from a long stretch off, I made sure to only schedule myself for one additional day off (to rest), one shift on, two nights off and two nights on. This allowed me to ease myself back into the night shift routine.

3. PERSONAL LIFE ROUTINE

Another strange habit I have when coming back is that I meal plan and grocery shop. During my time off, I did my best to make clean eating choices, but I also let myself have more fun foods than usual and cut down on gym time. Meal planning and going back to a set gym program, helps me feel “back to normal” by eating meal prep and getting back to set workouts.

There it is! This is a very simple post, but I just wanted to share what I do to get back into a routine after being laid back for two weeks. Needless to say I am already planning my next two week hiatus! What helps you get back into a routine?