The Importance of Self-Care in Nursing
The Importance of Self-Care in Nursing
Nurse burn-out is a term which has gained more attention over the past few years post the COVID-19 pandemic. Let's briefly discuss what nurse burn-out is. Nurse burnout is defined by the World Health Organization (2019), as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. This syndrome is characterized by feelings of distance, anger, resentment, dread or feelings of hostility towards the work environment which in my opinion is a form of depression. Nurse burn-out is currently not considered a medical disorder however the signs and symptoms clearly mimic a depressive state.
Burn-out comes subtly, the signs are often ignored, and it starts from the very early morning when it's time to leave for work. Ask me how I know, well I suffered from it. At times it was an argument with myself and my feelings to get out of bed. Nursing takes a lot out of you, especially after the pandemic many of us suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is another important topic that I will discuss at a later time. During the recent pandemic many of us were praised as heroes but yet many of us don't feel like heroes instead we feel like zeros. The physical and mental demand of this job and in many cases limited available resources to help create one tired and burned out individual. While I suffered from burn-out, I tried to keep positive, I tried to find my happiness in my work each and everyday. I love my patients and that is what helped to keep me going.
The love I have for my patients is not enough though. I had to learn the hard way that self-care is critical to stay alive in this field. My goal with this article is to remind you of the importance of self-care before this career consumes you.
As nurses we see some of the most beautiful things in life such as childbirth and optimal recovery to the most tragic things in life such as trauma, abuse, disease and death. War military veterans come to my mind when I think of other careers. Our experiences are what make our careers and minds valuable, but our experiences can cause great sadness, especially if minimal support is felt. The end result is sadly a burned out nurse. The burned out nurse doesn't do their job efficiently due to fatigue, lack of energy, the risk for mistakes increases and overall standard of patient care declines. Post-pandemic I found myself exhausted, feeling unappreciated by my employer, tired and at times angry. If it was not for my long history of hospital visits with my disabled parent over the years to remind me the importance of providing excellent patient care, I don't believe I would have had much left to give. These are the ways I pushed through and survived.
My solution was hiking, doing my nails, and dinner dates with my daughter. I used my time off and I kept busy with healthy activities. At one point I had a bunch of basil plants in my apartment window, you name it I tried it. New random hobbies, I started traveling with or without company, I started to read self-help books for their advice. Ultimately, my time was well spent. I had things at home to look forward to.
The struggle of getting through the day was still a big challenge despite my new hobbies. I found myself thinking about my bad day for too long after work. It was always the same nonsense, unsafe nurse to patient ratios, additional job tasks added due to limited staff and at times, the culture and attitude of other nurses. Yes, you heard me say it, the culture and attitude of other nurses. Because being a registered nurse isn't hard enough, let's be bullies to each other. I'll say it, I have cried my eyes out after many shifts with the way I have been treated but those experiences are why I can comfortably say I pulled through the toxicity of my profession and now I am better than ever.
I realized that constantly drowning in my work problems was not helping when I was trying to accomplish inner peace and love again so I made a promise to myself to reflect on my drive home and be done with it by the time I park my car. Some days used more of my brain capacity than others but no matter how bad my day was, how nasty the other nurses were to me, or how short staffed we were that day I was done when I put my car in park. It was hard to not go on and on in my mind, but I started getting into that style of thinking and soon enough it became my routine. Combining my self-care hobbies and my promise to not stress too long over it, I started to expand my mind and I started to love my work more and appreciate it much more. I refound myself in my career, I felt basically new again but much smarter this time. No longer did I care what others' opinion of me was, my opinion mattered and what was important to me was providing excellent patient care.
Too often I have heard it from families and their complaints of other nurses and their attitudes and it only makes me question, why. Why are they in this field? Why are they taking it out on the patient? I think the answer is simple, most of us are burned out. The care is reflecting on a systemwide issue. Nurses need the same compassion military veterans receive for their mental health. We need to uplift one another, not destroy one another.
I believe that more can be done especially from these bigger hospital chains, but I'm not in politics, I'm simply a nurse and my goal is to promote action that comes from within.
Take time for yourself. Find some random hobbies you never thought you could do, grow a garden, draw a picture, honestly who cares the world is full of endless possibilities. Take a mental health day if you need to, spend that extra day with your family, and if you're tired then rest, but don't rest too long, life is short, you can't live while you sleep. Always remind yourself that someone out there needs what you can offer them and that is a reward in itself, but do not neglect yourself.
Lastly, don't be afraid to look out for yourself. Don't be afraid to speak up when needed. Use your voice to be your own advocate. For all the new and seasoned nurses, we are important and we are someone's hero. We are the first person a baby sees when born and the last person someone may see in death. Our voices matter and I know this seems like an endless battle with this career, but this field needs us to be brave.
Reference
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Burn-out an “Occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
