Nursing does not have a reputation for being generally easy work, and a career as a nurse presents many potential challenges. Long hours, significant risks to one’s health and safety, work-based stress, challenging colleagues and patients — there’s plenty that can try a nurse’s patience and stretch compassion to the limit. And since we don’t choose to become nurses for the awesome outfits, sexy shoes, high salaries, and glamorous lifestyles that such work affords, something else obviously calls our name.
In light of all of this, when the going gets tough, and you feel beaten down and lacking your usual energy and passion for nursing, where do you turn for inspiration that feeds your nurse’s spirit and reanimates your love of the profession and the career you’ve worked so hard to cultivate? In various ways, thoughtful humans get back in touch with the deeper meaning of life and work. So read on and see what might resonate with you.
The spiritual realm: There are those among us for whom the spiritual, devotional, and/or religious hold meaning and inspiration. You may be a person who turns to your faith to get you through the hard times. But, on the other hand, rather than faith, certain spiritual practices or observances are the touchstones that bring you back to the center.
The life of emotion: For some, it’s a dive into the emotional depths that yields the ability to bounce back from adversity. Whether through psychotherapy, counseling, or other means, processing emotions and finding deeper self-knowledge through reflection and intrapersonal insight might be your preferred avenue when you need to clear some space in your psyche and move through difficult feelings that can bog you down or trip you up.
The world of the arts: Inspiration can often be found through the arts, whether visual art, dance, writing, poetry, theater, music, or other forms of creative expression. You may seek solace in documentaries about the lives of great artists, or reading masterworks of literature provides escape while shedding light on the human condition. Whether you make art, play music, cook, bake, write poetry, knit, act in community theater, or are more of an observer or consumer of the arts, this may be how inspiration comes your way.
Other nurses and healthcare professionals: Career inspiration can be found in blogs, books, videos, journals, podcasts, and other forms of communication created and conveyed by fellow healthcare professionals. You may feed your nurse’s mind and heart through listening, reading, and consuming material that tells compelling stories with the potential to breathe life back into your commitment as a nurse. Sometimes expression by others who share your professional experience can provide a mirror through which your healing can occur.
Nature, travel, and the wider world: Writers like Henry David Thoreau, Terry Tempest Williams, and Edward Abbey have used their observations of nature and sense of place to inspire others to see their lives through a different lens. The work of figures like these may bring you to a deep place within yourself, or you may be the person who needs to walk out the door and encounter the world around you. You may encounter it on the beach, in the forest or the mountains, or in the hustle and bustle of a big city, but your inspiration may truly come more from the world around you than anywhere else.
The body: Certain individuals find that their very core self is most easily accessed through the medium of the body. You can most readily access your true self by dancing, gardening, receiving bodywork, soaking in hot springs, running, yoga, Tai Chi, and swimming — body-centered activities.
Renew, Revive, and Reanimate Your Career
The hard reality is that the life of a nurse isn’t necessarily a cakewalk. The world of healthcare has the potential to sap your strength, exhaust your body, dampen your spirit, and bring you emotional and spiritual distress. Yet, renewal and inspiration are crucial when the going gets the hardest, and knowing where to turn is paramount.
If you’ve lost touch with what inspires you and brings you solace, peace, joy, and personal insight, consider using the categories and examples above as places to begin your self-exploration. If you nurture these aspects of yourself and your personality on a regular basis by remaining observant of what is most effective and growthful, then you can have the power to heal, renew, revive, and reanimate a diminished career or a depleted personal life.
No one should spend their career sacrificing their own well-being by yoking themselves to the cross of work; thus, being aware of the personal strategies and tools that can reinvigorate your journey is an awareness well worth cultivating.
Daily Nurse is thrilled to feature Keith Carlson, “Nurse Keith,” a well-known nurse career coach and podcaster of The Nurse Keith Show as a guest columnist. Check back every other Thursday for Keith’s column.
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