bijoutRN

I am highly empathic. Very connected to my patients and others on a deep level. This can be a strength as a nurse and is the main reason why I became a nurse. I wanted to help make people feel better. It became a weakness when I didn't implement firm boundaries and did not practice self care. Over the years I have learned how to integrate both into my lifestyle as a practice.

Hey there fellow Empath! I understand what you’re going through 100% however, I wasn’t as aware as you are of the term Empath during my nursing career until it was “too late”. I ended up leaving after 7 years due to burn out and being emotionally drained. It didn’t help that I was oblivious at the time to what was happening and I had a very challenging time trying to articulate my experiences on a daily basis. No one understood what I was experiencing and basically wrote me off as a mental case. I had to learn the “hard” way and figure it out by myself. Fortunately, I found the light although at the time I saw no end to my emotional pain and suffering. Everything really does happen for a reason because as a result I am now a Spiritual Healer and Transformational Coach for Empaths. I still have the privilege of helping people heal just in a much more aligned way at this point in my life. Highly empathic nurses are some of my favorite clients because I am you. I would recommend that you do some research on “Being an Empath”. You’ll need to learn some tools to learn how to navigate through daily life as an energetic sponge. Feel free to message me for support. Self care is your best friend! Listen you your body.

Hello there! Soooo, have you heard of the term Empath? If not, I would highly suggest you doing some research on it. Also, have you heard of N.E.T. -Neuro Emotional Therapy? If not I would also maybe do a little bit of research on that as well. Our work in the healthcare field as nurses is very traumatic whether we are consciously aware of it or not. I left my nursing career for good after 7 years and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my mental and emotional health. Some of us are just way too sensitive for the way nursing has evolved. I knew in nursing school during clinical rotations that I wanted nothing to do with inpatient hospital nursing. I did try the OR but it wasn’t for me. I loved my home care rotation in nursing school so I became a home health/care nurse for the same Level 1 Trauma Center that I did my short stint for in the OR. I ended up caring for very ill patients anyway, but stable enough to be cared for intermittently at home. It was one of the best, most intense experiences I’ve had in my career, but it also traumatized me. However, because of my career in nursing I learned that I had a very special gift as an Empath which led me on my spiritual journey. I left nursing and took a deep dive into spiritual studies 4 years ago after realizing that my desire to be a nurse was really to help people heal on a deeper level. Something that I couldn’t achieve as a nurse, in nursing. What I’ve learned it that illness is a manifestation of suppressed pain and emotions so it doesn’t matter who you are in the world or what type of work you do, if a person has unresolved “trauma”, it’ll continue to manifest outwardly in the human body/experience. I empathize with you. It’s OK to feel deeply. As you can see, it’s rare. Take care of yourself!

I’m not sure how some can say, “you’re not giving yourself enough time to get comfortable.” Some times you just know. Like when the water is too hot, there’s no getting use to it, you fix it by adding cold to make it more comfortable. Or the tv/music too loud, you don’t just wait and “adjust” until ur eardrums bust, you turn the volume down. Or when a pts blood glucose is 250, you administer insulin to treat and monitor. There’s getting thru the rough patches and coping until you do then there’s just plain ol misery. We’re gnna die some day people! If your spirit/soul doesn’t like it, don’t sit there and suffer, just to finally be forced out one way or another later on down the line. Good for you for not numbing yourself to succumb to the abuse. Sometimes counseling helps, other times meditation, and always prayer if you’re a believer. Best wishes. You deserve to be happier.

It’s so sad that a “paycheck” is what nursing has come to for many of us. I started feeling that way too and had to make my way out. I worked so hard for my nursing degree and license and would hate for it to be jeaporidized for a paycheck. Yes we have to make a living for ourselves but we also really have to begin reconditioning our mindsets so that we aren’t trapped in this rat race FOREVER or until we become so sick, like the patients we care for, and unable to provide/care for self &/or family. We see it too often. Not to mention, since we won’t be able to wrk anymore, we won’t have health insurance, hence, will be cared for (or not) like crap! There’s such a disconnect in this, it doesn’t make sense to me.

Awe man I’m in tears laughing right now! This is way sad. I was sure you were not being literal when you mentioned pliers. Oh boy! Good for you for saving yourself. Sounds horrendous!

Please don’t beat yourself up. You’re not stupid. You are empathetic and you obviously care. You notified someone who could have further assessed the pt if deemed necessary. When you checked her she was fine. Ileostomies are tricky and some almost ALWAYS leak especially if the pts anatomy or position is funky. Next time try to reinforce it until the next person who is competent in changing it comes on and is willing t teach you. If you’re beating yourself up now, just wait until you become a nurse!

It’s so sad how much we nurses are willing to SACRIFICE our own health and well-being to care for others. I’ve cared for many former or retired nurses in my career and work with a lot of burnt out ones and it saddens me and has given me a huge reality check. Please take care of yourself you’re so young. In the meantime, try juicing and fruit/green smoothies, salads packed with protein, fruit, low carbs and low sodium and plenty of H2O. As far as exercise, I’m not too crazy about the gym but I try parking farther in the parking lot and taking stairs when I can. If you can’t get to the gym and exercise, try yoga or in place exercises/activities(jumping jacks, running in place, ect). Also be sure to get out in nature! Hopefully the sun is out and the flowers are blooming wherever you are in the world! Good luck!

Yes! Self care is very important for us nurses! Good for you! I do acupuncture, massage, chiropractor, reiki, meditation, YouTube, staycations, I mean the list goes on and on! I was Per Diem for the 1st 2.5 years of my career then went FT. Thts when all hell broke loose and I’ve been trying to set myself free ever since. 2 LOA, FT, Per Diem, back to FT then Per Diem again. My manager finally told me that I couldn’t change my status after I went PT for the last time. Our jobs aren’t easy to begin with menatlly, emotionally physically and management sometimes are no help. I hope this next year treats you well. Good luck & cont to care for yourself first! Mentally, physiclaly, spiritually, energetically and emotionally!

I thought I wrote this!!! After the first paragraph I had to scroll up and check the user name smh! I’ve been in the game for 7 yrs now and I finally put in my notice!. 2 LOA later(2 yrs apart), I can no longer do this to myself. I’ve been working towards my exit plan since the first LOA and though it’s taken some time, it’s now the end of that cycle/period/chapter of my life & HALLELUJAH, I accept! I release that energy from my life and made space for the new. It’s been real and I’ve acquired a skill set that I can easily use outside of the nursing profession! Nursing and the medical field is all about the coins and politics and that, is NOT what I signed up for. FINALLY, I’ve set myself free! Don’t be like me, I’ve known nursing was plan B for me since my first day of clinicals. I knew tht inpatient/floor nursing wasn’t gnna cut it. So i tried the OR even Nd couldn’t stand it. Been in home care for 4 years and it’s been perfect for me with the autonomy and high pay, but people are getting sicker and the hospitals are sending them home even more sick! & after 1-2 Days post op with no pain meds b/c of this opioid epidemic Thts been going on forever but now patients are suffering. Readmission rate at an all time high because of the greediness of insurance companies and hospitals. Ive been burnt out & my soul is ready to move forward and see what else I can do. I’m getting too SENSITIVE for this toxic profession and my body can’t handle it anymore. I’ll be 31 years old next month & I’m OUT! My bday gift to myself. Good luck to you gf, it’s been 3 months since this post. I hope you’ve found some peace of mind. Feel free to PM me because I GET IT 110%!

Shy? PSTD? Lol. You're clearly NOT an HSP and ARE a burned out nurse. Hope you helped yourself and gracefully bowed out by now.

Shy? PSTD? Lol. You're clearly NOT an HSP and ARE a burned out nurse. Hope you helped yourself and gracefully bowed out by now.

Oh boy! I developed anxiety, stress and depression after nursing burnt me out last year. After nursing school, I paid for a Perioperative Nursing Certification because I thought I loved the rotation during clinical. WRONG! I opted for a position in Home Health as a visiting nurse. I liked it initially, but was made a Case Manager which was way too over stimulating for me as an HSP. I had a nervous breakdown & took a 2 month turned 4 month LOA from work. Went back FT and 4 weeks later, I was going Per Diem. I can't believe I spent all that time becoming a nurse and 5 years into my nursing career I was over it. As it can be debilitating, I've spent the last year learning myself, practicing self care and really embracing my sensitivities as a HSP, empath, ect. I became certified as a spiritual life coach and started a business coaching and mentoring girls and women. I wouldn't wish my experience over the last year on anybody. I definitely let my ego win at the time. Now I'm all intuition baby!

Did I write this post 2 years ago?

Nursing has given me so many tangible and non tangible experiences and opportunities and I will be forever grateful for it. I've been a nurse for almost 6 years & was burned out by the 4th! I loved the idea of being a nurse as a child and teenager and even during college. When I began clinical, I got a hunch that I wouldn't be retiring a nurse. I'm 29 years old and left my first and last Full Time job as a visiting nurse last February after having a nervous breakdown (no good) which triggered anxiety, depression, & stress. I went and hired a life coach, a therapist, began practicing self care extensively and almost 1 year later I'm still in recovery. I've always been Per Diem except for this time around; tried adulting and failed miserably. I am now Per Diem and even that can be overwhelming for me. I guess my values have changed and my awareness has grown a lot since I was 22/23 years old and I just don't care to be in this environment anymore. Nursing doesn't do it for me like it did 3 years ago. Family and friends dont really understand because "I'm such a good nurse" but if I stay, I'll die a depressed, miserable old lady. I'm going through a transition period right now just trying to figure out what's next in my life. It really sux having a career (that most would die for) that I've worked so hard for, and be willing to lose everything and start all over again for the sake of my mental and emotional wellbeing. To each is own. Get in tune with yourself and do what feels good in your heart. We're ever evolving beings. If you change your mind later, that's okay. On to the next you'll go! Nothing is a waste of time. Just all lessons on life's journey. Good luck!