Well, the Art of Nursing 2.0 has come and gone. It’s so fascinating to me how something with such magnitude can have the quietest of endings. Does that ever happen to you?
Something you’ve been planning for, prepping over, and focusing most of your time and attention upon just suddenly ends. As if it was never really there in the first place. So weird.
There’s certainly time for de-briefing, answering questions and concerns as they arise, sending out the CNE certificates, and all of the follow up. But the ‘live’ event is over and so, for this year at least, the program is officially ‘done’.
As I sit here on this glorious spring day in my home office, my mind doesn’t help but wander to the future. Questions begin to bubble up on how I can improve for next year; what speakers might I host for the third virtual conference; where are the biggest lessons learned.
Yet while this envisioning piece is imperative for another successful event, it is similar to a risky behavior that can potentially harm and even ruin your nursing career. What is this detrimental behavior, you might be asking yourself?
It’s the do-do-do syndrome. The need to be always on-the-go. The desire to work non-stop.
As a busy nurse, who enjoys strategizing, planning, implementing and doing- I have to be very careful these days. I need to take time to re-charge, re-group and rejuvenate myself.
So I invite you to pause quietly today. Ask yourself the following questions. And then… be mindful to take some downtime so that you avoid these risky behaviors with respect to your own nursing career.
- Do you allow yourself a break after the completion of a project?
- How do you re-charge when the task at hand comes to an end?
- In what ways do you allow yourself to balance the ‘being’ and the ‘doing’ of your work?
- Can you take a break today, this week, this month, or this quarter?
- How will you celebrate your successes (and yourself)?
Be honest with the above questions. Take some time to quietly reflect, journal or talk them out with a friend. And always- always- make sure you allow yourself for some downtime after the job is done.
I’d love to hear from you! How have you been able to re-energize yourself after completing a large project? In what ways do you take the downtime to enjoy the work-life balance of life? Please leave a comment below, and thanks for reading!
About the Author: As a speaker, workshop facilitator, and Reiki Master, Elizabeth partners with hospitals, organizations, associations, and nursing groups to help transform the field of nursing from the inside out. As the host of the Your Next Shift Workshop, Elizabeth guides nurses and nursing students to a change in perspective, helping them make the inner shift needed to better maneuver the sometimes challenging realities of being a caregiver.
Years ago (we’re talking junior high/high school) I would automatically plan a post-project/-event celebration. Sometimes it was pigging out on my favorite food or dessert. Sometimes it was doing something absolutely silly (midnight screening of “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” with a dozen friends comes to mind.) When did that stop??!
I think what happened is the last few times I attempted to celebrate, I was shamed into feeling I was being selfish. And the main person I wanted to celebrate with me was not interested, because what I wanted to do was considered immature.
Hmmmmm, gonna have to make a course correction.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful comment. Yes, sometimes it can feel silly or selfish to celebrate. But then, we have to ask ourselves, who are we doing this for? The answer always is simple, us. We need to celebrate ourselves and our accomplishments so that we feel nourished and recharged to best help another. Thanks for sharing and I am glad this post gave you some food for thought.
Elizabeth