Self Care with Nurse Nick

We, as nurses, have a demanding and hard job. Not only is it physically difficult but it is emotionally difficult. When we care for patients we give them our heart, soul and mind so that we can provide them with the best compassionate and holistic care that we can. 

Doing this can come at a cost to ourselves, and many nurses find themselves burnt out. 

Even our personal situations may make it difficult for us to cope. Whether it be financial, relationships, family, or anything at all, sometimes we need to focus on ourselves and recentre.  

This blog is written based solely off my recent personal circumstances. 

​Just to set the stage a bit, I will be the first to say that I haven't really had much of a difficult life. I have always had super supportive parents that were always there for me, and I have always had amazing friends. I never put much thought into looking after myself, because it came naturally. The last three months have been testing, and it's really changed my views. (A quick thank you to everyone who was there to help me pick up the pieces. It means the world). My personal circumstances made it difficult to complete my university work, and to remain focused at work, but I pushed through and overcame the difficult times, and I know you can too. 

I learnt a lot about how to look after yourself when times are tough, here are some of my tips. 

• Remain resilient - now this doesn't come naturally, and it takes practice and work. Resilience relates to our ability to overcome adversity.  I think in general nurses are good at practicing resilience, and helping each other.
• Do things outside of work - whether that be getting out of the house and going to the gym or the beach, or wherever your favourite place is. I found that going to the beach really helped me clear my mind. Even cleaning the house can be therapeutic - trust me, my house hasn't been cleaner! 
• Find humour - try joking about whatever is bothering you. Nurses are known for their twisted sense of humour, so why not make more jokes? If you can joke about it, then it looses its power. 
• Learn something new - learning something new can be an amazing distraction, and once you've learnt it you'll feel satisfied and proud of what you have achieved. It doesn't even have to be something formal. I learnt how to skate board, which was amazing since I have terrible balance. It got me out of the house, and gave me a great distraction. 
• Friends, Family and Support - probably one of the most important things are our friends, our family and our other supports (yes, your dog counts!). Most of the time these people know us better than we know ourselves, they'll answer your 2 o'clock in the morning crying phone call, or drag you out of the house, and they'll even be your shoulder to cry on. 
• Professional Help - sometimes we just need to talk to someone like a psychologist who can help us figure stuff out, and thats okay. Most work places have their own counselling services, or you can see a private practice psychologist. 

We all learn to cope and be resilient in our own way. These are just a few of things that I found helped me a lot. 

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If you need help - 

Lifeline Australia provides 24 hour crisis support on 13 11 14
Beyond Blue provides 24 hour support on 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline provides 24 hour supports to children and teenagers 1800 55 1800
QLife provides support to LGBTI people between 3pm-12am on 1800 184 527

​In an emergency call 000

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