November 2022

As Nursing Leaders, winter and the holiday season has a tendency to compound stressors as the year end looms. Both at work and home. If you have feelings of angst in response, your not alone. Lather on top of the end of year platter a mess of environmental agents: swirling flu storms, covid (never left), RSV and viruses a plenty... Our strained organizations can't seem to catch a break. Leaders are (again) rapidly risking becoming fatigued and demoralized. Our shared reality is, it is obnoxiously stressful out there. 

It's enough to convince myself we will endure so I'm not going to loft platitudes your way. All I can share is what personally I'm doing to manage. First up, I'm making time to asses what is bringing me joy, then do more of if. My method of choice this season ''showing gratitude". It has the science behind it as a lever for combating stress and it grounds and aligns me to my personal calling. Its also fun. I'm weaving this into my work with a gratitude journal, thank you notes, celebrating the little things, and scheduling time to take care of myself (yes including some "consistent" exercise). My goal is to amplify my gratitude gravitas. You can choose your own adventure, just make sure you take care of yourself first. We have to, countless others are depending on us to lead the way. In the words of Sister Trainor (see the Novemberd Newsletter, Time Well Spent, for full story): "Have a happy heart and be a healer. Be kind to each other. Be there when people need you"

You are the faces of courage, grace and grit.

-cmw