Regulation Practices for Shift Workers: Before, During & After Your Shift | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep 21

Are you a shift worker who feels stuck in fight-or-flight mode at work? If you're a nurse, CNA, healthcare worker, or anyone doing shift work where you can't just step away to regulate, this episode is for you.

After getting feedback from a listener in childcare, I realized most career advice is tailored for office environments - but what about those of us who work in hospitals, emergency rooms, manufacturing, retail, or other shift-based roles where you're "tied there" and can't easily get away when triggered?

In this episode, you'll discover:
✨ Why shift workers need different regulation strategies
✨ A simple 5-10 minute pre-shift presencing practice
✨ How to check in with your nervous system before, during & after shifts
✨ Powerful anchor phrases you can use during difficult moments
✨ The critical post-shift transition technique most people skip

Key Takeaways:
🫀 Place your hand on your chest, take 3 breaths, and ask, "How is my nervous system right now?"
🎯 Set realistic expectations: "I can handle whatever comes my way, and I have the tools to regulate myself."
⚓ Create anchor phrases like "I am safe. I am capable. I can regulate."
🚗 Use your commute time to consciously shift from work mode to home mode
🤗 Practice gentle acknowledgment: "I made it through another shift. I'm safe now."

This isn't just another self-care tip - it's trauma-informed career guidance designed specifically for the unique challenges shift workers face.

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Transcript

Regulation Practices for Shift Workers: Before, During & After Your Shift | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep 21

Cyndi Bennett: [00:00:00] Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide. I'm Cyndi Bennett, your host, and today I'm going to do something a little bit different and respond to some feedback that I got from one of my listeners.

Did you know that trauma impacts how we navigate our careers, but most career advice ignores this reality? Imagine feeling confident and safe at work while honoring your healing journey. Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide, the podcast that reimagines, career development for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Cyndi Bennett, a trauma survivor, turned trauma informed career coach and founder of the Resilient Career Academy. If you're navigating your career. While honoring your healing journey, you are in the right place.

The listener said to me, Cyndi, I really love what you're putting out there, but it seems to be more tailored to an office [00:01:00] environment than in the space that I work in, in childcare. I realized that there were a bunch of trauma survivors that are out there that worked in different situations, in different scenarios, in different work environments, if you're in healthcare, whether you're a nurse or a CNA or a therapist, or whether you work in manufacturing or you work in retail. There's so many different things, right? So I realized that I was missing that and I needed to respond to that and give you tools and techniques that work for you in your environment.

And so as a result of that, I'm going to create a series that is uniquely tailored to you who do shift work and work in environments that are not in the office. So, hopefully that will be helpful for you.

I did want to weigh in on some things that are really important for you who do [00:02:00] not work in an office setting. If you are going into shift work and it's a place where you cannot get away, where you are tied there. If you're a nurse and you work in the emergency room, or you're in shift work, or you're in EMS, whatever it is, that you can't get away, you can't step away. You don't have the freedom or flexibility to just step away and to get yourself grounded again and to get yourself regulated again.

I want to provide you with some resources that you can use. And I want to tell you how important it is for you to have a daily presencing practice before, during, and after your shift.

So before you even start your shift, you can create for yourself a pre-shift presencing practice, and it only [00:03:00] take five to 10 minutes before you leave the house. You can check in with your nervous system and place your hand on your chest and take three breaths and say, how is my nervous system right now? Am I activated? Am I calm? Am I tired? Am I anxious?

Then you can set realistic expectations. Today, I can handle whatever comes my way, and I have the tools to regulate myself. You can remind yourself of those things.

And then practice some protective visualization. What do I mean by that? Picture yourself moving through your shift with a calm presence. Visualize using your regulation tools during challenging moments. You know, when they are, if you've used the workplace trigger tracker, you know when your more intense moments are. [00:04:00] So visualize yourself using those regulation tools during those challenging moments. Imagine returning home, feeling proud of how you showed up today, and how you handled everything.

And then create anchor phrases. You can choose a phrase that you can return to during difficult moments during the day. You can say something like. I am safe. I am capable. I can regulate, or this feeling will pass. I have what I need. My nervous system is trying to protect me, and that's okay. These are phrases that you can go back to during difficult times during your day. You can write it on your hand, you can put it on a sticky note. Whatever it is that you need to remind yourself, those are anchoring phrases.

And then during your [00:05:00] shift, right when you arrive, you can ask yourself, how did your presencing practice serve you? You can check in with your nervous system and say, okay, before I start my shift, how did my presencing practice serve me?

During your break or at lunch, what does my nervous system need right now?

And then as you're leaving, how did I show up today? What worked?

And then in your post shift transition, this is really, really important. Before you go inside your house, just take two minutes in your car or outside, before you go into your house, and gently, consciously shift from work mode to home mode. Those of you who have a longer commute, this will be [00:06:00] helpful. You can use that long commute time or even any commute time. You can use that commute time to transition from work mode to home mode. And then it's really important that you exercise gentle acknowledgement and tell yourself, I made it through another shift. I'm safe now.

I hope that was so helpful for you. Please leave any comments that you have or questions below and we'll come back to you. I read all the comments that are there, so please do like and subscribe and let me know what will be helpful for you.

Thank you for joining us on Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide. Take gentle care.

You're not walking this path alone. Every step you take toward a trauma-wise career is an act of courage, and I'm here cheering you on. If today's episode resonated with you, share it with another [00:07:00] survivor who needs to hear this message. Together we're rewriting the rules of career success. Keep rising, keep healing, keep building.