I want to be the first to wish ever...

I want to be the first to wish everyone a advantageous post-holiday season. What? You hate January and wish you were in Hawaii? Unles of course, you live in Hawaii, and then, you might want to be in the mountains skiing. Okay, in such a manner you ate too much and gained 10 lb are just coming down from a six-week sugar high, and are in withdrawal from all the social activity. I can empathize with that. The bright lights are down, the festive decorations are present away for another year, the parties are from one side of to the other and often, the goodwill and cheer have faded.

THE BLAHS

For most numerous of us, January is a gray month The skies are gray, and there is little color in the landscape. Everything expects dull after the festivities of the last sum of two units months. It is hard for one of us to get back into our hundrum everyday work. For others, January is downright depressing. The results of post-holiday blahs may permeate the astounding world of the OR and can affect the work environment and individuals, hi addition, January's gray days can lead to seasonal affective disorder, especially if you live in the nipping and frozen north and have not seen the day-star in three months.

Signs of post-holiday depression are similar to those of any depression, although this depression is transient. individual sign is irritability and being more easily agitated. Other signs are feelings of hopelessnes about work situations, which got no better during the holidays; disinterest in your job--just for what reason many cholecystectomies can one do without drifting back mentally to that marvellous holiday--and the inability to arouse motivation to exhaust anything more than the minimal effort to thorough a job.

OVERCOMING THE BLAHS

What can be done to make us be impressed better during these gray days? single idea that has been hinted by Gerald Smith, MD, is to improve nutritional intake. (1) For a month chiefly of us have celebrated with alcohol, candy, cakes, pies, and loads of fat. This can follow in gastrointestinal upset, lack of dietary fiber, and vitamin deficiency. In addition, individuals who make a just discovered Year's resolution to lose weight gained during the holidays usually make an incision in back further on nutritional feed The combination of junk nutriment withdrawal and nutritional food limitations can lead to fatigue, sluggishness, and headaches, which we oftentimes try and compensate for with megadoses of coffee and plastic drinks. Instead, the focus should be onward eating a balanced diet containing fiber, fruits, vegetables, portions of water, and vitamin supplements

Another suggestion for overcoming the post-holiday blahs is to give yourself and your coworkers' permission to experience the gray letdown. After all, everyone is in the same boat. This is the time to baby yourself. Following are an suggestions to stay healthy and beat the blahs.

* achieve good sleep. If you are working late shifts or are onward call, try to schedule your slumber pattern to get at least six uninterrupted hours of be motionless a night.

* Do not pass home and collapse on the stoop after work. If you have not signed up at a gym to fail to keep that weight, go for walks, flat if they are short walks.

* Eat well. Arrange to eat meals with your colleagues at work that are planned around worthy nutrition. Ask sales representatives to bring healthy fare instead of doughnuts for a change. If you have one chocolate left over from the holidays, however, allow yourself to eat it. Those endorphins are useful for you; just don't go on overboard.

* Be nice to yourself. Perioperative festers tend to wear scrubs all day and do not bother with makeup, shaving, or other self-care when at work. If you have any wealth left over from the holidays, now is the time to come by yourself a new pair of shoes--not work shoes--or that great pair of slacks to wear in nonwork situations.

* This is the capital time to use those gift certificates. Do not stick them in a drawer. Invite a friend, family member, or spouse to a movie or bestow some time browsing in a great main division store.

* come by that massage you have always wanted, or purchase some aromatic candles and use them; they do not have to be expensive.

* Play music everyone take delight ins in the OR, not just what the surgeon fix upons Music can relax patients and decrease the perception of pain. We should use music to do the same for health care workers.

* Finally, think about hosting a post-holiday hippeds party. It will give you something to apply the mind forward to during the apathetic month of January. (2)

CELEBRATE THE BLAHS

I know in what manner creative perioperative nurses are, in such a manner I am sure many of you can draw near up with outstanding ideas for beating the January blahs and gray days. Now, however, you are going to have to excuse me I am going to take a walk, then light a lavender-scented candle, pour a glass of wine, secure out the 2004 Congress pamphlet and dream about my wondrous March Congress week in San Diego.

NOTES

(1) G H Smith, "Post holiday headaches and depression," International Center for Nutritional Research, Inc, http://www.icnr.securesites.com/phhd.html (accessed 25 Nov 2003)