“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” -Jim Rohn

Some days being in business makes me feel like I have bipolar. 

And here’s another one:

Being a nurse entrepreneur is the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life!

From the highs that come after leading a live talk in a room full of nurses who share a standing ovation with me to the lows that follow when I don’t get the number of sign ups on a program I offer- the emotional roller coaster a nurse entrepreneur can experience can be debilitating.

What I realized today is this- being a nurse, any type of nurse that is- not just a nurse in business for his or herself, can make a person feel like they are in a tailspin.

Last night I led the Reiki share at my hospital. To open up the share I asked each Reiki practitioner what’s been happening with their Reiki. One nurse shared she was unable to let go of the anxiety around a patient’s passing. Another nurse shared how she was struggling to come up with what she might have missed to cause her patient to need a rapid response team. Still another vented her pain and frustration with caring for children who are being abused by their parents and guardians.

Nursing is tough, tough work.

Some days are triumphs- like when I taught a girl my age about the symptoms of paranoia and how they were related to her mental illness. When she opened up and trusted me enough to share how she was actually questioning if her paranoid feeling were ‘real’ or part of her illness- I felt like I had won a trophy!

On the other hand, watching a man come back- who swore he would never, ever touch alcohol again- in the worst shape I had ever admitted him in… those days I felt like crying.

Nurse Entrepreneurs. Nurse Intrapreneurs. Nurse Interpreneurs. Nurses.

We all battle the ups-and-downs of our work. What can we do to alleviate some of these highs and lows that can blast us off course?

Here are three quick tips that have helped me. I hope at least one of these lands for you.

• Be Gentle and Kind. To yourself. What is the reason you are working so hard? Why do you overdo it in the first place? How come you have to over-prepare and work as much as you do? There are reasons, many of them. There are even surface reasons. By digging deep and going further you will discover that the underlying cause for overwork and extra diligence is the feeling of ‘not good enough’. You are enough. You know enough. Your work is exceptional. Sit in this today. Let this wash over you. You are doing an excellent job. Be kind to you.
• Let Go. Sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. You did all that you could and the outcome still did not go as you wanted it. The person came back or worse yet- passed away. It wasn’t you that did anything. What you did or did not do will in no way affect the outcome. There is a plan greater than all of us. You cannot control. When you ease up and live in the flow of life, letting go of attachment to outcome, then your work will become much more pleasant and easy-going.
• Get Help. There is no reason, none at all, that you have to ‘do’ it on your own. One of my favorite quotes these days is we can’t solve problems with the same minds that created them (Einstein). Sometimes it makes sense to get an outside opinion, another set of eyes and ears. As nurses we feel such pressure to do the best job that we can. Why not ease up on some of that tension and allow others to help us out?

I’d love to hear your feedback on this post. Have you ever felt the roller coaster ride of emotions when it comes to your work? What has helped you level out the ride? Do any of the above suggestions sound like something you can try?