With staying healthy at the forefront of everyone’s minds these days, the idea of getting back to normal is equally omnipresent. While this simply can’t happen just yet, staying safe isn’t an all or nothing kind of affair, and you can resume much of your normal life and career as a traveling nurse even under the current circumstances. The caveat to this is that safety precautions need to be a major priority. Here’s what you need to know to minimize health risks as a traveling nurse.
Take Care of Your Body
In all matters of health, your body is a complex machine made of many moving parts. This means that staying healthy is a holistic endeavor, and there are many factors that come into play regarding the strength of your immune system. For example, your diet needs to be a comprehensive one that gives you all of the essential vitamins and nutrients you need. Vitamin C, vitamin D, and even protein are essential for maintaining your immune system. You can use supplements like greens powder to manage your diet more thoroughly, but it’s still important to eat the right foods and get plenty of water. Exercise is also important, as staying in shape is integral for maintaining not only your fitness but also your mental health. Mental health problems can actually have a pretty dramatic effect on your physical health.
Most notably, mental illness can actually weaken your immune system, making physical illness more likely. Getting plenty of sleep is also essential for keeping your body in tip-top shape because sleep is an integral part of maintaining the body. Sleep deprivation can also create mood problems. The takeaway of all of this is that your body, and your mind, need to be taken care of in many ways, and each of these individual factors has a ripple effect that can impact other aspects of your well-being.
Listen to Experts
Social distancing, quarantine, and medical face masks are a point of contention for some, but the simple fact of the matter is that these practices are shown to be the best tools the average person has in the face of potential infection. This means that like it or not, maintaining these practices when and where it’s advised is the right call. Meeting with friends is no excuse to drop your guard, so be sure to keep your hands clean and wear your mask every time you leave the house. In the safety of your home or the home of someone you know has also been safe, you can take it easy to some extent, but that’s only when everyone involved has the health and safety of themselves and those around them in mind.
Keep Up With Current Events
Knowing the current state of things is a crucial means of playing it safe, so be sure to keep an eye on the news as the situation develops. For example, traveling to another area or even another country or continent necessitates having an understanding of the situation in your destination. If things are just as bad or worse there, then you need to increase your attention to detail regarding safety precautions or simply forego the trip entirely if possible.
Even within your own town, the situation can and will change over time, and policies regarding potential safety measures will change with it. If your area has experienced a substantial uptick in cases of infection, you may undergo quarantine in which you can’t afford to take the risk of interacting with others. However, as long as more people are embracing the safety measures in place, the situation can stabilize and even improve, allowing you to return to your normal life to an extent.
Life in the midst of a pandemic is less than ideal, but learning from the tragedies of the past can help to minimize the risks associated with this moment in history. While it can be devastating to self-isolate, leaving the house is inherently risky. These tips will help you remain safe while allowing you to start living your life again.
We hope you found these tips on minimizing health risks as a traveling nurse helpful. Have you found any ways to minimize health risks while travel nursing? Comment them below.
