Strategies for Shift Working Moms

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome back to another episode of a Healthy Shift podcast , the podcast which is dedicated to helping shift workers like you thrive in every aspect of your life . Now I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today I want to support you , our shift working mums , with strategies which are specifically designed for shift working mums who are juggling the demands of work , family and their own personal wellbeing . So , whether you're on night shift , early mornings or rotating shifts , this episode is for you . So let's explore how to optimise your week and make the most out of every single day . Make the most out of every single day .

Speaker 1 0:48

Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified nutritionist , veteran law enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show , love . Enjoy today's show and welcome back .

Speaker 1 1:27

And here we are in today's episode talking about you , the shift working mum . Now , I know there's a lot out there . I really do , and I've worked with many , many , many shift working mums as a coach who have come to me literally burnt out and at their wits end , and what they've been is truly surprised at how simple strategies can really support them to do this role that they just literally deserve a medal for full stop . Just being a mum is difficult enough there is absolutely no doubt about it but being a shift working mum is a complication that is literally next level . So what I wanted to do today was I really really wanted to acknowledge you , shift working mums , and the incredible job that you're doing , and I want to help you in the best possible way that I can to navigate your shift working life , because I'm sure you are really hard on yourself and you're finding it very difficult .

Speaker 1 2:28

Now , the first thing that I do want to put on the table here is clearly by my voice . I am male , but I am a father , and I was an extremely , extremely hands-on father with my children all the way through , from the very , very early days , right the way up until they were 10 to 12 years old . And well , they never stop being your kids , do they ? And at 32 and 29 , they're still my babies . So I wanted to just put that on the table that I don't know what it's like to be mum , and I know and I acknowledge that the role is very , very different to be mum all right , not being able to even just go to the bathroom by yourself , not being able to just talk on the phone , not having any time for yourself .

Speaker 1 3:18

So what I want to do today is I just want to go through acknowledging that , and I also want to be able to literally try and give you some strategies from what I have learned over my journey in shift work , as well as some evidence-based strategies to support you in the best possible way that I can , because I know I know a lot of shift working mums and I know that the biggest criticism that I personally have for shift working mums is that they don't give themselves enough credit , full stop . You don't give yourself enough credit for just the job that you're doing . So let's get into it . The first step , and I don't want you to just come at me and say , oh , you wouldn't know , you're dead right , I would not know . But what I do know is what I know at this point in time with what I have actually learned as a father , with a mother of children and also as a shift worker working with shift working mums and really being in touch with my feminine side and very , very sympathetical towards the mums as well . So as I go through these , I don't want you to throw a knife at me or stick an ice pick in my temple , because I get it . I do totally Remember . I've done 40 years of shift work myself , but I have coached quite a number of shift working mums and navigated the challenges that they face , and I do find it's the very , very simple things that are really overlooked by the fatigued , chronically fatigued mums that we can really really help them with .

Speaker 1 4:58

One of the first things that I do want to put on the table right away is for you shift working mums that are driving home after a night shift and then sitting around getting children organised and putting them in the car and driving them to school after a long night of night shift . You are playing Russian roulette , and I want you to be very , very clear that that's what you're doing . You're playing Russian roulette with your children's lives . Now you might say to me oh , there's nothing else I can do , there's no way around it . In working with clients , we have found other ways that if Jenny was to collect your kids and take your kids to school , you could pick Jenny's kids up after school and run them home . It just comes down to working it out one way or the other , to work it out the best possible way to make it work or have it work in with you . But the one thing that I will tell you if you're a mum and you've been awake for the afternoon , for dinner , and then you've been awake for the whole night working , and then you've got home and now you're getting your kids organized and then you're going to put them in the car and drive them on local roads that you know all too well , there is no way , no way are you functioning properly , and I want to be very , very clear on that . Not only that , but biologically your body is doing absolutely everything that it possibly can to force you to go to sleep and that micro nap . It could not only maim , kill or injure you or your children , but you'd never forgive yourself if something happened and you injured other children in the school vicinity . So just keep that in mind and have a think about that as well . On that note , let's I'm sorry , on that note .

Speaker 1 6:55

Let's start with my step number one , which is prioritizing your sleep . Yes , I know , as a shift working mum , sleep is going to be your cornerstone . It's actually crucial to ensure that you get that quality rest . So here's how that we can actually structure around that . All right . First of all , you've got to make it a priority . It's got to be priority one . Nothing else matters . It's not about getting to the shops , it's not about servicing your vehicle . It's not about anything else getting your hair done , your nails done or anything else . We do those on the days we're not working . We plan that in and I'll get to that .

Optimizing Shift Working Mom's Health

Speaker 1 7:34

But the first thing that we've got to do is I want you to stand at the door to your bedroom and I want you to look into your bedroom and does that look to you like a sleep sanctuary ? Does that look restful ? Does it look like a big comfortable cloud ? And I mean not after you've dropped the kids off at school and you've been awake for almost 24 hours Does it really look like a place that you want to go and climb into and sleep ? Do you have block out curtains or a block out blind or a wind down blind ? Have you got a white noise machine that you can run , not forest sounds or rain sounds , white noise legitimate white noise because our brain White noise legitimate white noise because our brain focuses on the white noise and it tends to block out all other noises around it . Earplugs if you're sleeping during the day as well . A face mask if you are sleeping during the day , or even at a time when you need to get that sleep or a rest , or lie down on the bed and just zone out for 25 to 30 minutes , ideal . These things are really important .

Speaker 1 9:36

The other thing that we need to do is we need to maintain a consistent schedule . Don't at me , I know , but if we try and keep a regular sleep schedule , remember , once you've put the kids to bed at night night , that is the time for you to go to bed as well . That's not the time that you need . Oh , I need me time to watch tv . Sit there scrolling on your phone until 10 or 11 o'clock at night . That's not the time actually for that . The time for that is never . That's the time that you don't need to be doing it . What you need to be doing is focusing on once the kids are in bed , the jobs are done . Go to bed yourself . That's what you need to be doing getting that really solid sleep , because that is literally what is going to set you up properly , and we need to be trying to get to sleep at that good time . To go to sleep that time 8.30 , 9 o'clock , 10 o'clock getting to sleep at that time and getting up at the normal early time as well , with a good solid eight hours underneath us . What we tend to do is with the kids . We put the kids to bed and then we go ah , finally , it's my time . Pick up that mind-numbing mobile phone and doom scroll for hours on end . Really , have a think about what you're prioritizing here at the moment . So that's one tip there .

Speaker 1 10:59

Now , the other thing that you can do as a mom and it's your superpower is to nap really cleverly , is to nap really cleverly , right ? So short naps of 20 to 30 minutes before a shift can really help to boost that alertness . Try to avoid those longer naps . I know Rog as if right , but try to avoid those longer naps because they may very well disrupt your nighttime sleep . But the superpower for you can be to get that 20 , 25 minute nap just to take that sleep pressure out when you got the opportunity , go and lie on the bed , put the sleep mask on and just even if you just get that deep rest , non-sleep lie on the bed and just close those eyes , put that sleep mask on and just do some focused on deep breathing to try and relax and calm your body , all right . So that's what I've got to say around sleep . There's no magic cure here . I'm not going to tell you to take medications or tell you anything around like that . You're a mom , you need to be alert and available for all of those sorts of things . But napping can be a superpower and maintaining that consistent schedule as much as you can possibly maintain it is going to really , really help you . But make sure that you've also got that sleep sanctuary . So that's sleep , all right .

Speaker 1 12:21

Now the next thing that we need to do is to master our meal planning , all right . One thing that I do find in relation to my shift working mums and you can put your hand up not now , because you'll put it through the roof of the car or you'll look stupid walking along listening to this putting your hand up but one of the biggest problems that shift working mums have is they're catering for their kids and they're not thinking about themselves . We need to be thinking about ourselves as well as our kids , all right , so we need to be thinking about ourselves as well as our kids , all right . So we need to be making sure that we're getting proteins , carbohydrates and fiber in every meal . It's not about getting the dimmies out or the pies out of the freezer and heating those and just giving it to the kids . Let's set the example for the kids as well , because balancing nutrition is absolute key to maintaining yours and your children's energy levels .

Speaker 1 13:13

So let's have a look at some ways to streamline your meal planning through the week Batch , cook and freeze . Prepare your meals in advance and freeze them up . So , while you've got the slow cooker going and you're cooking for Sunday night , make sure that you're putting one away each time in the freezer , so you've got that to draw upon for when you actually need it . This will help to save you time and ensures that you've got a good , healthy option , a good delicious and nutrition option ready to go , especially on those busy days . Now , one thing that I do say to my clients is have a look at your week ahead , because you know your roster .

Speaker 1 13:53

So have a look at your week ahead and look at what is going to be the most difficult meal to navigate on each and every individual day . Because when you identify that and you can navigate that meal by planning ahead for it now , it could be a meal at work , it could be a meal at home , it could be a . You know , I've worked a long , 12-hour day and I've got to come home and get dinner ready for the kids as well . That's the meal . That's the difficult one . Plan it ahead , have it ready to go . You can even have your veggies chopped up and ready to go . All you've got to do is air fry a protein sauce or some potatoes , some chips or something like that , and put some steamed fresh veggies with it and bang . You're done . Really simple . But what you need to do is plan ahead for what is going to be the most difficult meal each day , for each shift , whether it's at work or whether it's home , and plan ahead for that . That will really really help you .

Speaker 1 14:57

The other thing that we need to have as a shift working mum is to keep nutritious snacks on hand , like a handful of nuts , some fruit or some yogurt . Now , these will help keep your energy level stable between meals . Reaching for a block of chocolate and smacking that down or a bag of chips is not going to help you . Chop up an apple , eat an apple . Have a handful of nuts or some trail mix , not a whole bag , just some of it right ? And some yogurt , some maybe Greek yogurt or flavored yogurt , those Yopro yogurts with the protein in it and a handful of berries can really really help you right . A couple of dates , something like that can really really support your energy levels , keep you satiated , which highly palatable carbohydrates and fats are literally not going to do .

Speaker 1 15:50

The other thing that I want to really emphasize for you as well is by staying hydrated . Carry your water bottle with you at all times , put it in front of you . You will drink it . Keep hydrated throughout your shift . Proper hydration will literally combat fatigue and will help to improve your focus and just get your body running really really nicely . All right . Water is the essence of life . It will literally keep you going really , really well , and I mean keep you going really well .

Speaker 1 16:25

Okay , now the other thing . Have you heard of the no prep meal prep ? Or have you heard of the no prep meal prep ? Or have you heard of the three-day meal prep strategies Now I've done podcasts

Meal Prep and Time Management

Speaker 1 16:32

on these , but just simply to go into the no prep meal prep , as you're coming home , what's to stop you from going and buying a cooked chook and a pre-prepped salad and just opening the bag , putting the salad in there , breaking the chook up and having a bit of chook with that ? There's no excuse as to why you can't do that . The other thing is there are rice pre-made and pre-cooked rices . There are cans of tuna . You can mix that in . You can put some beans in it . There's a lot of things that you can actually do around that to have a no-prep meal prep all right . So have a think about it . If you want some more help , I'm more than happy to guide you around this in a one-on-one situation .

Speaker 1 17:15

The other thing is is your three-day meal prep strategy and I've discussed this a lot that on one day , have a think about what it is that you want to prep , identify what's going to be your most difficult meal plan for it , prep for it , decide what you want , write your ingredient list out and leave it at that . On the next day , shop for it , and that will take you 30 minutes in and out of your supermarket . Job done , no problems at all , easy . And then on your last day or on your rest day before you go into your next rotation , that's the day that you actually cook it . So you get up in the morning you've already got your ingredients , because you shopped for them the day before and put them away , prep it , get it ready and you're done . What you've done there is you haven't overwhelmed yourself . You haven't had to sit there and think what do I want , then go out and shop for it , wander around the shops and then later on that day have to cook it all and waste a whole day off . If you break it down into three small tasks over three days , watch the difference that that actually makes to you . It makes a huge difference . All right , so there's two strategies no prep , meal prep or three day meal prep strategy . Really well Now . Number three is to plan your week strategically . Now , effective planning will make a huge difference . One day , half an hour , that's all it takes . Sit down .

Speaker 1 18:49

I have helped numerous shift working mums with this , and one of the main tools that I've supported them with is scheduling A whiteboard . Now you might think , oh , you know , I don't want to do this . It's all really weird and strange and I won't use it . Yeah , how are you traveling at the moment ? Give it a go , get a whiteboard , write it out Sunday , monday , tuesday , wednesday , thursday , friday , saturday , and then what you can do is put your shifts on it and then work out . You're doing this while you're lucid and you're in a good moment where you can actually do it when does little Johnny have soccer training ? When do you have to get to football practice ? When do you have to get little Jenny to calisthenics ? Write those things on it while you're lucid so that you can see it , the kids can see it , everybody can see it and you know that it's actually there . What this does is it actually helps you to identify it and see it . It's actually right there in front of you . So when you get that decision fatigue or you get overwhelmed , you can literally just look at the board that you wrote and the things that must get done you will get done because they're written right there and they're right in front of you .

Speaker 1 19:58

Now , the other thing that you can do as well with your husband or partner or whatever , is to use a dual calendar , a family calendar , and what you can do is you can coordinate your shifts with your family schedule as an electronic calendar , and what you can do is you can coordinate your shifts with your family schedule as an electronic calendar , and what this does is it helps people to avoid conflicts and ensures that everybody is on the same page . You can look at the calendar and you can see when John is doing whatever he's doing . He can look at it and see when you're doing what you're doing , but the pair of you are on the same page and you can see that it's no chaos and it doesn't cause any conflict in I want to do this and I want to do that and blah , blah , blah . Because you can actually see it Simple .

Speaker 1 20:39

On that schedule , you can set your weekly goals as well , outline whatever it is that you need to accomplish in that week , both in terms of your work and in relation to your family , and do yourself a favor prioritize those tasks and delegate them out wherever you possibly can . All right . So whatever you need to do , just list it . Not a great long list . Don't overwhelm yourself with a list . Lists are proved not to work . They become overwhelming and if you've got an ADHD personality or type , then what will happen is you won't see the list . After a while it just doesn't even exist .

Speaker 1 21:19

The other thing that I want you to make sure that you literally schedule into your week , don't just wait for it to happen . But I really , really want you to schedule in family time , time for you all to be together and do something right , whether it's go to the park , go for a walk , go down to the local footy ground , go for a walk , do whatever . I just want you to schedule in some family time , even if it's just downtime on the floor , no phones playing with whatever , and schedule some time in for family activities , because quality time with your loved ones will really really help to balance the demands of that work and home life . It helps to balance it right out . Now , mums , this one is the most important of the lot , because if there's one thing that really falls apart for you busy shift working mums and that is self-care . Okay , don't at me , don't say I don't have time for that . You absolutely do have time for self-care . You do and you can make time and you just got to schedule it in . It's just a matter of knowing what is self-care , because a lot of you have no idea what self-care is .

Speaker 1 22:31

So , taking yourself , taking care of yourself is not selfish , it's not a luxury , it's actually a necessity . You need to recharge that phone as it goes down , if you think about it . As your phone starts to run down , like your mobile phone , those apps start stopping to stop working and things stop working as it goes along to try and preserve the energy . Your body will do exactly the same thing , and you do not want this to happen . So what you do is you literally recharge it to make sure that it's running at full efficiency . If you want to turn up as the best version of yourself for your children and your husband or partner or whatever , then what you need to do is you need to make sure that you are fully charged yourself as well . It's not your role to be run crawling around on your hands and knees , absolutely spent . What you need to be doing is giving yourself a recharge so that you are working properly .

Speaker 1 23:36

So what do we do to do that ? Well , we need to just get some form of movement every single day . Just find some form of exercise that fits into your schedule . The exercise is important . That doesn't mean that you have to get up , get out of bed , put your gym gear on , pack your gym bag , jump in the car , drive to the gym , go and lift weights for an hour and a half , jump in the car , come back home , shower , get changed into your mum clothes again and have done . It doesn't have to involve that . It can literally involve walking out the front door , turning left , walking to the end of the street , turning left , walking to the end of that street , turning left , walking to the end of that street , turning left , and walking to the end of that street turning left . And when you walk , you will then walk back to your home and you've been out and you've got some form of movement in . That's all you need to do , all right , so make sure that you get some form of movement in .

Speaker 1 24:35

Even a short workout can boost your mood and your energy level . Do workout snacks , in fact . Here's another way that you can actually do it when you're at work and you get a break at work , go down and just walk on the treadmill or go to the gym or do something that you can actually do , even if it's just for 15 minutes . You know that your kids aren't there , you know that you're not impacting on anybody else , and you can just do a workout snack where you can just work one body part work your back , work your arms , do whatever . Just get a little bit in and that will help you .

Speaker 1 25:04

The other thing that you can definitely do is mindfulness and relaxation . Don't tell me you do not have 10 minutes to literally just sit in a chair , put your hands on your knees , close your eyes and just focus on deep breathing for 10 minutes . That's all you got to do . What this will do will help you to get from that sympathetic , heightened state that you're in as a mum and get you back over into a nice , relaxed , parasympathetic state . It will take that highly stressed stress out of your life . It will also help you to just relax and give you a lot better mental clarity around the things that you need to have happen in your life . It will help you to make much better decisions .

Speaker 1 25:53

And the other thing get support . For God's sake , ask , use your big words . This is what you'd say to your kids

Embracing Balance and Gratitude

Speaker 1 26:00

. But use your big words . Don't hesitate to ask help from your partner , your husband , your family . Don't hesitate to ask help from your partner , your husband , your family or your friends . It's okay to lean on others and share the load with others . Share the load . Jenny can pick the kids up . You can drop the kids off . It's pretty simple Just share the load , all right .

Speaker 1 26:25

Number five , and the last one that I want to talk about , is just adjust your mindset . A positive mindset can literally completely transform your experience . Now it's very , very easy for us to go down the spiral in a very miserable world right , and we can literally only ever then see the misery . But if you focus on flexibility because shift work can actually be really unpredictable embrace flexibility . Embrace flexibility . Embrace it , learn to go with it . Oh okay , this has happened , so I'm just going to do this . Have a plan B for when plan A happens . Right , can't work . So if this happens , I will do this . If this happens , I will do this . This is something that's really , really important .

Speaker 1 27:06

So embrace that flexibility and adjust your plans as needed , without stressing out over a minor setback . If something minor happens , what can you do about it ? Nothing . Control what you can control and just go with what you can't control because A you can't control it . It's pretty simple , all right . The next thing I want you to do and I want you to acknowledge this to yourself is I want you to celebrate the pretty simple , all right . The next thing I want you to do and I want you to acknowledge this to yourself is I want you to celebrate the small wins . All right , small wins Anything can be a small win . Nailing a meal , that can be a small win . Getting the kids fed , showered , bathed in bed fantastic , you've done a great job there , all right . Recognize and celebrate your small victories , whether it's getting through a challenging shift or managing a family activity or both , because acknowledging these moments can actually boost your morale . Don't let them go through . Do you practice gratitude ? If you don't practice gratitude , this is one of the biggest problems in your life . If you don't practice gratitude , this is one of the biggest problems in your life .

Speaker 1 28:11

Every night , before you put your head on a pillow , pick up a notepad , notebook , exercise book that you keep in your bedside drawer and write three points down that you're grateful for for the day . Johnny did this . I did this . I didn't have to go far . I've got a home . I'm working , we have a comfortable home . We've got a good TV . We've got a home . I'm working , we have a comfortable home , we've got a good TV , we've got light , we have running water . I don't have to go far , for I can climb into bed and I can go to sleep .

Speaker 1 28:32

When you train your mind to start looking for the things that you are grateful for , your mind literally starts looking for all of those things that you're grateful for and your whole demeanor in life changes . If you want to know why those people at work are so happy , go lucky and up and about . Those people literally have trained their mind to look for the good . They don't get themselves bogged down in the misery of all the rubbish that's going on . They train their mind to look for the good and they acknowledge it every single day because that's so important . All right , that's where we have got to . So , in conclusion , balancing your shift work and family life is no small feat , but with these strategies and implementing these , you can make the most of your week . Prioritizing your sleep , planning your meals and managing your time effectively and also taking care of yourself Putting the oxygen mask on yourself first are all steps towards a more balanced and fulfilling life .

Speaker 1 29:40

Remember , being a shift working mum is a unique challenge , but with the right strategies , I can guarantee you can actually thrive . And mums , just so you know , you're doing an absolutely amazing job just being a mum . So is it time that someone supported you to help you to navigate the shift working life and to take the pressure off you , because if you feel like that's what you need , I can actually help you . I've got plenty of experience in coaching shift working mums , and what I do get and the feedback that I do get from my shift working mums is quite simple and that is . It's the simple things , it's the little things , it's the little strategies that we put in place that make a massive difference to their life .

Speaker 1 30:28

So if you want to go , if you feel like you need to reach out , you can have a free discovery call with me and I will help you to piece back together your life . That literally probably feels like it's fallen apart , and what we can do is we can work together . We can look at your home life , your shift working life and your social life and you're going to say what social life ? Let's create a social life , because you need to be able to catch up with Jenny and have a coffee and a cake . You deserve that . It's your time , so you can do that . I can help you with that . So if you go into the show notes and scroll down to the bottom of the show notes . There's a link there that I can help you . You can go there and have a look at what my coaching involves and complete that , and what we will do is you and I will have a chat where I will show you exactly how I can actually help you . So there you go , all right .

Speaker 1 31:19

So thank you so much for tuning into this episode of A Healthy Shift . Now , if you found these tips helpful , please share this podcast with other shift working mums who might benefit and , as always , stay tuned for more episodes where we continue to explore ways to help you thrive in your shift work journey . Until next time , take care and stay healthy . And I will say this I really enjoyed having you here today and I hope we get to do this again on our next rotation and I'll see you then today , and I hope we get to do this again on our next rotation and I'll see you then . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on If you want to know more about me or work with me . You can go to ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .