Bringing Your A-Game as a Nurse!
As we learn how to become a professional, we realize the duties associated with our role. When we look at the medical industry, from the perspective of a patient, we learn to place a lot of trust in our medical professionals, but this means in order to become a professional that is trusted by patients and doctors alike, we've got to learn how to bring our A-game. Everybody is aware of the pressures medical professionals are under, and this means that when we are going through at halftime in our professional lives as a nurse or a doctor, we've got to remember some key components to ensure that we are doing our best for everyone else, as well as ourselves. How do we do this?
Providing the Image You Want to Exude
It's crucial that we learn how to develop the image of the professional that we want to be. If we feel anxious or we struggle to understand our internal qualities that we can externalize, we have to go from the outside in, rather than the inside out. As they say, you've got to fake it until you make it. As a professional nurse, you may feel that you aren't serving yourself well, especially if you are given unflattering scrubs that don't make you look like you are in charge of the situation. But there are other suppliers around that can help you. You can see the best scrubs looks for your body shape by Uniform Advantage, as well as other suppliers to ensure we look the part.
When you learn how to provide a specific image, this is a timely reminder that you are being the professional you want. Take it upon yourself every morning to look in the mirror and remember that you are in charge, and when you start to realize this, you need to dress accordingly. It's always a good idea to look at the people you admire, and what is it about them that you wish you had? It could be about changing your posture, developing new attitudes, or altering your mindset.
Creating the Mindset to Deal With Whatever Comes Your Way
When we go through the doors in the morning, we don't know what is going to greet us. There could be an abundance of situations that we have to learn to deal with. This can be very anxiety-inducing. But many medical professionals thrive on the challenge of the unknown. However, it isn't always like this. Every medical professional can experience anxiety, or worry about a procedure that they have to complete in order to save someone's life. This is why it is crucial for us to create the mindset that we can deal with anything. One of the best things you can start to do is visualize your day. Visualization is an amazing tool because you start to make connections with what is going to happen but also go through every possible scenario and its permutations, combined with what you can do about them. Doctors will visualize their most complex medical procedure before they venture through these front doors, so this gives them the opportunity to prime their brain. You can do exactly the same.
You can also deal with the other ways. If you have a constant battle with your mindset, and there is that negative voice in you, you have to remember that it's about the practice of priming your mind. One of the best ways to do this is to practice positive affirmations as this is going to retrain your brain. Look at how athletes and other professionals get themselves into the frame of mind to bring their A-game in an intimidating environment. In many ways, it's like a performance, especially if you feel that you struggle to bring your A-game. When you start to talk to yourself positively, this does a very interesting thing over time, as it slowly retrains your brain to think better and more positive thoughts.
Keeping Fit (without Overexertion)
It is crucial to be fit and healthy, but in industries where people have to overexert themselves on a daily basis, it's not beneficial to go and annihilate themselves in the gym. We have to remember there is such a thing as overtraining, and as any medical professional will attest to over the last year, the pandemic has caused so much in the way of exhaustion. But this means you've got to learn how to keep yourself fit in the right ways. You can certainly go to the gym, but you've got to learn your limits. The important thing is to not deplete your energy by doing high-intensity training. But this is where there are other ways for you to make the most of exercising without trashing your body in the process.
One of the best ways to improve your strength and to make sure that you don't get weaker is isometrics. Something that was used by bodybuilders 60 + years ago, but fell out of favor. But for any medical professional or individual that needs to maintain strength and build upon it without actually weakening themselves, isometrics have a host of benefits. The best thing about isometrics is that it takes precious little time. We have to remember that our body is a machine and we've got to the point where we think that in order to reap the benefits we've got to drain ourselves. But as you will know, completely eradicating yourself of any energy zaps the joy out of your life. This is why you've got to exercise smart, rather than hard.
A Healthy Framework
Naturally, you need to eat well. The big problem that we all have these days is that we don't know which is the one true path to eating healthily. But as a health professional, you need to work with your body, rather than against it. This means tuning into what is going to hit your body hard after you’ve eaten it. So, the best thing for you to do is to map out your shift and understand how you can keep your energy levels maintained. If you want to boost your energy, this means eating light at lunchtime, but also realizing when you have completely depleted your energy source.
We think that we need to lose weight, but if we are constantly on the go, we must realize the importance of solid energy that we can utilize right away. Also, do not underestimate how many calories your brain burns as well! The brain burns approximately 330 calories daily, which isn't a huge amount, but if you are already trying to lower your calorie intake, this could be the reason you're not firing on all cylinders.
Learning to Care and Empathize More With Every Passing Day
We talked about being healthy and focused, as well as our mindset, but you must remember the most important aspect of being a nurse is learning to empathize and to be caring. Caring, empathy, and compassion are three different things but are usually lumped into the same category. This means that you've got to exercise all three components effectively so you are doing your job to your best abilities. Empathy is something that you can hear in a patient’s feelings, but this doesn't mean that you have to agree with what they think. Compassion is a part of what being a nurse is, and when we have too much compassion, this can be to our detriment. You must remember that you have to focus on the act of self-preservation.
You need to be aware when you are internalizing emotions because this will erode you from the inside. If you start to internalize each aspect of pain and suffering a patient is experiencing, this will drain you. You also need to remember that it's not about being cold and heartless. You may experience this attitude from doctors, but you have to remember that they are going through a practice of self-preservation. This is why you can be caring, compassionate and empathetic, but also making sure that you are not completely losing yourself in the process.
In order to bring your A-game as a nurse, it's about making sure that you are a well-oiled machine because you need to exercise excellent judgment, anticipation, and energy. This means you need to develop the appropriate components, not just to make sure that you are able to deliver day after day, but also that you are able to look after yourself in the process. It isn't an easy thing to do, because you are constantly pushing yourself beyond your limits, but you have to remember that there is a life outside of the job. Many people believe that in order to have a satisfactory life that they've got to give their career. But it's incredibly important that as a nurse, someone who has to exude empathy and energy on a superhuman level, that you allow yourself the opportunity to step back. It is not easy, but if you look at these four practices you will make a significant difference.
