There is often a moment that goes unnoticed. It is not the start of your work shift, when you are getting your head around all the things that need to be done, and it’s not quite at the end of your work shift, where you have logged off, shut down, written the last note or closed the door. It is the space in between.
Sometimes this can be the drive home, the walking out of your home office, the stillness before you ride home, or the pause before walking back into your home for the night.
For many in rural and remote health, this space actually carries more than what we may think. It holds the ‘leftovers’ from our day; conversations that we have had, decisions that we may continue to feel curious about, and maybe even some moments that we would like to do-over. It also holds all those stories we now hold and interactions that are stored fondly in our body. We often move straight through this space, moving from one role to another, like the colours in a rainbow. We can notice the whole day without awareness of the transitions that we make.
Research shows that if we can psychologically detach from work during this time between shifts, it helps to create a buffer between job stress and our well-being. That is, when we notice the time one of our roles, for example, a health worker, has finished and other begins, such as a parent, we are not meshing one role into another and possibly bringing stress from one role into another which helps us to mentally and physically ‘switch off’ and have some recovery time (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015).
This space between shifts is a great opportunity to detach ourselves from our working day; that does not require too much. Doing small things often is definitely the way to go.
Maybe you might try:
- Taking a deep breath as you step outside of your workplace, noticing your feet on the ground and a smell;
- An end-of-shift song, such as ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles, ‘Walking on a Dream’ by Empire of the Sun, ‘Dog Days are Over’ by Florence + The Machine, ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift or ‘Follow the Sun’ by Xavier Rudd (just a few of my own personal favourites). Have a dance, sing loud and enjoy the space;
- Creating a simple ritual. I imagine I have one of those plastic fly curtains that we had in the 80s on my home office door, and as I go through them, work stays in the room as I move into my home. I used to have a shower and wash off my day or have a separate work and personal bag.
- Talking to yourself, I know this may sound a bit silly, but just saying, “This shift/workday has finished,” can help with the transition.
It is not about doing ‘more’, but allowing your mind, body and soul to release any stress from your work shift. It’s about coming back into your safe space, where you are more regulated, calm, settled, and grounded. A space where you can do things outside of work with more ease and comfort and be prepared for whatever is coming up next.
It can be a bit more challenging in rural and remote areas, where you may bump into people from work, or socialise with colleagues. This is where you might try one of those songs, or just mention to yourself, “That was a work thing,” and go back to whatever you were doing.
This space between work shifts really does matter. It is one of those few places that truly belong just to you, where it is you and you only, before you move into the next space.
Maybe this week, see how many spaces between shifts you can notice. Allow yourself a moment to detach from your work shift to your personal life and just notice.
Stay brave, curious, and kind,
MC Mandile (she/her)
Senior Psychologist, Mental Health & Wellbeing Service
References:
Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 36(S1), S72-S103. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/job.1924
