I love the word nurture. Possibly it stirs up the mothering, womanly, and caring instincts in me. Nurses are nurturers. As a nurse, I will apply the word to how we care for our selves, our family, and patients, and finances. How do you currently care for your patients? Are you task oriented? Are you a nurturer? Do you set your intentions to be a nurturer, but find yourselves tasking due to patient load, acuity, or just “so much to do”?
A few years ago I was enrolled in an online university and I was taking some nursing classes. My “ah ha” moment came with the very first class. I had been a nurse about 17 years at this point. A realization hit me. I had been practicing nursing as a medical model. Don’t get me wrong. We as nurses need to be skilled in the science of patient care. How else would we pick up on those subtle changes and responses to the medical treatment we administer? Something was missing. The missing element was the reason I went into nursing to begin with. I wanted to help people. Florence Nightingale was my hero. She was the caring, nurturing, and healing individual that aspired me when I was 14 years old. I remember sitting in one of the commons areas at my local high school prior to class as a freshman. My “calling” was a knowing. I knew I wanted to be a nurse. It was my destiny. Think back. When was that time in your life that you “knew”? I found a new model.
You know, what is old, becomes new again? It does not only apply to fashion. Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN- BC, FAAN. Have you heard of her? Do a little research if you have not. She is the founder of Watson Caring Science Institute. Her website is @www.watsoncaringscience.org. She currently has a worldwide project called the Million Nurse Caring Field Project. She has monthly meditation videos. The university I was attending had “adopted” Dr Watson’s caring model as the basis for their nursing education. I was in love with nursing again. Dr. Watson developed her model and has 10 Caritas (caring concepts). I would love for nurses everywhere to read, incorporate, and practice within their sphere of influence Dr. Watson’s caring concepts.
Are you a nurturer? Do you nurture yourself as well? Nurture your self as in taking time for the the mind/spirit connection. Nurture your health as in health of self and teaching others about health/wellness. I recently had an awesome experience as I attended a yoga retreat led by a nurse. We had green smoothie fasting all weekend, and I was really allowed and encouraged to nurture myself. It was an experience that changed my life and as a result I knew nurses needed to be exposed to learning how to make conscious decisions toward their self-care.
I use several things on a day to day basis including better choices in nutrition and I also implement essential oils for stress and grounding. What do you do to nurture yourself? I am learning yoga now and paying much more attention to my breathing. This process of the breathing is so important, and I learned this concept during 2 wellness coaching programs I invested in. To have an entire weekend where I could really practice my breathing and relaxation techniques was of more value than anything I had experienced in a long time.
The takeaway, is that I want nurses to realize how important self-nurturing is. What I am developing as a result of my nursing experiences over the past 25 years whether those experiences have been positive or negative. How many times have you gone an entire shift and not gone to the bathroom? How many shifts have you worked and not taken in any water? How many shifts have you not eaten anything? How many times have you gone home and have been so stressed out you couldn’t relax and sleep? It is now time to step away from the edge and invest in you!
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