Having a bad night

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Specializes in ER/Emergency Behavioral Health....

Ever have that kind of night/day where everyone gets on your nerves?

It is hard to deal with people barking orders at you constantly all day/night long. And you can only do one thing at a time. Ugh!

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When you have a bad night. Find a patient that is awake and that may be lonely and talk to them about their illness, hold their hand at the bedside even while you hear their stories about sickness, family, and life in general. Makes your night much better.

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Specializes in critical care.
When you have a bad night. Find a patient that is awake and that may be lonely and talk to them about their illness, hold their hand at the bedside even while you hear their stories about sickness, family, and life in general. Makes your night much better.

I had one of these last week, and she was so sweet, so thankful just to have company. For awhile, she didn't even want to talk. She just held my hand and we sat together. Such a perfect hour or so. I second this suggestion.

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Specializes in Long term care.

When I am having "one of those nights" it's usually because everyone is in need of more assistance than I can humanly handle in the moment and I get frustrated. Sitting with a patient and holding their hand and listening to stories sounds like a wonder idea but is impossible in the moment for me and in the end would only make it more difficult for me.

Instead, I go into the "staff" bathroom lock the door behind me and just stand still for a minute or two. It's quiet, noone can place another demand on me and I can just chill out and breathe.

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Specializes in ER/Emergency Behavioral Health....

That reminds me of some TV show I was watching. The girl called it a "tink and think."

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Specializes in critical care.
When I am having "one of those nights" it's usually because everyone is in need of more assistance than I can humanly handle in the moment and I get frustrated. Sitting with a patient and holding their hand and listening to stories sounds like a wonder idea but is impossible in the moment for me and in the end would only make it more difficult for me.

Instead, I go into the "staff" bathroom lock the door behind me and just stand still for a minute or two. It's quiet, noone can place another demand on me and I can just chill out and breathe.

And when you have kids, it's nice to be able to actually get some quiet time while you're in the bathroom. ?

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