Count down is here - one more shift - meaning one more 12 hour shift. Only 12 hours of days left - if you don't count the meeting I agreed to be at on Thursday morning, that is. I just know that 12 hours tomorrow will be fine. I used to say 'they can only hurt me for xxx amount of hours' until I was off shift. But, that isn't really always true. It can be a hateful shift, so now I say 'I can do anything for just xxx hours' and I think that is a better truth.
I like to work, but I like to give myself a deadline, for my writing, and for other things in my life as well. I used to give myself a deadline when I went to school - especially when I took courses on my own, and then just took the test. I really did well, if I gave myself the end date - because I could be a slug, and really can procrastinate if I let myself. So, count downs are a good thing for me. I am counting down until I go to midnights, because it is almost here.
And then, I read an article in the Nursing magazine that I read about sleep deprivation and shift work. Of course, I read it. I shouldn't have because it made no sense, in the way that they only told two ways that shift workers get ready for their shifts - switch back and forth between days and nights on their days off. It didn't show the way I do it, but then again, they didn't ask me.
I stay up really late on Sundays, and get up on Monday early. That way I am really tired, and can nap in the afternoon - then get up and stay up all night. I would then be fine all week, until Friday am when I was NOT going back to work. That is the change up day for me - I would only sleep a few (three usually) hours and get up, spend the day tired, but be able to go to sleep on Friday night, and be on the day schedule until Sunday night again. That is how I do it. They didn't ask me, as they said the number one way to stay up all night was the first night was to be up 24 hours. That is not the way to do it...
I have been on midnights for most of my career, and did this for my children, and now I do it because it works for me. And the shift premium doesn't hurt. But, I go off to work, as my husband, my friend, my soul mate, goes to bed. I sleep when he is at work, and that works fine - for us. It gives me flexibility in my shifts, and extra time off. I like it. I get enough sleep, time to snuggle with the puppies, and dinner every night with my husband (etc) where right now, I am not getting enough of any thing. So, I like nights.
I will get enough time to write, as well, as when I snuggle with Boomer in the morning, I will write... and on my days off...and while I do laundry, and on weekends... I will prevail! Yeah. 12 more hours...and I don't count the Thursday meeting...it's only 2 hours, after all...
D M Wiseman, countdown to a regular schedule and published author...
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