What is meditation? Meditation concentrates on spiritual things as a form of private devotion or reflection. Meditation engages in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) to reach a heightened level of spiritual awareness.

So, I asked what topics nurses would meditate on, or what mental exercise they would engage in. Here are a several responses:

Stress Healthy living Kindness Time management

Family Work-life balance Mindfulness

These are just a few of what I believe would be on a nursing grad and new nurse’s mind.

Mindfulness:

Staying mindful while going through a major change in life can be difficult. I would often think about what is coming, not what is happening now. How do I keep my mind in the present? Let’s work through this one together.

Picture this: “I finally graduated from nursing school after all of those final exams. Oh, my head hurts, but not as much as it will hurt with the NCLEX coming. Oh, I just know I am going to fail! I am studying Acid-base, but my head wants to know about carcdiac strips. Now I have respiratory acidosis and first degree heart block confused, and do not know which is which. Help! Change is hard!”

“So I took the NCLEX, and they asked about respiratory acidosis and cardiac strips. I got it right, by saying that respiratory acidosis is when the P wave and QRS have a prolonged period where the heart does not beat. Oh, I hope I was right. Help! Change is hard!”

“Now I am on the floor as a new nurse. Another nurse has been on the unit four months longer than me. She thinks she knows it all. She is telling me how to use the IV pump. She is telling me how to put the cardiac monitor on the client. She even tells me how to make the bed and how to give my client a bath. I go home crying every day. She makes me feel like I do not know how to do anything. It would help if she would just wait for me to ask her what I need to know, when I ask her. I already know some of what she is telling me! Help! Change is hard!”

Kindness:

Kindness is part of being a nurse. Gentleness is part of a nurse’s character. Yet, there are days I feel as if I am anything but that. My world is filled with angry people who call me names, tell me to leave them alone, and much, much more. Some even go so far as to try to harm me by hitting me and spitting at me. The oath I took to become a nurse states I will not harm, yet these people seem to be out to get me. What have I done that made me deserve this treatment? I am following the doctors' orders to help get the client better. I am here to help to administer aid in a time of need. Instead, I need the help. How can I stay kind in the light of this?

What is within my control? I can control how I move, how I talk, and how I let others touch me. I can control my actions. I can not control the other person. So, I need to think of things that help me focus on my actions. I would focus on being friendly, maybe by smiling at people even when I do not feel like it. I can be prompt in responding to their requests. I may not be able to grant their request but I can explain why I cannot, promptly when they ask. I can ensure they understand how by letting them do what they want, they would hurt themselves in the long run. I can ensure they get their meal tray quickly and that the food on the tray is hot or cold, depending on the food and how it should be served.

Not getting what you want and feeling like everyone is against you, can make you unkind and mean. But I do not have to be the one to add to the situation. I chose to be kind in ways God has shown me and what I do have control over.

Time Management and Work-life Balance:

When I see these topics in a heading, I wonder what world they live in because it is not a nurses' world. First, most healthcare facilities work 12-hour shifts. There is no work-life balance in those shifts. But that is another blog. Today’s post is about meditation. How can I meditate to achieve these things? So, let's break it down.

Time management: We just talked about it recently, and I said it involved breaking down what I needed to do and ensuring I completed it promptly. We even made a worksheet that nurses and students alike say is awesome (and helpful!).

Work-life balance? How can I do that? I work 12 hours, and my children get up and go to bed without me! I do not see my husband on the three days I work. I am exhausted when I am done, and I sleep the fourth day away. When I am home, I do what I could have done if I was not at work: grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Then, while I am at home, my phone constantly rings, wanting me to work more shifts. “We are short; could you do a 12-hour tomorrow?” This is stressful, not to mention that your physical health is at stake, as well as your mental health.

So, let's take this and break it down again.

Work

Life

Balance

This means there is a balance between what I do at work and what I do at home with my family. So, if I go with the 36 hours and get all my work done and my charting done on time, it could be 38-40 hours or more. I sleep the other hours, or am getting cleaned up to go in, or go to bed to sleep. Three days out of seven, I am away from home with family, being productive, or making memories. So, how can I work this to my benefit? First, let's use the time management we learned before, to plan our time. Schedule times for chores like dishes, cleaning, and laundry. Schedule time for making memories, like planning a day away with family two or three weeks in advance. So if work calls, you are truly busy and you can firmly say, “I have other plans, I cannot come in”. If you have your days planned, you can say “no”. But remember, if you say “yes”, you need to find a way to help with your health, especially your cardiac and mental health. You will need more rest and more time to recoup than if you have just worked your three and are done.

My last words on this topic is to remember: “a job is a job”. If you were to die today, your job would be posted tonight online for someone else to fill it. You are replaceable even if they are short. Your mental and overall health is more important than an extra 12-hour shift. Remember that at the holidays too. Unless they specifically have put in place mandatory overtime, you do not have to say “yes” no matter how hard they plead with you, or make you feel guilty, or who is working.

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