?Can nurses "nurse themselves"?

[CPHaggertySmykl]

A friend and classmate and fellow nurse is very sick. As we talked about her "to do list" which stressed her while ill, we realized what bad patients nurses are.

We discussed what we would tell a patient of ours in her position. I asked her if she thought she could do even ONE self care action for HERSELF. We laughed, but this is a bigger question for nursing as a profession. HOW CAN WE TRULY NURSE OTHERS WHEN WE DO NOT PRACTICE SELF CARE? Does anyone else ever wonder this same thing???

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

This stress is other wise known as burnout. You don't have to start out being sick, but you sure can end up being so...if you keep on "giving/caring and caring/giving"....until you are all given out.....then you GET sick.

Nurses generally are pretty bad about stopping and smelling the roses, we just keep on keeping on and sooner or later.....we will have given our all and left nothing for ourselves.

And I can tell you from my own experience....there is no one out there to replenish you. They will just go onto the next Nurse and suck the life out of them too.

That sounds negative and I guess it is. Take care of YOURSELF first!!

[kids]

Keep meaning to ask: how you are feeling lately?

I feel like crud and it's looking like I'm gonna hafta fight the Insurance company.

-nancy

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I guess Im better. Only running on one cylindar so to speak.

I actually was able to fold some towels and put them in the bathroom . That's a task because it takes bending over to the dryer to get them out. :)

All I know is if we don't watch out for ourselves, believe me.....NO ONE ELSE does!!!! Please don't give up just because the insurance company thinks they can beat you!!!!

P

[zumalong]

hey CP great thread. I am taking care of myself!!? I think many of us become nurses because we need to have someone to take care of. Glad to see you could get on board. Maintaining peak flows at 50% norm:p

Love ya Zumalong