Dig Yourself Out Of The Slump

Good afternoon.  

Let’s be honest—this job will wear you down. It’s not just the staffing chaos, the survey pressure, or the financial tightrope—it’s the relentless everything. And when you're in that slump, feeling flatlined, it's not always burnout. Sometimes it’s disengagement, stagnation, or just getting too far from what makes you want to show up in the first place.

So how do you turn it around? Not with a TED Talk. Not with some corporate training video on “resilience.” You need something that works now—in your real, fast-moving, unpredictable world.

Here’s how you get your head back in the game: brutal honesty, small wins, and a 14-day sprint to build back momentum.

Also—let’s be clear: these tactics aren’t magic. They won’t all work for everyone. The key is to pick the one or two that do feel doable, and start there.

Get Back To Being You

Step 1: Get Real About the Slump

If you’re dragging, don’t fake it. Call it what it is. Momentum only comes after awareness.

Ask yourself:

• Am I actually showing up with purpose?

• Or am I surviving the calendar and hoping nobody notices I’m checked out?

Leadership is too visible for autopilot. Everyone sees it—even when you think you’re hiding it well.  Be honest with your team about how you're feeling because chances are they've already noticed.

Step 2: Reconnect With Your "Why"

It’s easy to lose sight of your purpose when every day is a fire drill. But when you remember who benefits from your work—your team, your residents, their families—it resets everything.

Do this today:

• Write down one story where something you led made a real difference.

• Keep it visible.

• Share it with your team if it still hits you emotionally.

As Yale researcher Amy Wrzesniewski found, people who frame their work as a “calling” are far more engaged—regardless of the stressors.

And sometimes, you don’t need a journal—you need a vent session. A beer. A glass of wine. Or just a walk and a club soda with someone who gets it. If you don’t have that person in your circle right now, reach out—I’d be happy to lend an ear: kevin@nhastandup.com

Step 3: Take On a Stretch Or Aggressive Project

Gallup data shows professional growth isn’t just a staff issue. When you feel stagnant, step into something uncomfortable.
Ask for a project that’s outside your usual zone—something that scares you a little. That discomfort is where the fire starts to come back.

It doesn’t need to be huge. Maybe it’s piloting a new technology. Taking on a corporate initiative. Fixing a chronic pain point in your building. Just make it real, make it matter, and keep it time-bound.

Step 4: Make Your Progress Visible

Making daily progress in meaningful work is the top driver of motivation.

You don’t need a fancy app—use sticky notes, a whiteboard, or one Google Doc. Each day:

• Write your intention in the morning.

• Recap your wins at the end.
  Even “caught up on IR reviews” counts. If you don’t acknowledge progress, your brain starts thinking there isn’t any.

Step 5: Change Something—Anything—About Your Environment

If your desk, schedule, or playlist hasn’t changed in a year, you're not stuck—you’re stale.
Behavioral science backs it up: even minor shifts in routine or setting can change your energy.

Try this:

• Work from a different part of the building or community two mornings a week.

• Change your daily routine and worktime.  One of the benefits of running a 24/7 operation is that you don't always need to be there from 9-5.

• Block 90 minutes of protected “thinking time.”

• Add a ritual: morning goals, end-of-day reflection, even a shutdown playlist.

It’s not fluff—it’s a pattern interrupt, and it works.

Step 6: Reconnect With Energizers

MIT research shows the highest-performing teams aren’t the smartest—they’re the most socially connected.

Do this:

• Schedule one coffee or phone chat each week with someone outside your core team.  It could be a caregiver or a mid-level manager.

• Start a challenge or competition amongst the team.

• Ask a peer, “What are you proud of this week?” Their answer might remind you of your own.

This is less about networking and more about remembering you’re not in it alone.

The Two Week Sprint

Now here’s the next move:

Pick two of these actions. Write it down:

“In the next 14 days, I will [action 1] and [action 2] to reignite my energy at work.”

Track the effort. Not the outcomes. Not the metrics. Just the fact that you showed up and moved.

At the end of two weeks, ask:

• What worked?

• What didn’t?

• Where did I feel momentum?

Then do more of that.

Whenever you're ready, I can help you in a few ways.

1. Leverage our partnership with CEUSrEZ and purchase NAB-approved, online, self-paced, continuing education courses at a 20% discount here.
2. Use our free AI-powered Chatbot trained on all 900 pages of CMS Nursing Home Regulations, proprietary processes, and information from decades of skilled nursing leadership experience.  Click here.
3. Sign up for Assisto and keep track of the regulatory environment in your state.  Know what deficiencies surveyors cite in real-time and ensure you're not at risk for the same tag.  Sign up here.
4. Take our Salary Lens survey and gain access to the largest database of senior living and SNF leadership salaries in the industry.  Check it out here.

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Thanks for reading.  Have a wonderful day.

Kevin Goedeke, Publisher and Founder