Yeah!!!
Vitality in Progress:Healing and Preventing Burnout for Nurses
started on August 28th.
…“Take care; Give care”. This is a pithy contemplation for me when I remember that when I receive, I am allowing another the precious opportunity to give. I want to be a giver and a receiver.
Another nurse reflected that her commitment in the workplace can and will take the form of a spiritual commitment. Working on another certification she is seeing her commitment to education as commitment to excellence in her nursing practice.
I decided to take the program myself this time. Walking my talk, I want to prevent burnout in myself and a deeper understanding of the course itself. It is one thing to design a program and another to be a participant. My Self-care tool #1 is to explore other ways of transitioning upon arriving home after a busy day besides sitting down to have something to eat. I had to write a list of other things I could do because the habit is so engrained. The good news is, the list is working. Sometimes I walked, other times, checked on my bees, and I wrote in my journal. The list is pretty long. I might make a new habit of a regular activity or stay flexible over time to see what works best. Self care tool #2 is to stop driving in order to eat my breakfast or lunch.
Other participants’ Self care tools are: Going someplace new on a weekly basis like a museum, restaurant or ruin. Making a commitment to movement, calling a 7-year-old niece regularly or participating in the governance of her spiritual group. I am delighting in the fact that each nurse is choosing Self care tools that foster a deeper connection to the Spirit and Self.
This brings me to the spelling of Self care. The computer auto-corrects for lower case and a hyphen. This program refers to the capital S self, indicating the spirit of an individual.
Caring for one’s deepest self, one’s spirit, is what Vitality in Progress offers to all who take it.
In the mentoring phone calls I’ve noticed the energy of the call shifting during the call. By the end the energy is more uplifted as the participants discover their own paths of healing and Self care based upon their insights into the assignments and their work with their Self care.
One nurse said, “It is easy, flexible, and I find I process the assignments during the week as things come up that are related to the assignments.” We will be having our first Virtual Circle at the end of the month. I will let you know how it went in the October newsletter.
Metta Institute’s alumni retreat
I’m looking forward to attending the Metta Institute’s alumni retreat at the Santa Sabina Retreat Center in San Rafael, CA.
Courage, Compassion & Community is a 5-day training/retreat the last week in September. It includes mindfulness meditation, collaborative learning, advanced teachings, interactive exercises and opportunities for resource sharing and networking with other Alumni.
Sending you blessings of clarity, fun, beauty and ease in the next month.
With love, Padma
Leave a Reply