Balancing work & family for nurses

1. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
“ I’m expecting child number two and
currently have a seven-year-old. In order
to continue to be a devout mother and
spend as much time as possible with the
children, I’ll only work six hours a day so I
can continue to pick up the seven-year-old
from school”

2. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
“For a single mother of two teenagers,
working full time makes life really hard, I
am trying to keep what is left of my family
together and this place wants more and
more from me.”

3. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Statistics
 Typical family puts in a thousand more hours a
year than 25 years ago.
 Over 8 million people hold down two or more
jobs.
 Working mothers spend an average of two hours
more each weekday and three hours more on
weekends caring for their children and the house.

4. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Overwhelmed…..Overworked??
 Take this moment to reflect on the quality
of your family life……..
 What are you goals??
 What brings you and your family personal
fulfillment?

5. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Tips to help you balance your life..
 De-stress- what are you stressors?
 Simplify - prioritize
 Play – read, build legos, drink a cup of tea
 Share the load – everyone in the household can help
out.
 Slow down – have realistic expectations of yourself
& others.

6. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Nurture yourself – one way of relieving
stress
 Stop procrastinating – avoidance takes
more energy than actually doing it
 Focus on the positive – what do you have
to be grateful for?
 Take charge – plan ahead.

7. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
Finding a balance in your life is a ongoing
process – not an event…allow yourself
time to reassess, be kind to yourself!

8. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Now we have a sense of how we balance
our work & family..
 Let’s discuss a few de-stress techniques:
 Relaxation
 Nutrition
 Exercise
 Reframing
 Changing Negative Self-talk

9. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
Ways to Get into the Alpha-State
 Meditation
 Biofeedback
 Progressive muscle relaxation

10. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Relaxation
 What do you need?
 A quiet place
 A good attitude towards relaxation
 20 minutes uninterrupted

11. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Typical American Diet
 Sugar
 Fat
 Fried Foods
 Caffeine
 Deplete our energy

12. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 High Energy Foods
 Fruits
 Vegetables
 Grains
 Legumes
 Non-meat protein (fish & fowl)

13. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Ways to Increase Physical Activity
 Walk during break
 Park your car further
 Exercise while watching TV
 Other thoughts?

14. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
Attitude
We cannot change our past..we cannot change the
fact that people will act in a certain way. We
cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we
can do is play on the one string we have, and that
is our attitude..I am convinced that life is 10%
what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you..we are in charge of our
attitudes.

15. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Reframing – powerful way of helping de-
stress.
 Situation
 Initial Reaction
 Possible Change
 Learn to think our way through stress rather
than react (feelings)

16. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Do you hear your negative self-talk?
 Being critical of ourselves
 Turning a minor fault into a big problem
We have to learn to record a new tape…

17. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
 Every time you hear a negative self-
message play in your mind, erase it, put a
positive one in it’s place…
 Examples???

18. BALANCING WORK & FAMILY
Presented By: Sandra M. Schiff, Ph.D.
“
“Our journey in life defines exactly who we
are..Prioritize your life, your thoughts are
powerful. Create a mental picture of
exactly what you want in your life..use
that as your roadmap…take control and
enjoy your life…”