If you’re feeling exhausted by shift work, then it might be time to give yourself a break because let’s face it – life can get so busy that we often forget to simply stop and relax.

In other words, make sure that you give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing.

Because if you’re having to endure gruelling shift work hours on top of an already busy life, you can be setting yourself up for certain ill health and unhappiness.

It’s a bit like stretching an elastic band until it snaps.

And I hate to admit it, but I’ve actually been guilty of doing this myself quite recently.

You see the past 2 weeks at work have been rather frantic. Training new staff and being part of a team rolling out a new product across airports around Australia has meant fairly long hours and little time to relax.

To say that I was feeling exhausted would be a massive understatement.

But that was until today.

Because today was about taking a well earned break with my husband, packing ourselves a picnic and immersing ourselves in nature. And as we found a comfortable patch of grass overlooking the Brisbane River, we threw away our shoes and placed the soles of our feet on the ground. With a glass of wine in one hand, and a serve of pesto-crumbed Barramundi in the other – the shift work exhaustion slowly began to lift.

And even though we had to fight off the green ants as they decided to join us on our picnic rug, and our personal space was overtaken by wedding guests arriving for a garden wedding – we enjoyed every minute of it!

Because whenever you immerse yourself in nature – whether it be on the sand, in the water or walking through a forest, the healing vibrations from the earth can replace your energy. It’s a bit like plugging your mobile phone into a power point to recharge. Sitting on the ground without any shoes on does exactly the same because we pick up energy vibrations through the soles of our feet.

It helps to recharge us whenever we’re feeling exhausted.

Quite simply, connecting your feet with the earth can be one of the most energising ways to help you overcome shift work exhaustion.

Of course it’s important to point out that there is a key difference between the concrete surface found in shopping malls and the soft grass found in a parkland because the latter has healing vibrations – in other words it helps replace your energy.

Concrete shopping malls on the other hand give off different vibrations. They actually sap your energy.

So the next time you’re feeling exhausted by shift work and in need of a break – choose an environment that is going to help boost or your energy rather than take it away. Avoid places that drain your energy and seek out those which will energise you – and that includes the shopping malls as I’m sure your credit card would agree!

If you’re a shift worker then you would understand that working crazy and irregular hours is no easy feat.

The erratic shift schedules can place an enormous amount of physical strain on even the fittest and healthiest of individuals.

But what about your mental health?

Because let’s face it – mentally you have to be one tough cookie to be able to handle shift work.

The strain on relationships, in particular those who are closest to you can be enormous. In fact an overwhelming amount of shift workers struggle with having to work irregular hours every single day. So don’t think for a minute that you are alone.

Shift workers are more vulnerable to sickness including colds and flu, but it can even incorporate things like depression. Of course the severity of depression can vary amongst individuals, but what can you do to make yourself more resilient? How can you learn to bounce back mentally when faced with certain adversities?

Well it all begins by sitting down and talking with your family. Recognising that there will be times when you need to be asleep when the rest of the household is wide awake and that you may not be able to attend all family events.

It’s only human nature to feel that whenever we’re unable to do something, we feel like we’re depriving ourselves – that we’re effectively ‘missing out’.

So preparing yourself mentally is recognising that there will be times when you will have to make certain sacrifices, and that will include having to make your health (and sleep) – your number one priority.

You will also have to ensure that you keep your emotions in check because whenever you’re in a state of overwhelming fatigue, you can say and do things that you would not normally do.

So when you and begin to understand that working shift work is not just a physical battle, but also a mental one – your overall happiness and ability to cope at work will take on a dramatic turn for the better.