Burn out, Burnt out....

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2002

Spa getaway weekend?

ERN · Nov 22, 2002

I sympathize with you and hope that you can see your way through to feel better. I have felt many of the same things that you described except the bipolar feelings....I know i'm not bipolar...i'm not...I am ......i'm not...damn it shut up i'm trying to type. I think you describe depression and that sure is a common complaint now a days. Physically take care of yourself. Maintain your principals and values. Don't compromise these to the point where you ask yourself "What the hell am I doing here." I looked at your bio and you sound witty, interesting, and talented. Don't forget to take care of yourself. Take some time for you alone and indulge yourself in whatever makes you happy. It will give you a whole new perspective on life. Your perception is your reality.

I just have one question....might be a dumb one but here goes......What is mandation? :imbar

whipping girl in 07, RN · Nov 22, 2002

Are you eating right? Exercising? You have to do things away from work that make you a whole person (much easier said than done, as I sit at the computer, drinking a beer, eating chips at 2 AM)

I find that here lately everything I do has to do with work (either working or reading something about nursing). I think I need a hobby. Maybe you do too.

I'm gonna take my dog for a walk in the morning. Do you have a pet?

CashewLPN, LPN · Nov 22, 2002

hehe... I have pets.. (cats and dogs, and lizards)

I am naturally a kid at heart... thats me...

with the what the hell am I doing here-- I just quit my old job... starting anew on monday

Mandation is one of those things they dont tell you about in nursing school-- in some states/facilities, they can force you to work another shift in addition to the one youre working....

it sucks...

hmm... does eating right include tootsie rolls and diet soda? (they cancel each other out, right?)

and... weekend at the local spa is happening when I get my final check, all blown up from all the vacation and personal and holiday days they denied me...

So... I'll be in the money!!!

--Barbara

hapeewendy · Nov 22, 2002

you are awesome , an excellent nurse and this can lead to feelings of being burnt out , much too quickly I might add.

you are young (like myself) and I was always under the incredibly FALSE belief that only nurses who had been taking care of the sick and debiliated for 30 years could suffer burnout..

WRONGO! when you invest your time, the majority of your energy and yes your heart and feelings to people on a daily basis, well the outcomes can be very rewarding but also very taxing.

you have gotten some great advice here , and it sounds like you recognized how you were feeling and made the attempt to change the situation, good for you in doing that, many people are far too complacent.....

my hope for you is that this job is one that brings you a lot of rewards and a lot less of the petty politics that we can all do without!

you are a complex girl ,and nursing is huge part of who you are , but it doesnt define you

continue with your hobbies, past times, friends , pets and yes even tootsie rolls and keep us posted

good luck ! youre gonna do well wherever you go, I just sense that about you..

suzannasue · Nov 22, 2002

Sizzle, sizzle, crackle,...

Yes you are burned out...inabilty to sleep, moodiness...but ya know...I understand and empathize with your frustration from that employer...too many games within this profession...too many cliques...

Take care of YOU this weekend...do what you want to do...do something to rid yourself of any lingering frustration from that last job...take long baths...relax...eat plenty of chocolate and drink the diet soda of your choice... write positive affirmations and put them all over your home...

Take care YETI...you know we care...keep us posted!!!

OBNURSEHEATHER · Nov 22, 2002

Kudos to you Barbara, for recognizing this and doing something to change it! I hope you new job offers you the emotional well being that your previous job lacked.

You're right, you didn't give yourself alot of time to recoup, so you have to make this weekend all about you. Do only fun things, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Eat out for every single meal. Spend time with friends. Buy yourself something special. Doesn't have to be an expensive thing, just a new toy!

Take care, and keep us posted about the new job!

Heather

sjoe · Nov 22, 2002

"does anyone know how to de-fry ones self?? "

1) This will take a LOT longer than a weekend, so don't expect it all to happen magically or quickly. It's a lot like grieving in this way.

2) Take a lot of time for yourself, for as long as it takes, doing what YOU want to do (or what you MIGHT want to do, since it's not always clear what you actually want). Whether this would be one long block of time (as does not seem to be happenning in your case) or for shorter, but still substantial, blocks of time every week.

3) Re-acquaint yourself with your actual, personal goals. If you can see how your new job, or something else you do a lot of, brings you closer to achieving those goals, these activities will have a lot more value and meaning for you and will help nourish you. If you are not clear about what your goals are, take enough time (and reading, counseling, values testing, whatever) to define them for yourself.

For what it's worth.

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2002

Sometimes you just have to yell, scream and stomp your feet. Exercise helps. Walking the dogs, works for me and my darlings love it, think I do it for them. I walk mine at 5am (I work days) It's quiet and quiet beautiful, an almost surreal experience in a lot of ways.

Sometimes you just have to get away from a situation. There are bad fits in jobs and the best thing to do is admit it, accept it as no one's fault, and move on.

Take care of yourself.

mario_ragucci · Nov 23, 2002

Go to great kills and look at the water. Walk around at silverlake park. Take the train, get off at tompkinsville and walk to the ferry. Go window shopping on richmond ave in port richmond. I wish i could trade places with you for a few weeks because you would love portland, it's always over cast this time of year, the people get all seasonal effected here.

I would love to be where you are now, and am, in my mind. There are more people who have tattoos here than anywhere. I miss seeing grafetti, you get to see it, all i see is weird tattoos :-)

Snap out of it ! Yule be okay, and I think of you often barbara....my only friend on staten island.

Plus, you can go to a club on the island, which, is quite an event that I can only dream of at seasonal effected portland. I wish I could go out with you one night to some of the clubs in stapelton. People on the island really know how to have a good time. I'm sorry