Nurses, What Keeps You Resilient in Your Nursing Career?
We asked. You answered. We listened.
Resilience in nursing is crucial. With the stresses facing today’s nurse, many nurses are wondering if they should give up and quite nursing altogether.
My answer to that: “NO! Don’t do it!!”
Not only will you make a huge mistake, you may find yourself in a new career just as unhappy as you may be in the profession of nursing.
Stress in Nursing
There are loads of stressors facing professional nurses. From healthcare reform to budgetary cuts, from staffing crises to benchmarks and measurements. The list could go on and on.
The answer is not running away from your nursing career. That is a quick fix, a temporary solution to a much larger problem.
No, my friend. What we need is not to quit nursing but to face it head on.
Nurse Resilience
We need strategies. Coping mechanisms that help us handle the stress of the nursing profession. We need more resilient nurses who feel happy, healthy, and ready to face each and every shift.
About a month or so ago, I asked this question on my various social media platforms. I said:
[Tweet “”Nurses, What keeps you resilient to the stress in your nursing career?””]
And here we go…
Sharing the amazing responses from nurses across the country! Here are what dozens of nurses had to say about nurse resilience:
Body
- Workouts… riding horses
- Nature walks with my dogs
- Health and fitness! Working out!!
- Kickboxing, compression socks, and vodka!
- Hula Hooping
- My health.
- Yoga and sport activities
- Nutritional balance
- Getting out hiking/camping/exploring as often as possible
- Walking barefoot outside
- Restorative yoga and monthly massages
Mind/Emotion
- Tons of personal and professional development
- Love of my family
- Being mindful of the present time, focusing on one thing at a time
- My wife.
- Seeing a therapist
- Vacations with my BFF
- People outside of the healthcare field
- Learning complementary healing methods
- Learning to let go
Spirit/Energy
- Less shift work. More community involvement and personal development.
- Prayer
- Daily meditation and positive affirmations
- Realizing I cannot control everything
- My gifts.
- Painting
- Self-love and self-confidence
Resiliency in Nursing
And the number one thing that was said time and time again…
“Remembering why you do it…”
For it is not about us. It is about the patient. Their family. The community we serve. We must be mindful that we are able to work and have the ability to care for other people (in mind, body, and spirit).
If we are working as a nurse, then most times we are better off health-wise than the patient before us. Let us all give thanks for what we have. Appreciate the nursing career we find ourselves in. And remember to practice nursing from within.
What would you add to the above list? Let’s hear from you! What do you practice to combat the stress in nursing? How do you show up as a resilient nurse? Share a comment below and thanks for reading!
About the Author: Keynote speaker and virtual conference host, Elizabeth Scala MSN/MBA, RN, partners with hospitals, nursing schools, and nurse associations to transform the field of nursing from the inside out. As the host of the Nurse’s Week program, The Art of Nursing, Elizabeth supports nursing organizations in celebrating and recognizing their staff in a meaningful way. Elizabeth received her dual master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is also a certified coach and Reiki Master Teacher. Elizabeth lives in Maryland with her supportive husband and playful pit bull.
I believe we a nurses forget to take care of ourselves first! Thanks for your wisdom!
Thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed the post!
Nature #1. Meditating, seeing results from my interventions.
Wonderful ones, thanks for adding these to the list!
It is impossible to pour from an empty cup. That is the thought that kept recurring. Yes, remembering why we do it is important. But unless we refill ourselves by doing EVERYTHING else you suggested in this amazing post, we will not care why we do it. We MUST make time for us. The secret to surviving this industry is to make self-care a priority.
Love it, Donni!!