NICOLE ON NIGHTSHIFT, NEGATIVITY, AND NONSENSE

I cannot begin to explain the changes that occur when you decide to work nights instead of days..
Here I will do my best...

The changes I speak of are not all negative nor are they all positive.

Many of them are tied to one's own perspective, as all things in life tend to be.

I will cover the negative aspects first, just to "get them out of the way.."

I have now worked 12 hour nightshift, weekends, for over a month.
I think that I have some sort of realistic "grasp" on the situation.

NEGATIVES:

1. Turns out that one's "sleep regimen" has a strong tendency to want to stay
"regular". That is to say, that if you tend to sleep days, in order to work nights, that is what your body is pleading to do even on your off days. So far, I have not been able to trick my body into sleeping nights on my days off.
Total Bummer..(hopefully that will change..)

2. Due to the above, one does not see or spend much time with ANYONE in their lives, as everyone else sleeps at night and is up during the day. This is especially not ideal with your family.

3. I don't need to mention, that EVERY gathering/party/get-together, is on the weekend...
Honestly, I do not "see" anyone at this point in my life, so working nights is not much of a "relationship" problem for me, but I DO miss seeing a couple of my friends that I normally see on weekends, and I DO get invitations that I have to RSVP "NO" to, and I DON'T like that one bit!

I will be lucky if I have ANY friends left after making this work change. (And don't think get some new "night shift" friends..
Most, so far anyway, are married with families, or...well...just "different"..)

4. Eating habits are horrific, and craving "good" food is constant. I personally DO NOT snack all night at work as some do (people tend to do this to keep awake, I think), but I don't ever seem to get a decent meal, as I bring something for a meal at night, usually something quick like a sandwich or a salad from Corner Bakery, then I get home and just fall in bed...hence, I dream of a meal with meat, veggies, salad, etc...and yes, I feel too tired to make it myself...

5. I DO feel a bit lonely at night on my nights off, as no one is up and also I cannot do things that I would like to for fear of waking my son/neighbors up
(i.e. playing my piano, cooking, cleaning, basically making any noise...)

6. One cannot go to a movie, shop, or "go out" anywhere in the middle of the night....
It's a drag...

OKAY! On to the POSITIVES!!! YEAH!!!!(don't we just ABHOR negative thoughts?)

(Personally I don't feel that way, as it appears to be THE KEY in terms of my
creativity when it comes to writing poetry or creating humorous "shtick" etc. ...
God knows if I am ever really positive or gleefully happy, I probably won't have another creative thought or action..)

And while I'm on the subject...

I DO NOT compare myself in any way with these people, but where would
we be without good old honest negativity?

Do you think that there would be any literature/poetry from the likes of Edgar
Allen Poe, Sylvia Plath, Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker, Edna St. Vincent Millay,
or Truman Capote?..
I could go on and on...

All of these amazing writers had an underlying "negative" yet creative attitude.
It was imperative to help drive their works of literature...

Now THIS is rather interesting...I'm actually not one for enjoying or being around anyone in a "bad mood" and especially critical of it in the work place, but I simply must share this bit of research with you...



"Bad moods, negative attitudes at work have gotten a bad rap"

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Coming to work in a bad mood just might be a good idea. As it turns out, those perennially happy, smiling employees might not be the most creative or productive at the office. According to research by Rice University’s Jing Zhou, creativity is at its highest when a mix of negative and positive moods is supported in the workplace, an idea that challenges traditional management thinking.

For years, negativity has been considered an unavoidable — and unfortunate — part of organizational life; it’s something that should be minimized, criticized, even stamped out. But if employers want creativity that leads to innovation in the workplace, those naturally occurring bad moods can play a fruitful role; in fact, they’re necessary to make things better. Such creativity happens, according to Zhou, associate professor of management at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, when employees have the right kind of supervisory support.


Interesting...thought provoking....

To be honest, I have always ABHORRED those annoying little "smiley faces"
and too much of what I call "happy wappy" paraphernalia....

Things like-
"I'M THE PROUD MOM OF AN HONOR ROLL STUDENT" and
"HAVE A NICE DAY" bumper stickers, make me want to
SWALLOW A STRYCHNINE COCKTAIL!!!

If you have read my blog from the beginning, then you know how I feel about the NEVER ENDING phenomenon concerning the daily question or someone's confession of whether they're the "glass half full" or "glass half empty" type...

Guess what? You're neither...You're the "glass half nauseating type"
SO WISH I COULD SAY THAT...

How in the world did we survive or describe ANYTHING before the advent of
that cutesy annoying little phrase?

I DID promise a "Positive" side of nightshift working didn't I?

1. It pays a lot more, which is quite nice, and is quite needed/appreciated.

2. You can FIND a full time job with benefits at night, but you cannot find
one on days..

3. People are a lot more "laid back"

4. The workplace is a lot less stressful. You don't have to contend with other
departments/therapists/physicians.
They can make getting to your patient and their charts a daily nightmare.

5. The nightshift staff is a smaller group of people, and appear to be a more
supportive and cohesive group. (I'm hoping to see that at my new job as well)

6. I don't have to get up at 4:30 AM anymore, something that even after all of
these years, was killing me.

7. I get to sleep during the day, and don't have to feel guilty about it like
people sometimes do when they take a LONG NAP.

8. You get to use your "critical skills", because at night you and those around
you are "on your own"..


9. It's kind of cool at the hospital, sort of scary and yet intriguing as well...
(see picture of empty corridor in hospital)

10. After complaining about the "loneliness" (#5 under negatives), I must be
honest and say that there is nothing like being able to write, read, etc
and not have any noise or interruptions...I actually quite like that...

In summary, I suppose that it is a very big change, yet not unlike any other
lifestyle change that one experiences...It will take some getting used to.

Everything has its good and bad points.

Trick is to make the most of the "good" points and ignore the bad ones.

(Watch out!...You're sounding a bit "positive!" Don't want to cramp that
all important "creativity" of yours!)

Which reminds me of something...

Awhile back my son had his game glaring and I was trying to write, and I said, "Son please turn that down!", and he said "It's not that loud, Mom...What's the deal?"

I said, "You're interfering with my creative process!"

Ever since, he loves to use that whenever it seems to fit into the situation or even when it doesn't...

"Well, Mother, I certainly wouldn't want to interfere with your CREATIVE PROCESS!"

(cheeky boy....)