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In our monthly Vitality Circle, we were sharing about working with the affirmations that were provided at the start of the VIP program (Vitality in Progress: Healing and Preventing Burnout for Nurses). Working with and building upon strengths in you and in the environment means doing more than just recognizing your successes and good work. It means taking the time to celebrate you and your accomplishments and victories. As a nurse, you often have the privilege of seeing the big picture. You see the patient/client in the context of their environment. There are physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, cultural, and economic factors that impact and influence their health. You help them find ways to maximize their strengths and wellbeing. Sometimes they invite you to come back and share in their celebration. However, when it comes to looking at your own bigger picture, you may need support in reframing your experience if you are not celebrating. Let’s give it a try~~

Nurses on the edge of Vital exhaustion or burnout are juggling lots of roles, duties, and tasks. They are accomplishing career goals yet experience a sense of “something’s not right here”. They are like a horse with a dangling carrot in front of their noses, never getting any closer to the carrot while covering lots of territories. Drawn by something outside, the horse or nurse doesn’t really get the satisfaction of getting the carrot. The carrot, in this case, would be enjoying a sense of accomplishment.

How often have you left a client/patient knowing you did excellent work?  You were present for them in a special way given their situation, or you prevented a big mistake and then went on to the next task without stopping? You did the required 20-second-hand wash, documented the interaction, took a breath and moved on to the next “to do”.

Woah! Wait! Stop!

Leaving work at work, after your shift, how often do you continue and go on to the next thing? You take a class, walk the dog, get to the gym, or take your child to a class or sports game. Leaving work at work is good boundary setting and useful for being present for the next moment.  But going from one moment to the next and the next and the next, until you fall asleep is a set up for exhaustion. Sleep comes and then a few hours later time to put on the harness, get the carrot in front of your nose and start moving forward in your life again being pushed and pulled by outside forces. Work, School, Family, Exercise, Work, School, Family, Exercise… meals and other things interspersed. Something is not right. Something is missing.

Woah! Slow Down! Stop!   You are not a horse!

Let’s reframe by using a metaphor from Mother Nature. You are actually a gardener. You are planting seeds, tending the environment, and caring about the bigger picture.  Caring for the gardener is as important as caring for the garden.  While tending your garden, you focus on the flowers, the veggies and yourself. Your experience is expansive. The celebration of small successes as they occur; watching seedlings sprout and grow, abundant pollinators decorating your flowers, the colors of the blossoms are a feast for your eyes.  You have your knee pads and the right tools. You have protection for your back and protection for your skin with your hat and sunscreen. Now the tasks of providing good soil, weeding, watering, and pruning do not feel like chores. In the end, you have a lovely garden with a potential harvest.

Celebrating your successes and accomplishments as they occur and savoring them rather than just rushing on to the next activity can become a healthy habit to apply in all aspects of your life.

Gardeners make time to celebrate the bountiful harvest and flowers. Taking time to celebrate is how you savor the accomplishment. Listening and responding to intuitions, feelings, and your sense of worthiness, rather than being drawn to that carrot outside, you discover a you that is very worth celebrating.  From this space, the acknowledgments you may or may not receive from outside are not so essential. To start, even the shift from the outside carrot focus to a gardener focus deserves celebration. After my 10 hour shift the other day, I went for a long walk in nature celebrating the hard work and successful challenges I met. After completing this blog, I will sit with a cup of tea watching the bees, savoring another accomplishment. Periodically I go on retreats.

How do you celebrate? Is it a weekend retreat, a day in nature, a special meal,  a feast for your eyes in a museum, a day with a dear friend, making a journal entry or playing music and dancing?

Join us on our free Vitality Phone call every Wednesdays  6:30-7:00 pm EST   Phone: 712-432-3066 Pin 177444

Celebrate you, building on your strengths as you pause, de-stress, and learn new ways to care for the gardener inside.

With love, Padma

Recently a new level of intensity may have been added to your already busy schedule when the possibility of the loss of health care for millions of Americans arose.

The paradox exists in taking action now and polishing the virtue of patience to consequently see the long view. How do we do both? First, it’s important to get the facts. This takes time. Second, as my holistic nurse colleague, Trish Rux said, “take your MEDS. Meditation, Exercise, Diet and Sleep.” If you don’t take care of yourself, you don’t have energy or time to be clear about what you can and cannot add to your already busy schedule. So, what does taking your MEDS look like for you? Third, health care has become a partisan issue and requires action. As you contemplate your beliefs and your thinking and action habits regarding the role of government in health care, how will you do it without dropping your MEDS?

The body does not lie. Continue to check your body for sensations that inform you about your comfort with what is happening in your world and in what ways you can show up to have your voice heard.

How do you maintain an inner state of calm and friendliness as you go to work each day with the corporate, independent and social media providing information and disinformation?

Many people want to just go to work and do their job. This works until the issues shoved under the rug make it so bumpy that people trip and fall. It is important for every nurse to be clear about his or her views on the purpose and role of government related to providing health care services.
Take time to discern your beliefs and thoughts on this topic knowing when and where you developed them. Are they relevant today?

Habits affect the quality of our lives and the lives of the people we care for. And like all habits, thinking and belief habits can be changed when they no longer serve. It is still not clear what the Congress will do as it proposes to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act was developed as a compromise in order to provide health care for millions of people and to keep the insurance companies in business. Your answers to the questions, “Is health care a human right?” and “What is the purpose of the federal government?” give you a platform from which you can explore your beliefs and ideas. Is it to provide business opportunities for people and corporations, and/or is it to provide health services for its citizenry and jobs to people? Here you may be faced with a paradox. What are the special circumstances you address with, “Healthcare is a right, but…”? Finishing the sentence is important if you have more to add after the “but”.  What messages are you getting from your body as you think about providing care for people who have no coverage?

Living in paradox means that the world is not actually black or white, good or bad.
We need to stretch to accommodate change in the short term for a positive long-term outcome. This does not become self-sacrifice when you have your MEDS in place. Taking good care of yourself is common sense and is now supported by the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation initiative. Taking your MEDS will help you to maintain a state of calm, clarity and friendliness. If you don’t have your MEDS in place, you may want to explore what is keeping you from taking them, and then create a plan with accountability built in for setting them up. I experience fear and concern when I hear plans for dismantling the Affordable Care Act without replacing it with Medicare for all. I am taking my MEDS which supports me on every level and I am connecting with others online and in person speaking out on behalf of universal coverage and expanding Medicare for all.

Considering the paradox, and working with the long view and action in the moment, we take time out every Wednesday evening to have a Vitality phone call to de-stress and support your Vital energy and prevent Vital exhaustion. Join us as part of your MEDS regime.

With love, Padma

Integrity, honesty, and surprise are aspects of the commitment adventure when you know and honor your values.

Intention precedes commitment and is grounded in your values. Your intentions have a certain somatic feel unique to you. Notice the sensations in your first and second chakras when you reflect on an intention that is particularly important to your value system.

I discovered this recently as I felt impelled as a nurse and as a woman to go to the Women’s March in Washington. Truth, justice, kindness and doing no harm are some of my core values. Core values touch every aspect of your life and are a source of guidance, for both personal and professional decisions. When those values are threatened you can notice bodily sensations that let you know whether or not you are living in alignment with them.

When you don’t pay attention to your “voice within” as it speaks to you about your alignment with your core values, your sense of wellbeing and joy becomes stressed. I stayed in a job 3 years longer than I “should” have because I refused to listen to the messages. For 3 years my spirits dragged, no longer excited to go to work, I did not want to acknowledge burnout, and just kept pushing through. When I became so miserable I felt I could not go on one more minute I finally submitted my resignation. Wow, once again I felt in alignment with Truth, Justice, Kindness and doing no harm. I was once again happy. Because I did not have another job waiting for me there was also fear of the unknown. I summoned the courage to take the time to reflect, heal and listen inside for the next steps.

And, here I am! It is now my intention, honor and good fortune to offer support to my colleagues and the nursing profession. As one of more than 3,400,000 nurses, the largest group of health care providers, my voice has a place in the choir of healers, concerned citizens, and nurses. Finding that authentic voice is fraught with challenging feelings and experiences which I am embracing because I am fully committed to my next step.

When you are fully aligned with your values, committed to your intention there is a sense of vibrancy, joy and being in integrity within yourself. Even if the results are not what you initially expected, there will be a sense of “okay, what is the next step towards actualizing this intention?” With this kind of intention and commitment, your actions produce results, some of which are surprises in your journey.

Mental intentions are easily forgotten. For example, how often have you decided to get something from another room and when you got there, couldn’t remember what you went there for? When your intention is connected to deeper aspects of your psychic/emotional self, such as your heart, or gut, you are connected to your values. You may get distracted, but the intention does not go away. When you don’t honor it, you are reminded from within- with dreams, physical symptoms, and feelings. You might experience more stress and act out in ways that remind you of your misalignment, such as eating to cover the feelings, snapping at others or becoming depressed. There is a felt quality to misalignment which you can recognize when you pay attention. Paying attention means spending time with yourself and listening deeply. Some use prayer, meditation, walks in/with nature and therapy. How do you tune into your deepest self and how do you feel in your body when you are in alignment with your values?

Commitment to your values can reveal and clarify your intentions. Honestly recognizing your intentions gives you a deeper understanding of your situation and guides you to your next actions inside and outside.

Integrity, honesty, and surprise are aspects of the commitment adventure when you know and honor your values.
Please share with us challenges you have experienced regarding staying in alignment with your values, intentions, and commitments… Since we will all benefit from your share… thank you in advance!

With love, Padma

Healing is a process in which a transformation occurs. It manifests in terms of a change in relationship– a change in relation to a set of symptoms and a subsequent change in a state of being. The relationship can be how you relate to yourself, how you relate to someone else or how you relate to a situation. Generally speaking, you don’t heal others. You can however, facilitate their healing by aligning yourself with the intention for their highest good supporting them energetically, emotionally, physically and mentally.

We cannot force healing in another or even ourselves, but by staying open to the possibility of transformation for others and for ourselves, we invite healing. In a physical wound, we create a healing environment by cleaning it, encouraging the development of new tissue and eating well to support the body’s ability to transform the wound through the healing process towards wholeness. The healed area may not look like it originally did, but new skin is formed, and there is a different functioning.

Accepting your power to heal means recognizing 3 steps and taking them

1. Can you accept the situation as it is currently occurring?  (Whether or not you like it- it is the way it is.) If you cannot accept the situation as it is, then how you get to that place becomes a preliminary step.
2. Can you recognize that the situation is designed for your growth in some way? With this attitude, all challenges and situations that we may label negative become opportunities for deeper understanding of ourselves and others.
3. There is a power that heals and how do you access it? Answering this question means articulating for yourself the nature of this power, and seeing how it is manifesting in your life through your intentions, talents, skills and circumstances.

Let’s look at 3 healing scenarios through the above lens.

Workplace:

I noticed that I spoke to myself with greater criticism and meanness than I would ever do with another person. Salaried and working extra hours every week for several years, I became critical and driven with a perfectionism that made me irritable and less available for my family. The management was aware of the under staffing situation as it was a source of complaints from nurses.

1.Finally, I realized the situation would probably not change until I made an internal shift and got the courage to speak up.

2. I told my supervisor I was putting my license at risk, and that I could not offer the quality care the agency expected and that I wanted to give for such a huge caseload. I informed my colleagues I did not want to burden them with the assignments I was not taking, and suggested they speak up also. I was doing this with the hope that more staff would be hired despite my fear of repercussions, as no one had ever done this before.

3. The healing that resulted began inside of me. I was speaking with greater understanding and kindness towards myself and on behalf of others. My ability to connect to colleagues and the management team was already well established. In using this platform to speak on behalf of patients and staff, I became a more outspoken, valued and respected member of the team. Eventually, there was a reassignment of the work districts and eventually another nurse was hired. Who knows if the external changes would have occurred without my speaking up.

The point here is that a healing process occurred within me and subsequently influenced other aspects of my work and life. The symptoms of irritability and feeling stressed for time began to dissolve. I had found my voice and courage to speak my truth on behalf of those we were caring for and my colleagues.

Interpersonal Relationship:  For years my daughter had been upset with me for a reason unknown to me. There was tension between us whenever we spoke.

1. I accepted that she was not going to talk about it, was not going to change and healing in our relationship could happen if I made an internal shift.

2. I began to explore my own issues with my mother in my childhood which changed my relationship with myself. I saw my possible responsibility in our disharmony.  An opportunity arose for me to share a deep apology for not being able to be the kind of mother that she seemed to need at the time, and for that I was deeply sorry. We both cried. It was healing for both of us.

3. My commitment to being a better mom and my intention to facilitate an improved relationship were the source for accessing the healing power. The relationship changed, and both of us had deeper understanding of our situation and less pain.

Pain Management: As a Certified Therapeutic Touch Practitioner, the 3 steps look like this:  A patient was experiencing  excruciating bone pain and the pharmacy would not deliver the morphine for hours.

1. I centered myself and invited the patient and his wife to share their concerns and asked if they were willing to work with energy to gain some relief from the pain.  I aligned myself with their wish to have pain relief and a prayer, “Let this work be for the highest good of (name), guided by their guides, Higher Self, the Divine. Allow me to stay open to the guidance of my Higher Self and Love. Let me provide it to (name) without restriction.”

2. I made my energy assessments and provided the treatment, aware that I was facilitating a healing, an increase in comfort and wellbeing and hopefully a reduction in disturbing symptoms. The wife wanted to learn, so I taught her. We did the treatment together.

3. Using our bodies, minds, hearts and emotions to create a healing environment and channeling energy, the patient reported a significant change in his pain level, and fell asleep. The wife continued the treatments in the weeks ahead, stating that the energy work decreased his need for morphine, and kept him mentally clearer. In this scenario the nature of the healing was an increase in peace and calm for the patient. For the wife, she was empowered to provide comfort which gave her comfort.

In summary, healing reduces suffering because the causes of suffering are addressed. When there is acceptance of the situation/symptoms, transformation can occur, though it might be subtle and hardly visible. (I don’t know exactly what happened to the patient’s pain, but both he and his wife grew through the process.) And finally, in all the scenarios, with intention, the healing energy was accessed, and healing occurred. It was a felt experience.

Please share with us.
Do you accept your power to heal and what does it look like?

Vitality in Progress: Healing and Preventing Burnout for Nurses  program has 13 declarations and affirmations that create intentions and pathways for transformation. One of the declarations is I Accept My Power to Heal.

The next start day for the program is January 22, 2017 and upon completion the nurse receives 39 CNE’s from the ANCC. More information

With Love,

Padma

Maybe you are a mom, a dad, a spouse, a gardener, a student, a dog owner, or the daughter of a parent with a chronic illness.
Maybe you’re a person with a physical ailment, a sister, a volunteer, a concerned citizen, a nurse, or nurse employee. You might be a grandparent or self-employed. Maybe half of your roles are not even mentioned. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, when you take off most of your hats to rest and restore yourself there is one hat I’d like you to consider more carefully: What did your Self care hat look like today?

Did you take your break?                                                                                    Yes         No

Did you get a chance to spend some time in nature?                                    Yes         No

Was your self-talk kind?                                                                                     Yes         No

Did you exercise?                                                                                                 Yes         No

Did you drink enough fluids?                                                                           Yes         No

Did you use the bathroom in a timely fashion?                                            Yes         No

Did you stick to your food plan?                                                                      Yes         No

Did you smile and/or laugh today?                                                                 Yes         No

Did you get enough sleep before waking?                                                      Yes         No

Did you journal?                                                                                                   Yes         No

Did you have quiet time to meditate/contemplate/pray?                            Yes         No

Did you listen to beautiful music?                                                                      Yes         No

Did you consider your gratitudes?                                                                      Yes         No

Did you remember your hat today?                                                                     Yes         No

Copy this list and check it before tucking in at night. If your Self care hat was a bit askew today you can set the intention for a better fit tomorrow. Of course you can add and subtract from this list….

Please share with us the components of your Self care hat.

With love, Padma

In the recent past Western North Carolina was considered a North American rain forest. 3 weeks ago vast areas of forest were burning  due to having no rain for over 3 months. Smoke was everywhere as the Party Rock Fire moved closer to our home. Although I continued working and living in my usual routines, the underlying tension was huge. Initially I experienced shock and denial; “this happens to others, not us.”
My feelings shifted from shock to anger and then to forms of bargaining while planning what to pack in the event of evacuation. We kept friends and  family updated while breathing smoky air. Each night we went to bed wondering if the fire would devour the trees on the mountain across the way.

The night we saw the fire crest the mountain we saw dead hemlocks (wooly adelgid infestation killing the trees as a result of climate changes) burst into flames. We listened to them crash and crackle as the orange light moved towards our mountain. Firefighters from all over the country worked day and night to prevent the fire from crossing a double lane road and shrunken river as it raged with heat, gusty winds and dry leaves.

We were lucky.  The firefighters maintained the boundary.

Now, the fire is 54% contained and has moved on with no human homes lost. The air quality continues to be poor; a reminder of what others are now facing. The other day I was asked how I made it through that stressful time. I recalled the day we were told we were safe– noticing what safety felt like in my body. I was relaxed and expansive with a sense of ease and relief which I generally take for granted.

My daily sustaining Self care practices of gratitude, walking, journaling, meditation, working a 12 step program and mindfulness, protected the boundaries of my equanimity. Like a person given a dreadful diagnosis, the felt experience of being threatened brought Kubler Ross’s 5 stages of the dying process, which is a process of working through losses, into high relief.

Today I have a deepened compassion for my brothers and sisters around the globe dealing with health, environmental, sociopolitical, and religious stressors that undermine the human right of safety.

My nursing practice is consequently richer as a result of not only the experience, but how I worked with Self care towards clarity and balance. I love empowering patients and colleagues-helping them to experience their strength, intuition, love and joy, as well as their individualized Self care practices relevant to meeting the stressors in their lives.
Please share with us the strategies that you use in maintaining your equanimity in stressful or hard times.
How does it  translate over into your nursing practice?

With Love,
Padma

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