A Thought for Today

Today a friend of mine posted an article on Facebook that inspired me. I imagined what the girl in the piece must have been like and I wish I could have known her. She was young but understood something so simple and profound...something I did not learn until my late twenties:

Helping others is one of the great avenues to happiness.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/donations-pour-9-old-clean-water-cause-tragic-153811801.html

Have you helped someone lately?

Respecting Your Limit

In 2007, I had my first panic attack. At the time, I thought I was dying such was the fear and psychosis that consumed me. My body went numb and my heart beat fast. I started fading in and out and couldn’t really stand, or sit, or do anything but run back and forth from my kitchen to my living room. When the episode had passed, and the paramedics had left (I really thought I was dying), I was exhausted beyond compare.
While in my home, the paramedic explained to me, in layman’s terms, the nature of a panic attack. Essentially what happens is that when your body is under an unreasonable amount of stress, your body creates adrenaline that doesn’t get used up. Later, and for whatever cause, the adrenaline kicks itself out and storms your entire body. Your heart rate accelerates, your breathing quickens, your brain jumps to a “flight or fight” mode, i.e. PANIC.
Sharing my experience with others, I realized a great number of people suffered from panic attacks and many had decided to medicate themselves, others meditated, still others exercised. Some did a combination of everything. Soon, I had another panic attack and began to notice what set them off (they usually occurred during moments of calm or when the chaos had died down), and I began to pay attention to my reaction to them. I no longer ran around in flight mode, and I never again called the paramedics. Instead, I consciously slowed my breathing, and chanted, “I am not really dying. I am not really dying. I am not really dying.” (My episodes do something to my vision that is akin to the “light at the end of the tunnel” and my panicked and addled brain truly believes death is imminent in that moment.)
I have learned to control and manage my panic attacks, and have realized how debilitating they are; when one occurs, I am entirely useless the rest of the day for sheer exhaustion.
It has taken me four years to completely respect and honor the level of stress I can tolerate, if only to manage the number of attacks I have.
Though I do not like my disorder, having it has made me live a bit more consciously, and in being conscious, I become calmer.

image by FlickrJunkie
www.nurseapplications.com

The Pain of Exercise

Thinking the other night, I had an epiphany: If I just eat right and exercise, I’ll have a pretty great body.
Apparently, there are many fields devoted to my insight. I wish it were more complicated. I wish I could say, “Well, you know, in order to be healthy, I have to plant a tree, and then I have to feed it, and water it, and wait for it to bloom, and then I have to pick the fruit, and then I have to wash it, and cut it, and steam it, and then, THEN! I can eat it.” However, my world is such that all I pretty much have to do is go to the corner and buy a fruit, rinse it off and bite into it to get the nutritional values I need. I can also put on a pair of sneakers and walk outside to be healthier than I am.
But I tend to complicate things that make the idea of exercise so painful and cumbersome.
“I NEED the state of the art sneakers!”
“I NEED the yoga mat, and the music, and the video.”
“I NEED to purchase a gym membership for 19 bazillion dollars because, you know, it rains outside.”

I never think of gardening. Or painting my house. Or scrubbing my floors. I never think of walking to the store instead of driving.
I never think of eating carrots instead of chips—just as crunchy, but with nutrients instead of air.
I never think of using my own weight as a form of resistance.

I am thinking these things now that I’ve had my epiphany, and the strange thing is, I never finish a task that involves exercise and think to myself, “Man! What a waste of time that was!” Instead, I always feel refreshed and good. Whole.

image by dimnikolov

Eat your vegetables

If you add only one vegetable to your plate, let it be broccoli.
The incredible nutritional density of broccoli includes:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Folic Acid
Calcium
Fiber
Potassium
Zinc
Selenium
Magnesium
Beta-carotene
These things help your central nervous system, help you fight the common cold, aid in stress relief, and reduce cholesterol. The nutritional aspects of broccoli has also been linked to lowering, controlling, and/or preventing many medical issues such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, heart disease and arthritis.
Eat broccoli raw, steamed, boiled, or baked, but just eat it.


photo by Tassike.ee - Marju Randmer

The Importance of Sleep

Seems like everyday there is something on the news talking about the dangers of inadequate sleep. We rage against the airline industry and pilots who log too many hours, we know of the countless mistakes doctors and nurses make when they are sleep deprived. We cite truck drivers when they do not rest properly, and many of us know that sleep deprivation has been used a form of torture for prisoners. Our minds and bodies begin to shut down when we do not sleep properly. Recently, Anna Huffington, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post talked about the value of sleep. You can see TEDtalk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep.html

When you research the effects of sleep, you might begin to wonder why you choose to stay up late? Here are a few benefits of sleep:

Neurons repair and attach in the brain. If you’ve spent some time studying, what you studied won’t nestle into your long-term memory without sleep. Neurons fire up when learning happens, without sleep, these fired-up neurons ember out without attaching. They only attach well during sleep and when they do attach properly, learning occurs.

Bones and muscles rebuild. An athlete spends hours training, but it is during rest that muscles repair themselves. Sleep allows for quicker repairs to muscles and bone.

Skin restores. The only time I’ve ever seen someone look absolutely awful is when they are sick, or when they’ve just had an all-nighter doing something. Skin gets dark, blotchy, and yellow.

Dreaming. Whether people remember their dreams or not, most people dream. Dreaming works as a stress reliever. High levels of stress have been linked to heart disease, hypertension, auto-immune disorders, digestive problems, and weight issues.

During a past conversation, a medical profession likened sleep to a housekeeper. A housekeeper is most efficient when the house is empty--same with your body and how it functions. It is very hard for your body to repair itself when you are still moving or thinking. Sleep allows you to “check out” so that you can repair itself—mind and body.

image By hansvandenberg30

Who is Interviewing Whom?

As mentioned in the previous post, nurses have limitless career choices. A nurse can work in a hospital, a doctor’s office, a school district, a non-profit clinic, or as an in home-care provider. When interviewing for a specific employer, it is a good thing to remember that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.

It is best for all involved if you accept employment at a facility that works well with your own personality. For example, are you a natural socialite? Perhaps you should choose an employer where you get a strong sense of camaraderie and support. Do you prefer to work alone? You should find an employer that values this specific work trait.

To compare the job of a nurse to an actor, there is a lot that occurs “on the stage”, that is, with, and in front of, patients. But there is a greater amount of work that happens “behind the scenes”. Investigate what happens “behind the scenes” of the company you are interviewing. At the end of many interviews, the interviewee almost always asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” That is your time to find out about the company (above and beyond the research you did prior to the interview). Tailor your questions to find out if the company is a good fit for you.

Such questions might be:

1.) Can you tell me about how you engage in community affairs?

2.) How do you award/honor diligent nurses?

3.) What amount of time is spent doing (insert your favorite/least favorite task)?

To brainstorm your own list of questions, think about the things you enjoy (and loathe) in your current job, and compose them into questions. Then, ASK them during your interview. The key is to always stay positive and neutral.

Your prospective employer will appreciate your keen interest in their company, and you will have a greater understanding of what happens “behind the scenes”. The goal is to find a good fit for everyone: you and the employer.

Happy job hunting!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF AS YOU CHOOSE YOUR CAREER PATH

One of the primary reasons people choose nursing as a career is the numerous work options you can select. As you consider the many and varied opportunities available to you, it is a good idea to assess what you are looking for in a career now, and where you hope to be in the future. Each workplace has its own individual list of pros and cons, and asking some basic questions about your personal goals is a productive place to begin.

Perhaps the first question you should ask yourself is: What is most important to me? Do you seek community and friendships? Do you want a big paycheck and great benefits? Do you like change and excitement? Or, do you prefer security and routine? How you answer this question might influence your decision to apply at more hospitals versus smaller private practices.

Another question is: What are my career goals? Do you want to return to school? Are you satisfied with your level of education? Would you like to continue and advance in your profession, or are you content with staying where you are for the time being? If your goal is to return to school, or attend more conferences, it is important that you find employment that provides flexibility to do those things. Likewise, it is important to find employment that does not require you to go to school much if you have little interest in doing so.

A third question is: What are my immediate and long-term life goals? Do you need health insurance for your family, or are you saving up money for retirement? Would you prefer 12 hour shifts three days a week, or an 8 to 5 job five days of the week? Are you interested in working for non-profits, or do you want to work for a personal or commercial business?

A final question is: Why are you working? Have you always thought of yourself as a nurse? Or did you become a nurse to be available for your family? Do you have other dreams? Do you have a gift of healing? Does nursing fit your temperament? Are you naturally calm and patient with others? As you answer this question, think of what your heart can handle. I have a very good friend who said to me, “Pediatric nurses think they’ll be able to work with children all day, and they do, but most of the children are all sick children. Nurses who are initially interested in pediatrics have a difficult time with the reality of the job.” Ask yourself, WHY are you working and who do you want to help?

The most important thing is to recognize that there are no right or wrong answers to any of the above questions. Nursing is a career that is so varied, interesting, and necessary, that you should have quite a bit of control of where you want to work, and what you want to accomplish THROUGH your work. You will spend many hours of the day at your job. It will be to the benefit of all if you find a way to satisfy some of your own personal needs while you attend to the needs of others.

What do you think is important to consider when choosing work?

image by 姒儿喵喵