What do sleep, meditation, downward dog and hydration have in common?
In my over 40 years of nursing I have learned that nurses spend most of their time giving to others. We give to our patients, our colleagues, our family, our friends and our community. I have also learned that so much giving saps our energy and leads to burn out, depression, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction at work and at home.
I am no exception and have struggled my whole career to find balance between my work and my life. It is hard to find that balance when your life is full of obligations to your family, your friends, and all the commitments that come with living in today’s world. Add the distraction and time drain involved with keeping up with social media, e-mail and emerging technology, and I am sure there are days when you fall exhausted into bed and wonder if you got anything done at all.
So, I want to talk about one other thing that I have learned the hard way…if you don’t take the time to care for yourself, you won’t have anything left to give to anyone else.
A person who is exhausted both physically and mentally does not have the ability to care for another.
First, acknowledge that changing your behavior is hard. Experiment with what works for you and then schedule the time right onto your calendar on your phone. You need to make time for yourself before you make time for any other events. Recognize that if you have not invested this time in yourself you may not be able to manage your other commitments. This is like putting money in the bank and insures that you stay healthy and happy. Then forgive yourself when you have a day or week when you just don’t have time for yourself, and start again.
1. The research is clear that you need 8 hours of sleep every night.
This time is critical so your brain can help your body recover from the day, reset your internal clock and file your memories. It has been proven that getting 8 hours of sleep enhances your memory, makes you more creative, gives you more energy, keeps you slim and lowers your food cravings. It also protects you from cancer and dementia, wards off infections, lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It makes you feel more happy, less depressed and less anxious and best of all it is free!
2. Develop some strategies to help you manage daily stress.
My recommendation is at least 20 minutes of meditation once or twice a day, but if you don’t have time even 5 or 10 minutes can provide you with much needed stress relief. I learned the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique but there are many places also teaching Mindfulness Meditation. These places provide support, group meditation and check in to help you maintain your practice. If you are unable to do either of these then download the free Insight Timer App on your phone. It times and tracks your meditations and has links to guided meditations if you want to learn to meditate. There are other apps for meditation that you might want to investigate. The key here is to take the time to breathe, and calm your mind so you can release the stress of the day.
3. It is important to start or end your day with some stretches or light exercises.
I recommend 10 to 15 minutes of yoga stretches or 30 minutes of Tai Chi. A great yoga App that provides instruction for beginners to advanced practitioners for varying lengths of time is Down Dog and for Tai Chi, Tai Chi Fit. It is easy to make excuses to not go the gym and to not get the exercise you need. These ideas can keep you fit in just a few minutes a day at home.
4. Last but not least is being sure you are drinking enough water.
You should be drinking ½ your body weight in ounces each day. Most nurses do not want to drink water during the day because then they have to stop to go to the bathroom (why do nurses never go to the bathroom!!??). I have 2 messages here: nurses need to take their breaks (a good opportunity for 5 minutes of meditation and breathing) and they need to sit down and eat their healthy lunch or meal (no vending machine meals!).
There you have it. All I am asking is for you to give yourself 1 hour a day out of 24. You deserve it!
Renee McLeod, PhD, APRN, CPNP, FAANP