HAPPY NATIONAL NURSES DAY!!!
It seems like the more I give talks and presentations about how to PowerUp Your Life, it always comes down to having your very first building block in life skills down – Taking Care of YOU!
- From Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits where he preaches independence – The first 3 habits are geared towards you taking care of yourself – handling your personal business before you can reach interdependence – being able to help and work with others.
- Napoleon Hill’s best seller – Think and Grow Rich – The first principle is having a positive mental attitude.
- I can’t talk about self-care without a shout out to the amazing Rachel Hollis – the famous author of “Girl, Wash Your Face”, where she asks us to stop believing the lies about who we are so we can become who we are meant to be – Her Sunday Routine is all about self-care as your #1 priority for fueling your goddess energy for the rest of the week. Wash your face, y’all! (Yes, I live in Texas!)
- Brene Brown – The courage to be YOU! No explanantion is necessary for this one!
I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get it – from time tested expert advise to next-gen conversationalists, everyone agrees that self care is by far the biggest game changer when it comes to ensuring that you have the energy and ability to do your very best. Every. Single. Day.
National Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 6 to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. Coincidentally I will never forget because this is the day my little bambino Zakai was born – Baby #3. Happy Birthday, Zakai! He had some amazing nurses caring for him!
It also marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale.
So why is Nurses Day making think about self-care?
Nurses are taught to care for others.
Nurses have dedicated their lives to the care for others and it got me thinking about how nurses need to recharge their batteries more than any other profession.
“For the sick it is important to have the best.”
Florence Nightingale
The ability to be highly focused and attentive to another person’s needs leads me to believe that nurses must be really good at taking care of themselves. I even imagined that there must be courses entirely dedicated to training the nurse how to destress and “self-care” to combat stress and promote their own health, so they can model self-care.
The best way to be able to care for others is to start with caring for yourself.
“You cannot keep giving to others if you do not give to yourself, first. It is like pouring water from a vessel: you cannot pour and pour without ever refilling it – eventually, it will run dry.”
Leslie K. Lobell
Since I know a few nurses in my life, I know that self-care for nurses may seem obvious but it is not the norm, so I wanted to share some awesome ideas on how you can take even take a 2-minute mental break and feel a win that will pour into the rest of the day. Reality Check: going to a day spa would be a dream, but I have three kids, a full-time job and business that keeps me time-crunched, so these ideas are things that I can do – even if it only takes me 1 or 2 minutes. Self-care is not optional, it’s essential. Let’s do this!
- Take a long shower. I know, seems so simple, but seriously! When you are a mom of 3 and do the amount of life living I try to cram into this one life, taking a shower feels like a spa treatment.
- Sign up for a boxing class. GO PUNCH A BAG AND JUST LIVE! It’s AH-MA-ZING!
- Take a walk around the block, or go somewhere for a long hike. I have a baby, so this one is easy, and a dog to walk. But if you don’t, just go by yourself. No special gym clothes. Just go. Even if you are barefoot – GO!
- Write down a list of things that you enjoy doing. Even if you don’t get to do them, writing down these things will increase a sense of self-awareness and it should take you less than 1 minute to write a few things down. Mental note: If you cannot come up with ONE thing that you enjoy, then we need to talk. 🙂
- Set a reminder in your day at about 3:30 that says, you’re amazing! Trust me, you will thank me when you’re having a bad day and that reminder pops up. Like a hug from the universe! LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! At the very least you will smile for 1 second before the tornado you’re going through is back in sight. But if you do have a moment when you get that alert, take a moment and count the number of ways you are amazing to yourself, your family and your community!
- Meditate for 30 seconds…try more if you can. No pressure. Ok.. sorry – I meant to say, no pressure, no diamond. Do you want to be a diamond?! The answer is YES! – then meditate already! It’s allllll oooovvveeeerrrr the news about how amazing your life will be if you do. Join in! You will not regret it!
- Read your favorite book – even if it is just a paragraph or two.
- Watch something funny – even a vine (7 seconds, give yourself 7 seconds.)
- Tonight, go to sleep early and get at least 7 – 9 hours. I know. TRY!
- Check in with yourself. Write yourself a letter asking how you are doing. Be your best friend for a minute!
- Take a shower and put on some clean fresh comfortable clothing.
- Light a candle.
- Take a hot bath – bonus – go under water!
- Take a day off of work and go to the beach or the movies – or just stay home and clean with no one home – if that’s what excites you! (Speaking to myself)
- Write down a few things you are thankful for.
- Write down a list of people you are thankful for.
- Go outside, look at the sky, and imagine that your mirror you from another dimension is doing the same. Feel the love from the universe!
- Schedule a time block on your calendar where you have an appointment with yourself for 2 hours to do WHATEVER you want! Weekly! YES! You are you and no one else is more important than you! Put your oxygen mask on first and get that appointment in your calendar. If you cancel your appointment then create a horrific punishment like donating money to a cause you don’t believe in. For me… the KKK. Yeah, I am not missing MY appointment!
- Listen to your favorite song, on repeat!
- #TreatYourself, girl! GO GET WHATEVER IT IS! If this was your last day on this amazing earth as yourself – what would you want!? Your future you will thank you!
- Write down what you’re thinking and feeling right now.
- Go on a run for 5 minutes – or more if you feel up to it.
- Do some Yoga – youtube is full of free yoga!
- Watch your favorite movie or TV show from childhood.
- Take a nap, and even if you don’t sleep, just lay there and think about yourself! Yes, be selfish!
- Plan a trip overseas. Even if you cannot afford to go financially, dream a little and who knows… dreams come true!!!
There are so many other things, so whatever you do to destress, make it personal, you are unique, so dont try and do it like someone else. What floats your boat may not even be on my radar – like fishing – Dont know what that’s about. Anywho – Make it special to you, because you are special and the world needs you to be your VERY BEST so you can infect us all with your joy and peace and happiness…and whatever else you get to enjoy because you love yourself so much!
#HappyNursesDay and Happy Take Care of Yourself Like You Are Your Own Nurse Day! ……I meant to write that as a hash tag but … you get it!
Love you lots! #PowerUp #LiveLoveLearn