Nursing is highly rewarding and fulfilling, but when you are a mom it can be hard to balance both your career and your family life. Some nurses with a family at home get distressed and feel guilty about leaving their children home while they go to work.

We think it’s safe to say that the nursing profession isn’t easy. It includes long hours, where you need to stay away from your children. This, when coupled with work fatigue, can limit the time you want to spend  with your family. Not only in the nursing profession but also in several other fields, moms are feeling guilty that they don’t spend enough time with their kids.

Often, children will tend to make this guilt even worse. Not that it’s intentional, but when they cry you hear it, when they complain, you also hear it. Hearing their cries can have an ultimate impact on your psychological health.

Here are a few useful tips that we think you can use to find that balance between family life and work life.

Respond to your feelings:

Sometimes, working moms will try to push their feelings away to avoid any stress that could be caused by it. But, remember, doing so will not help you in any way; instead, it will make it even more stressful. So, just take the time to sit and respond to your feelings. Listen to your own heart and try to understand what it tries to say. A good idea is to take a diary and write down your feelings in it. Yes, of course, you can also share your thoughts with your partner or a co-worker. In simple terms, no matter what the method is, listening to your own feelings is important.

Let go of your guilt:

Instead of dwelling on how you are staying away from your children, start thinking about how your role as a nurse is benefiting them. Think about how you can afford classes and/or educational opportunities for them. Start thinking about how you are able to save money for their future. The most successful mothers have found ways to be efficient in both family life, as well as work. All you need is to agree with your own choices and concentrate on your priorities. Yes, there will be tough days. But, always remember that you are not alone. You can always discuss your feelings with like-minded people or receive advice from support groups.

Find out solutions:

Find the underlying cause of your problem and try to solve it. You might feel guilty about not staying with the children at home. You may become exhausted with their children at home. The reason for this guilt can be different from one mom to another. Try to figure out a possible solution.

Ask yourself, what causes the guilt. If you are feeling guilty about not being with your child, then maybe arrange a FaceTime call during your break with them and your partner. And, if the option is available, changing the department or shift would also be helpful.

Maintain a family calendar:

While managing tasks at work, manage your priorities at home. Maybe get a family calendar so that everyone can see when you are working and when you are home. Organize a list of family events, birthdays, anniversaries, extracurricular activities and many more. With the wide availability of smartphones, create a family calendar using Google Calendars. Share it with your partner and other family members with great ease.

To make this family calendar work out effectively, you must try to set aside at least 15 minutes every week to review it and make preparations for the upcoming week. More importantly, you must share with your child’s babysitter so that all are current with activities and schedules.

And finally, for every mom out there, your child will tend to remember the best moments more so than the worst moments. Those bad moments as well will not be you being constantly busy and exhausted. So, whatever you do, give up those moments of guilt and enjoy the job that you have: both at home and on the floor.

Finally, we would like to inform the nurses who are feeling guilty that your children will tend to remember only their best and worst moments while growing up. And, the worst moments will not be the ones in which their moms were busy and exhausted. So, give up the guilt and enjoy your job!