Please note: The red bold font is me, the smart assed nurse-turned- metaphysician/ holistic transpersonal counselor for nurses in the eye of the storm of their burnout.
This article was published on Careerbuilder.com.
"The following article was written by Kate Lorenz, who is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues". This article obviously was written without regard to the specific issues related to the nursing profession, or any other healing profession. For the sake of clarity (and driving home a point or 10) , my comments, hence points of view will be easy to distinguish from the original author. My goal is to indicate that the profession of nursing is so unique, so authentic, not only in it's scope, but in the approach that must be taken. The counseling strategies I utilize at my practice, Nurse Your Spirit, LLC, will not only remove the bandaids from the wounded nurse's boo-boos and truly create deep self healing, but by doing so, will enhance the nurse's work environment, hence the profession of nursing as a whole. How? Because you are contagious, and it begins with you.
" Do you think you never have or never will experience work burnout? Consider these statistics:
• The American worker has the least vacation time of any modern, developed society.
• In 2007, 20 percent of workers said they would be checking in with the office while on vacation.
• More than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress, and 77 percent say they feel burned out on the job.
• Forty-four percent of working moms admit to being preoccupied about work while at home and one-fourth say they bring home projects at least one day a week.
• Nineteen percent of working moms reported they often or always work weekends.
• Thirty-seven percent of all working dads said they would consider the option of taking a new job with less pay if it offered a better work/life balance.
• Thirty-six percent of working dads reported they bring work home at least one day a week and 30 percent say they often or always work weekends.
These statistics, taken from CareerBuilder.com surveys of American workers, demonstrate the pressures employees in the United States are under to be available to the office, despite responsibilities -- or plans -- away from work. All this, coupled with longer work hours and many individuals handling the workloads of two, can easily lead to worker burnout.
If you think burnout on the job is just an excuse used by the weak to get out of responsibilities, think again. Stress and burnout can affect your immune system and has been linked to migraines, digestive disorders, skin diseases, high blood pressure and heart disease. It causes emotional distress as well". Yup. And seriously, will cause a separation of mind and spirit, spinning you into a vortex of darkness, until you really address the core issues. What led you to want to be a nurse to begin with?
"Job burnout is a response to work stress that leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, fatigued, drained and frustrated," writes Dr. Audrey L. Canaff, a UC Foundation Assistant Professor in the Counseling Program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in her article on WorkplaceBlues.com. "But since job burnout is not an overnight occurrence, it's important to recognize its early signs and to act before the problem becomes truly serious." Before it becomes truly serious? You are led down the road to heal others already primed for burnout. It does not magically occur. The system only makes things worse by adding undiluted Dakin's solution right into the wound of your soul.
"Consider these five warning signs of burnout:
Sign No. 1: Your co-workers are walking on eggshells around you.
If you find yourself becoming cranky and irritable with co-workers you used to get along with, it may be more than just typical interpersonal dynamics". Does fantasizing about giving your unit manager an ice water enema fall into this category?
"Sign No. 2: You come in late and want to leave earlier.
You used to wake up in the morning excited for another day, but now every day you dread heading into the office. Once lunch" lunch "passes you start watching the clock, counting the minutes to the end of the day.
Sign No. 3: Apathy has replaced enthusiasm".
Enthusiasm: Hi, I am nurse Perky. How can I help you?
Apathy: Listen, You think YOU have problems?
"You feel no motivation, no sense of accomplishment and have no desire to be challenged. Those who have burnout lose their motivation to perform, as well as their feelings of pride for a job well done.
Sign No. 4: You've lost camaraderie with co-workers.
You're no longer interested in the company network. You used to go to lunch", Ha! What lunch? "go out for drinks and participate in other company functions but now have no desire in socializing in or out of the office". The office=the dungeon, otherwise known as the floor/unit.
"Sign No. 5: You're feeling physically sick.
You always feel exhausted, have headaches, feel tension in all of your muscles and are having trouble sleeping. These physical signs are common indicators of job stress, and demonstrate that this can turn into a physical problem.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, it's time to make some changes. "Newsflash. There will be nothing to change mid stream, if you addressed your energetic attraction to healing others in the first place. "You can start by talking to your boss or someone in your human resources department", where I am certain they will be totally empathetic, give you a hug, and tell you to take the rest of the day off "about how you can confront the problem together" together, eh? Is that the same as being told to pull yourself up by your boot straps and get back to work? "by redefining deadlines", Sorry admitting, I can't take that new admission. Listen, dying guy in 201-b, can you just hold off until after my shift is over? "delegating or outsourcing a project or two. In her book "Stress Management for Busy People," Carol A. Turkington recommends taking these proactive steps:
Please consider the following, and find the commonalities in these examples.
Learn to say no".
Patient: Nurse? I need to go to the bathroom.
Nurse: No.
"Reevaluate your goals". K. My goal is to not be here. Maybe this is a good time to move to that remote village in Strunghofthinguaniaxtaplan. Wee!
"Reduce your commitments at work and at home". Simple. I can do that right away.
"Learn stress management skills". Yawn.
"Get plenty of rest and eat a healthy diet". Can you hand me that nail file...(so I can stab myself in the eye with it)?
"Finally, give yourself a break. This means taking your vacation days, no matter how important your job is, and taking little breaks every day to re-group, re-energize and unwind". I can hear nurses everywhere saying, "Why the hell didn't I think of that"?
"Remember, if you don't take care of yourself in the office, you work will suffer and your health may pay the price, too". As simple as that! It's magic! Go on. Flip that switch and make it all go away.
Well? What do these things have in common? Think about it. What are the deep seeded reasons for saying yes, not knowing limitations, spreading yourself too thin, and desiring to help people?
Self Love and Boundary Issues. Wearing the Wounded Healer Archetype like a Heavy Cloak, for starters.
Why were you energetically attracted to becoming a nurse healer? The treatment of inevitable burnout exists in the answer to this question.
Nurse Your Spirit. Love yourself enough to do so. Be true to yourself. Heal your heart, make sense of your glorious Self..and by doing so, you will help to heal your environment and the profession of nursing, one nurse at a time. Now that, my dear kindreds, is the way it's done.
http://www.nurseyourspirit.com/
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