Silence. Ha!
I bet you read the title of this post and thought to yourself “‘silent‘ and ‘nursing career‘: those are two words that never go together“. Or maybe something like this: “Don’t say the ‘Q’ word… something’s bound to go wrong now!”
It seems that when we think of healthcare, we think of noise. Bells, alarms, whistles. Phones ringing, people walking, voices talking. Never a ‘quiet’ moment. (Oops, I said the ‘Q’ word!)
Well earlier this week, I was bored. My husband was watching football. I had been reading all afternoon. I didn’t want to look at the computer any more. Didn’t want to watch TV. So I said to myself, ‘I’ll take the dog for an evening stroll’. (Figured I better take the warm weather while I can before neither he (my dog) nor I want to go outside.)
As we were walking along, I found myself smiling. Literally smiling. (If a neighbor saw me they might think it odd, but oh well.) It was such a nice night. And then I realized why else I was so happy.
It was silent. A still, quiet night. No movement at all. Just me and my dog- and my own self-awareness of thought, noise and the air around me. Oh, how perfect.
As a busy nurse, how often (if ever) is it truly silent for you at work? In your nursing career, do you ever get to experience a ‘quiet’ moment?
[Tweet “Here are 3 ways to bring more stillness to practice, thus making for a more enjoyable nursing career.”]
- Breathe. Now I know we are all breathing- otherwise we wouldn’t be at work. Yet, I am talking about the exhalation. Letting go. How often do you find yourself holding your breath at work? Worse yet- clenching your fists, keeping your shoulders in a permanent shrug up near your ears, or tightening your back? Exhale. Let it go. While at work, one way to create a sense of calm is through both the full inhalation and exhalation. Try it every now and then as you go through your day.
- Listen. I always love the analogy about how we were given one mouth and two ears. So much of the ‘noise’ at work is senseless chatter. Trust me, I have worked on a very, VERY loud unit before. (In fact it drove me so crazy that I dedicated at least 4 years of my time there working on a noise reduction project.) Another way you can create more quiet is to listen to the silence between the noise. What can you pick up just by being still and listening to the sound of silence?
- Pause. Nursing careers involve a lot of movement. Into a room. Out of the room. Onto the phone. Into the medication room. All over the place. At a very fast pace. Can you take a slow pause before moving to a new space? Before going into the next patient’s room, can you pause at the door- become still- be quiet? Just for ONE second? It will allow you to create quiet, stillness and calm in your day.
I’d love to hear from you. What would you add to this list? How can you bring more peace of mind into your nursing career (I almost typed ‘chaos’)?
One practice that I have found to be especially helpful is developing self-awareness. Most nurses are perfectionists, and deny that they have any limitations. In the midst of chaos, sometimes we become so independent, so “Super Nurse,” that we have abandoned the idea that we may need assistance or support. We float our self-contained bubble down the River Denial, a favorite nursing coping strategy, and sometimes put off addressing the inner voice trying to guide us.
A quote from Zen master Shunryu Suzuki: “When you are fooled by something else, the damage will not be so big. But when you are fooled by yourself it is fatal.” Self knowledge of things like job stressors can help us to deal with them rather than deny them. So as you are taking a moment to pause, or even if that pause is delayed, developing a communication with self, the environment, and how it affects you is imperative for survival. Learn to listen to the inner voice before it has to scream to gain your attention.
If I may recommend a book (not one of mine), Robert J. Wicks wrote, “Overcoming Secondary Stress in Medical and Nursing Practice: A Guide to Professional Well-Being.” Simple tool, practical strategies, and a good reference for nurses who want to enjoy their careers, not simply survive them.
Thank you for your blog; excellent information and direction for nurses!
Hi there Sherry,
Thank you so much for coming by, reading and taking the time to share this exceptionally insightful comment. I LOVE the quote you shared- I have not heard that one before and it is something wonderful to reflect on.
I appreciate you sharing the book as a resource to our readers. Thanks again and enjoy the day,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
Thank you for the kind words. My background, aside from trauma nursing, includes crisis management and response. For ER nurses, emergency responders, police, fire, and so on, the medical model dictated looking at responses to occupational trauma through a lens of psychopathology. Instead of looking at what is wrong with a person, we are slowly learning that teaching adaptive coping and resilience skills can prepare folks for wellness instead of responding to “damage done” situations. The wellness model is the future of taking care of health care workers instead of trying to fix them after they are broken.
Skills training is common in the nursing profession. Mandatory education ensures knowing how to respond to a code, place restraints in less than five seconds, understand all of the equipment’s bells and whistles, and enter data into a brand-spanking-new computer charting systems. What is lacking in many places is a focus on mindfulness, attention to self-care, and showing nurses they are valued. Thank you for all you do toward that end, to keep nurses healthy so they (we) can take care of others.
Sherry.
You are very welcome, Sherry. And I have to say ‘thank you’ right back to you. I appreciate the feedback on my work and am glad that it is uplifting the nursing profession. I agree with you whole-heartedly that attention to self-care, self-healing and self-awareness are the best ways we can take care of ourselves and each other. Enjoy the day, Elizabeth