Though we know that being a travel nurse is laced with excitement and adventure, it may be tough to leave those that you care about at home while heading off to your next assignment. So how do you go about keeping your relationships healthy while you’re on the road?
Because relationships are such an important aspect of Freedom’s company culture, it’s crucial to our team that we can provide the appropriate resources and tips to help our nurses keep their relationships thriving with significant others, children, family and friends while they’re in a different city or across the country.
Below, check out our latest tips on 5 ways to keep your relationships healthy while you’re traveling.
- Schedule time to connect
Though at times your work hours may be a tad unpredictable, keeping a set schedule to speak with loved ones will prove helpful to ensure you’re not playing phone tag or constantly catching someone’s voicemail. To help with this, try using a shared calendar application tool (like Google Calendar) to schedule times with loved ones so they know when to expect your call and can make space in their day for it. Additionally, try to schedule recurring days and times so that it can become more of a routine that will make it easier to manage for both parties.
- Try audio messaging instead of texting
Sometimes, being able to hear someone’s voice makes you feel as though they aren’t that far away. Most cellphones now have the capability to send audio messages instead of traditional texts, which makes messaging much more personal. Try sending these to your loved ones when you wake up and before you go to bed at night—we guarantee it will make them feel special.
- Video chat as often as you can
Yes, it’s true that technology can distract us from deepening our real-life relationships—but when you’re on the road, it’s the only tool you have to keep in touch. In addition to speaking on the phone with those you care about, make it a regular habit to catch-up with them via Facetime, Skype or Google Hangout. Just like audio messaging, video chat makes you feel physically closer and helps ensure that you get that “facetime” even when you’re not in-person.
- Have a plan for your responsibilities
Preparedness is a crucial characteristic for any travel nurse and ensuring that your personal responsibilities are taken care of while you’re on the road is no exception. For travel nurses with partners at home, it will relieve ample amounts of stress from your relationship to have a set plan for tackling household and life obligations, with assignments for both of you while you’re traveling. After all, it shouldn’t fall solely on your partner to maintain everything while you’re away. This will help to prevent “partnership burnout” and keep the communication between you and your significant other thriving.
- Share your photos
When you’re a travel nurse, your life away can be something of a mystery to those you’re close to. Be sure to do your part to keep them in the loop with the things you’re doing, the people you’re meeting and the sights you’re seeing at your new assignment. Even if the photo seems silly or pointless, it will give others a true sense of what’s going on in your life so they can begin to visualize your day to day. An easy way to do this is to create a shared album for your family and friends and continuously upload the photos as you take them for all to see.
It’s important to acknowledge that everyone’s different, and what works for maintaining one’s relationships may be different from the next person. That’s why open dialogue and communication is key to establishing clear guidelines and expectations between you and your loved ones so that they still feel a part of your life while you’re traveling. If you need more assistance with talking through how to maintain your relationships while on the road, reach out to the Freedom team or call 866-463-0385 and we can provide additional advice on this topic!