Triage Healthcare Staffing provided this article.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and May 6 also just happens to be the start of Nurses Week. In honor of both, we’re putting together some tips to help maintain your mental health while on assignment. Taking care of yourself helps you avoid burnout, which is something everyone can use.

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tips:

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #1: Take Time for Yourself

You can’t take care of others if you aren’t taking care of yourself. And that means taking time to refresh and rejuvenate. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to self-care. For you, self-care might mean spending a night every week doing a face mask and pedicure, but for others, it could be visiting some of your temp location’s best restaurants. No matter what self-care means to you, make it a point to take some time for yourself.

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #2: Stay Connected with Family and Friends

When you’re far from home, you need to take extra steps to stay connected with your friends and family. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch with folks back home with instant texting, video calls, and social media. If you’re able to, consider having a friend come visit for a couple of days so you can explore your temporary home with a buddy.

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #3: Stay Active

Mental and physical health are so closely related. As Elle Woods says, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” Whether you work out at the gym or stay active through hiking, staying active will elevate your mood and your mental health.

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #4: Take Advantage of Your Agency’s EAP

Most people don’t realize that their agency might offer an Employee Assistance Program. These programs offer free services for employees and dependents, without charge. You can use the EAP to help get you through a rough patch, and most EAPs will provide you with a handful of free counseling sessions with a local, licensed mental health professional. In many cases, the EAP is available through your agency, even if you don’t take advantage of health insurance or other benefits. And best of all, it’s all free and confidential.

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #5: Focus on a Healthy Diet

There’s no magic food that will improve your mood, but there are a few things that have been suggested to help. Fish like salmon or trout are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to improve brain health. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are rich in folate, which can help regulate moods. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and dark chocolate all contain antioxidants and can boost endorphins, which we know from Elle make you happy. Chocolate-covered blueberries, anyone? Lastly, make sure you stay hydrated. Hydration is key for cognitive function and can help decrease mood swings.

Avoiding burnout is key for all nurses, but especially for travel nurses who are living far from home. Use these tips to help keep yourself mentally healthy during Mental Health Awareness Month and every day of the year.

No matter what your specialty, Triage has travel nurse jobs in locations throughout the country. Visit the Triage website to find out more.

Find Your Next Travel Nurse Assignment with Our Job Board!

Are you on the hunt for your next travel nurse gig? Look no further than our job board! Click here to explore all our current opportunities.

Discover the Perfect Housing for Your Next Assignment

Need somewhere to stay on your next travel nurse assignment? We’ve got you covered. Check out our housing page to find your ideal home away from home. Click here to start your search.

Trustaff provided this article.

October 10^th is World Mental Health Day, which highlights mental health education, awareness, and advocacy. The mental health of healthcare workers is of the utmost importance. As a result of the heightened stress healthcare professionals have endured in the last few years, there’s an increased risk for mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. While traveling as a healthcare professional may feel isolating and lonely at times, it’s important to understand that you are not alone and help is available and accessible through multiple channels.

Here are several benefits you can take advantage of as a travel nurse to make sure you’re taking care of and supporting your mental health while on (and off) assignment.

Employee Assistance Programs:

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) offer professional assistance with personal, family, financial, and work struggles, often at no cost to the employee. Among various other benefits, these programs provide free telehealth therapy sessions, in-person access to behavioral health professionals, and substance abuse counselors.

Some travel companies are taking the extra step to ensure their travelers are well taken care of through EAP benefits. As Trustaff employees, our travelers have access to many EAPs, including telephone consults and counseling for issues of any kind through various providers. Many of these resources are available to all travelers regardless of if you are on agency health insurance.

There’s a lot your company can do to help support and protect your mental health, as well as various other benefits for career advancement, health and wellness programs, career coaching, financial planning, etc. Trustaff is proud to offer all of the above through our ACT Program. Check with your agency to see if they offer similar benefits.

Walk, work, or run it out:

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA.org), even just five minutes of aerobic exercise can help lower cortisol, one of the primary hormones responsible for elevated levels of stress in the body. Utilizing fitness programs, either on your own, through a gym, or through a virtual community, will encourage you to get moving and may improve your mental health and emotional well-being.

Many companies offer assistance when it comes to staying fit or getting a workout in. Discounts to many 24-hour fitness facilities are usually a must when it comes to perks and benefits companies can offer to their travelers. Trustaff currently offers a discount to Planet Fitness which is a chain available in most areas all over the US.

If the gym isn’t your thing, something as small as a 15-minute stroll or run through a local park or around your current housing can boost your mental state, clear your mind and get some much-needed fresh air after a long shift in your facility.

Exercising physically is important, but exercising your mind through meditation is also a good way to boost your mental health. Check out some apps you can download to your phone, like, Calm and Headspace, to get your mental workout in for the day.

Surround yourself with support

Long before the pandemic, healthcare professionals experienced an unprecedented amount of burnout, depression, workplace stress, and anxiety. Our goal is to empower our travelers to be proactive about their mental health by destigmatizing mental illness and providing ongoing support and resources through their current careers and beyond.

Our healthcare heroes are our lifeline, and we are here to support you every step of the way. Take care of yourself and be well. We hope these mental support tips and suggestions are helpful while navigating your health through your assignments and career.

Crisis Resources

Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741 to reach a Crisis Counselor
National Suicide Prevention Hotline – 800-273-8255
NAMI HelpLine – 1-800-950-6264 or info@nami.org

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

A little over two years ago, the pandemic began, and in some way, our lives were all changed forever. It’s been an incredibly hard road for so many of us these last two years, and some may still be trying to cope with the damage that this pandemic has caused; mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, etc. Believe me, when I say wholeheartedly, you are not alone.

Coping with COVID

All in this fight together

We have all been in this fight together, especially as healthcare professionals. I have had many moments over the last 24 months in which I have felt hopeless, helpless, anxious, sad…I could go on, but I will spare you. Luckily, but not always easily, I have been able to pull myself through these dark times, sometimes slower than others, but I have made it through nonetheless. There’s no one size fits all answer to how you’re supposed to cope with the things we have been through not only as frontline workers but as human beings. However, if there’s one thing that I always aim to do in life, it’s to try my hardest to look at all the positives but also remembering to accept the negatives for what they are.

Reflect

I encourage everyone to take a moment and reflect. Reflect on the negatives that you have experienced since 2020. Reflect on what these two years have taught you. Reflect on how you have changed and grown to get through. We have been through a lifetime of challenges and hardship while dealing with being strong for our loved ones and our patients. It has been truly exhausting, wouldn’t you agree? Accept the negatives as lessons, as emotional and mental weights that helped you gain some positives — perspective, hindsight, and even empathy, to name a few out of dozens more. I also challenge you to look at these last two years and ask yourself where you would be if these two years didn’t happen. For myself and my fiancé, we were finally brave enough to dive into the world of travel nursing because we were reminded daily, oftentimes even hourly, that tomorrow is not guaranteed. This has just been my way of turning a negative into a positive, and I invite you all to do the same during your reflection.

Put yourself first

Healthcare workers are notorious for forgetting to put themselves first. Ask any nurse at the end of their 12-hour shift how many times they’ve taken a sip out of their water bottle or gone to the bathroom – I can guarantee that you can count both on the one hand. It’s not hard to assume that we all carry this mentality into our everyday life as well. So many of us are fixers but forget that sometimes we need to fix ourselves, too. In addition to reflection, we have to remember to take some time for ourselves. Get outdoors, disconnect from social media and the news, volunteer at a place you love. There are endless options, but do something FOR YOU that brings you happiness and joy. Remember, you deserve that.

In closing, I have to say as a nurse; I am so proud of all my fellow healthcare workers. We have been put through the wringer and tested beyond comprehension, but if you are reading this…You. Made. It. It’s safe to say that we are all a little bruised and broken in one way or another, but we are here. We did it. I know the pandemic is far from over, and right now, historical events around the world make it so difficult to be positive. Please remember your strength in these moments. Take a deep breath and remember to pat yourselves on the backs. Be proud of where you are now, especially after going through so many things that were meant to break you.

Speak up

Lastly, please do not be afraid to speak up. As healthcare professionals, we are trained to bottle up our emotions and get the job done. But what I have learned over the last few years as an ER nurse is emotions, much like energy, are not destroyed; they do not go away simply because we refuse to process them. Bottling up emotions is a temporary fix, but the effects of doing so can be lifelong. Remember, there are a multitude of resources available to you if you are ever feeling anxious, sad, or just overwhelmed.

Wishing you all happy reflections,

Ariel

thattravelnursecouple

We hope you found this article on coping with COVID helpful and encouraging. Do you have any advice for fellow travel nurses on coping with COVID? Comment any tips for coping with COVID below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

travel nurse mental health advice

Travel Nurse Mental Health: Taking Care of Yourself

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tips:

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #1: Take Time for Yourself

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #2: Stay Connected with Family and Friends

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #3: Stay Active

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #4: Take Advantage of Your Agency’s EAP

Travel Nurse Mental Health Tip #5: Focus on a Healthy Diet

Find Your Next Travel Nurse Assignment with Our Job Board!

Discover the Perfect Housing for Your Next Assignment

Categories

Hot Jobs

Recent Articles

Your Mental Health is Important

Employee Assistance Programs:

Walk, work, or run it out:

Surround yourself with support

Crisis Resources

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

Categories

Hot Jobs

Recent Articles

Coping with COVID- Two Years Later