American Nurses Association has designated 2017 as the “Year of the Healthy Nurse”. The theme this year is “Nursing: the Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit” which has inspired me to better myself and encourage other nurses to always remember to care for themselves.
Almost everyone can say they either have a friend, family member, spouse, or maybe even their cousins’ girlfriends’ brother who is a nurse. Needless to say, there are a lot of nurses out there! With reference to nurses week, I wanted to take some time to thank all you nurses out there for your dedication to the profession and all the work you do daily.
As a nurse, It is important to take this opportunity to think deeply about how much of a difference you make each day. We lead very demanding lives between dealing with impossible doctors and challenging patients on so many different levels, which can be, to say the least, exhausting. You are a huge contribution to the healing of our patients whether it be through your calming words or your gentle touch that gives them the strength to push through their hard time. We all have chosen this career for a reason and deserve this week to awaken and revive our initial decision for taking the path into this profession. Stop and contemplate the positive impact you are making on your patients, coworkers, even your friends and family (Because we all know, you are the first one they come to when a medical question arises, right?!).
However, as nurses, we know how important it is to care for ourselves yet, we still aren’t able to find the “time”. I have a theory. It may be a little farfetched, but it gets the point across. So, just like when you’re on an airplane and during the “crash briefing” the flight attendant demonstrates the operation of the life vests, oxygen dropping out of the overhead compartments, and location of emergency exits. The theory is simple; In life it is no different from the fact that you need to secure your own oxygen mask prior to helping others because, if you pass out from lack of oxygen, you sure aren’t going to be able to help the person next to you. Not far from, taking care of yourself in order to provide the best care possible for your patients. This may come off as a bit obvious to some, but when you truly get down to the nitty gritty and really think about the last time you did something for yourself it may get a bit foggy. Now, I hope this is not the case for most, but I cannot stress it enough how vital it is to take the “time” for yourself at least once a day to do exactly what you need, whether it be a pedicure, massage, meditation, sipping some green tea, yoga session, or even just a glass of red wine while walking on the beach. (The last one is currently my favorite!) In the meantime, nurses, keep doing the amazing work you do and I wish all of you a happy nurses week! Continue reading for some quotes from these inspirational leaders.
“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul and body of our patients, their families and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Ghandi
“Nursing is the gentle art of caring” — Florence Nightingale
Joy in the Journey 