64 AN EXCERPT FROM 101 VETERINARY TECHNICIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED
your questions answered Q
How can I manage stress and leave my work at work?
Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR
A
lthough those long days can make it seem like we spend all of our time at work, the truth is that work is only part of our lives. We cannot switch off the technician within us as we clock out at the end of our shift, but for the
sake of our friends and families, and our psyches, we need to put the day behind us and focus our attention elsewhere as we drive out of the clinic parking lot. A great way to shift gears is to listen to books on CD or music as we make the transition from work to home life.
Even on a day that is not so good, you can get lost in a story or song. You can start focusing on your time at home. Perhaps you begin planning the evening meal or the next activity on your agenda. If you have children, you may start to form questions in your mind to ask about their day. Even if the children or your spouse asks you about your day at work, do not let the answer to that question throw you back into the chaos you managed to escape at shift’s end. Remember something good or funny to relate, and then let the rest go. Maybe you’ll go home to kiss your own pets and spend quality time with them, which can be soothing to your soul.
What about managing stress when you can’t leave work? One option is to plan to be the last one in the practice at night, or the first to arrive in the quiet of the morning. Being in the workplace when it’s quiet and not stressful can help you see the environ- ment from a new perspective, and help you to find peace even when the chaos starts back up again.
Excerpted with permission from 101 Veterinary Technician Questions Answered (AAHA Press 2009). To order, go to press.
aahanet.org.
Trends magazine, November 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68