Musical selection: "Clair de Lune", from Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy, courtesy of Classical MIDI Archives, © 1999 Pierre R. Schwob

SAVE YOUR SANITY IN HALF AN HOUR

OK, so the CIA is investigating that mountain of dirty laundry in your bathroom to see if Jimmy Hoffa* is buried under it. You've forgotten what your family looks like. And you've discovered that your med-surg textbook makes a pretty comfy pillow.

But it's vital to take some time for yourself every day. I REPEAT: TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF EVERY DAY. Your body and mind will thank you for it. And even if you can only spare 30 minutes, there are lotsa things you can do to remind yourself that there is indeed life outside nursing school. F'rinstance:

    Do a little Web surfing. Of course, this site is a perfect place to begin :-)
    Take a warm bath
    Enjoy a snack
    Watch a rerun of your favorite sitcom
    Walk your dog
    Play a game with your kids
    Read something -- anything -- without the word "nursing" in it anywhere
    Write a note to a friend
    Work on a hobby
    Listen to a guided imagery tape (available at the library)
    Listen to half a CD
    Take a stroll or quick bike ride around the neighborhood
    Browse through a mail-order catalogue
    Daydream you're sipping a pina colada on a tropical beach with some gorgeous hunk/babe.
    Work in your garden
    Work out to a videotape
    Wash and/or wax your car (or take it to a car wash and have it get the works)
    Order in a pizza or Chinese food (or both)
    Polish your shoes
    Putt a golf ball around your living room or yard
    Take a catnap
    Call or text your folks or your BFF.
    Share a "romantic interlude" with your significant other...;-)

Above all, just keep thinking: I can do it. And yes, there is indeed life outside nursing school! (Or did I already say that? Sorry, I think I need a "romantic interlude.")

*For those of you who are confused by the reference to Jimmy Hoffa (I'm showing my age): He was the president of the Teamsters Union back in the 50s and 60s. He had ties to organized crime. One day in 1975 he went to lunch with several of his Mafia buddies and was never seen or heard from again.

New Jersey folklore had it that Hoffa was buried in one (or maybe both) of the end zones of the original Giants Stadium, which was built in the NJ Meadowlands in 1975. When the old stadium was demolished to make way way for the new one (MetLife Stadium), there was no trace of him. Actually I think Hoffa is hidden somewhere in my son Paul's apartment. Incidentally, Paul was born in 1975...

Graphics courtesy of