Counselling Blog for Nurses

Many of us go into nursing to care for others and to make a difference. It is a very rewarding career, but very little is talked about the wear and tear it takes on a person both on the job and off the job, from the long shifts to then demanding workload. Nurses are expected to be on the front lines and get the job done at all costs, but to those who don’t fully understand what goes on for a nurse outside the patient room or between the patients’ rooms don’t understand the constant running, the nursing bladder, the charting, the preparation for the act of caring, the multiple medications for one patient, etc. What patients, patient’s families, and even hospital administration don’t see is the constant stressors nurses endure to get their impossible list of “to do” items done on their shift all the while trying to make space for the act of relational caring. How can the nurse do both when there is literally no space to do both the physical work of healing and the mental, psychological work of slowing down and looking into the eyes of their patient and being there with them. This constant internal conflict and feeling of not getting everything done may lead to nurses feeling shame of “I’m failing”, “I don’t know enough”, and “why am I the only one not getting my work all done”. These thoughts can lead one to feel shame that leads to isolation because of thoughts like: “no one else is struggling like me”,and “I will embarrass myself and my fellow nurses will look down on me if I ask for help”. If any of these thoughts or experiences of nursing relate to you, YOU are definitely not alone! The truth is nursing has become more demanding than ever before and you are feeling the impact of the stress. There may be different ways this shows up for you and there may be more than one way this presence in your life. Some ways you may find anxiety presenting for you are, you may find yourself having: difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, “worry thoughts”, relationally you may find yourself creating distance from others, or find yourself more emotionally unregulated resulting in conflict, find yourself getting sick more often, or feeling a sense of overwhelm or anxiety as your shift looms closer and closer, you may find yourself calling in sick more frequently, and/or find yourself exhausted all the time, which may lead to a lack of self-care. These are just some ways you may find the demands of the ever increasing workload that you as a nurse endure. If you identify with these nursing caregiver symptoms or are identifying anxiety, or burnout presenting for you I would be honoured to support you in the important work you do as a nurse.