How nurses can namasleigh the holidays and make peace with stress
The holidays are here and almost everyone is taking a pause. People are buzzing with joy, party vibes, travels, fun, family, friends.
And for more and more folks, there is the other side of joy. Work, stress, pain and suffering.
Nurses do not get to pause. Medical emergencies and sick patients do not wait for Christmas to pass.
To make things worse, the holidays brings with it a higher rate of casualties from drunken brawls, overdoses and MVA’s. It can truly put a damper on your spirits and create anxiety and loneliness. Despite the overwhelming experience of trying to balance life, work and social activities during the holiday season, there IS some relief.
Here’s how you can namasleigh your holidays & create peace:
1. OH the to-do’s! Have no fear of perfection.
We all have that endless list of to-do’s that taunt us. You try to check things off, get things done but there’s ALWAYS more to do. Resist the need to reach perfection. None of us ever reach it.
Do you REALLY need to attend every event? Select your activities carefully. Match them to your time, resources, and energy levels.
You do not need to feel guilty if you can’t attend a charity event.
Remember you are serving others everyday through your work. Your service. In YogaNursing we call it your Sacred Service. Like a good nurse in the ER of endless tasks, TRIAGE the ones that need to be done first. Remember your ultimate goal is peace for yourself and everyone in your life.
2. You already have the perfect gift to give…
Cut down on the shopping and don’t spend your days in search of the perfect gift. Instead shop for your general state of happiness. Go shopping for peace – a gift that will live on in the hearts and minds of your loved ones well beyond your years on earth.
My fondest childhood memories aren’t the toys that I got but the joys that I experienced with my family.
Play board games, tell stories, create memories. Being present is the best present.
Love your fellow nurse and shift switch! If Christmas isn’t a day you celebrate, give the gift of time and shift switch with a nurse that really wants to be home for Christmas.
“It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that matters but who’s around it.” Charlie Brown
“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” – Burton Hills
3. Cure your fomo and bring the fun to work.
Both you and your patients are longing for the same thing. To be around family and friends for the holidays. It can be lonely and bothersome spending your time in a hospital but there’s many creative ways to create joy while you work.
Create a vibe for your patients and colleagues that everyone will love.
Time permitting, decorate, integrate uplifting art and soft music. Offer a gentle and safe therapeutic yoga class in your unit. Or simply guide a few, easy stretches from the YogaNurse Seven Essential Postures.
Do something special for your work family. Example: arrange for a safe visit from a furry friend to their sick owner or make a platter of delicious snacks to share with your coworkers.
4. Find peace instead of going to pieces.
We cannot control everything that goes on around us and the randomness of the world makes it difficult to find peace but you can reframe the way you see it. When you feel like you’re falling apart, as always, it begins with your breath. Whatever you are doing, or ‘overdoing’ – take 3 deep sacred breaths. Do it now. As you read this. 🙂
Here’s a special guided meditation I made for you to create peace through personal reflections, suffering and create compassion for yourself and others.
Click here to listen to the meditation now.
“Let your higher Self be in the forefront of your awareness.”
Annette Tersigni, Founder of Yoganurse ®
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