Feedback.

Yikes! One word with such loaded emotion. Before I even go any further with this post, take a moment to reflect for yourself. When you hear the term ‘feedback’ what comes to mind for you?

Being on the giving end of feedback can be scary, uncomfortable, and worrisome. Inner dialogue like the following may sound familiar: ‘Will they respond harshly? I don’t want to hurt their feelings. This isn’t the part of my job that I enjoy. I’m just not good at giving feedback.’

On the other hand- the receiving side- feedback can cause tense and prickly situations. Reactions such as defensiveness, anger, or demoralization can occur. If someone shares feedback with you, how do you usually react? Do you get sad, fight back tears, or feel that you’ll never be good enough?

Feedback is a touchy subject, especially in nursing. 

• We’ve got stereo-types that must be overridden: nurses eat their young.
• We’ve got victim stories that must be let go of: nurses bully each other on the job.
• We’ve got feelings of dis-empowerment, voicelessness, and lack of control we’ve got to overcome.

Instead of viewing feedback as this horrifically scary situation, let’s try to view it in a new light. Feedback can be good. When it is constructive and coming from love, feedback is actually useful and empowering.

In my previous post, ‘One Brain, Two Minds: What’s a Nurse to Do?’ I talk about how when we replay an event over and over and over in our minds we actually give strength and meaning to a meaningless situation. We ignite the past as if it is presently happening to us right now.

So maybe someone gave you harsh feedback one time. Maybe you tried to offer feedback and it didn’t go very well. These experiences are in the past. And they must be let go of in order to move on with any amount of success.

Time for self-reflection number two:

Can you view feedback in a new light? Can you see it for what it really is: a gift that’s given to help you grow, develop, and become the best you that you can be?

I’d encourage you to sit with the word feedback. Bring up any of the old memories (negative ones, if you have them) associated with the term. Feel those emotions- that pain, unhappiness, shame, guilt, or fear- and then let them go.

Those feelings kept you safe, for now. But it’s time to move on. You don’t need that perception of the term any more. You’re ready to move on anew. Allow yourself to let go of your fear of feedback and embrace it as a healthy way to change.

We’ll be tackling topics, experiences, circumstances, and shifts like this in my upcoming course: Music, Movement & Mood. While this course is going to be held live, it will also be fully recorded and available at your own pace. If you worried that your schedule will conflict with the call dates/times; please let that go. Check out the course and see if this is something that can help you open up to receive a new perspective which will allow for grounded balance and whole person healing. Visit the course page here.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or reactions to this blog post below. Thank you for sharing a comment below. Enjoy your health today!