Welcome everyone to Caring for Nurses. This blog is intended to be a site where nurses can go to and share ways to care for themselves as nurses. I have added some links to some sites I find helpful. I would dare to say that the reasons we became nurses is to care for other people. As the healthcare industry has changed and is constantly changing, the demands placed on nurses to simply care for their patients is sometimes overwhelming. Therefore, we need to make sure we are doing things to take care of our mind, body and soul. Please share stories, articles, or what you do to care for yourself as a nurse. I hope you enjoy!
Penny
This is a very important subject. We nurses take care of others but often fail to take care of ourselves. I take time off to spent time with my family, and try not to overwork myself by cutting down overtime hours.
ReplyDeleteHi Bose,
DeleteI agree this is a very important subject and we need this reminder often. I am in the same situation as you that I often have to take time off to spend with family and try to enjoy any downtime I can. Thanks for the comment.
Penny
Thanks for providing great resources for us, nurses to take good care of self.
ReplyDeleteHi Kit,
DeleteThanks for visiting and I hope you find the blog helpful.
Penny
Yes, the links are useful. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteHi Penny,
ReplyDeleteIt is so important for nurses to care for themselves so that they are able to deal with the daily stresses associated with our profession. A couple of things that I do to "keep my sanity" are spend time with family and execise on a routine basis. I also think that, as nursing leaders, it is crucial for us to ensure that our staff have a health work environment. At work, I am a supportive leader encouraging team work and a good work-live balance. I gladly work side by side with staff during peak or stressful periods. I look forward to learning more stress-management techniques on your blog!
Hi Tina,
DeleteThanks for your feedback. I admire you for exercising. I don't really like exercising but know it is good for you in so many ways. I am one of those who "just doesn't have time to exercise". I am sure that sounds familiar. Spending time with family is my favorite way to distress. As a leader we do have to help our staff help themselves also. Hope you enjoy the blog!
Penny
The videos of Leann Thieman are fantastic. I will look into some of the books you listed and thank you for referencing them. I also think they will make great gifts! I really love listening to inspirational speakers with tools for how we can help ourselves. Thanks for posting these!
ReplyDeleteYou bet Kathryn. I have personally been to one of Leann's sessions and she is a great speaker. Her books are great too. I was amazed to discover she was an LPN. She has such a tremendous knowledge base for how we as nurses need to take care of ourselves. Thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeletePenny
This would be a great blog for me to follow. I would give myself a C- on making time for myself to de-stress and re-energize. I plan to read the books you suggested.
ReplyDeletePenny,
ReplyDeleteThank you for shifting the focus to the nurse. How can we possibly take care of patients if we do not take care of ourselves. I am very good at putting myself on hold to the point where I start to show physical symptoms of stress (hair loss, insomnia, tiredness, aches, pains, etc). I need to find a way to manage myself and find stress relief. Currently with school and work I find it hard to take time to relax and enjoy life. Thank you for providing useful resources that may help address this issue in my own personal life.
When I think about nurses taking care of ourselves I often think of the speech the flight attendant gives every time we fly. "Put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then help the person next to you." If we don't take care of ourselves we won't be able to care for others for very long...
DeleteTina,
DeleteThat is a great analogy that I will use when I am talking to my staff about taking care of myself and reminding myself to do a better job of taking care of myself. I keep telling myself I am going to be sure to do this when I am done with school in 6 weeks-we always have an excuse for not doing it now right :)
Penny
What a nice blog. We nurses tend to forget about ourselves and usually focus on caring for our patients when we are at work and then our families after work. Great idea.
ReplyDelete