Don't Take "I'm Fine" for an Answer

If you were not able to dial in for my AMN Healthcare webinar on “Courageous Leadership for an Age of Anxiety” last Friday because of the technical glitches we experienced, have no fear: We re-recorded the entire presentation and it will be available soon, so stay tuned!

One participant in my webinar on Courageous Leadership for an Age of Anxiety asked about my biggest worry for the rest of this year. My #1 worry is that, in our excitement about the “light at the end of the tunnel” we all hope and pray vaccines will be, we fail to prepare for the inevitable epidemic of personal grief and emotional trauma that has already started to set in.

In their book Why Cope When You Can Heal? Dr. Mark Goulston and Diana Hendel (a contributing author to Stay Strong For Us) wrote that the Covid-19 pandemic was the earthquake and that widespread cases of PTSD will be the likely aftershocks. A NurseGrid/AORN survey showed that the percentage of nurses personally concerned about burnout more than doubled between last April and February to more than 60%. A British study found that 80% of the population believes that their mental health has deteriorated during the pandemic.

So when someone responds to your “how are you” question by saying “I’m fine” the chances are what they really mean is that they are Frustrated, Insecure, Negative and Exhausted.

We must not think of “the light at the end of the tunnel” as some sort of tape at the finish line that we run through and suddenly, like Dorothy entering the Land of Oz, everything is rainbows and lollipops. It’s more like a torch that we must pick up and carry to light the way for the people still in the tunnel behind us, and to illuminate the way through the new tunnels that inevitably lie before us.

What are you doing to Stay Strong for yourself? For your family? For the people you serve and the people you work with?

Join us for the Everyday Courage Podcast Tomorrow!

Our world, and the environment in which your organization operates, has changed profoundly over the past year. Now more than ever your colleagues need Courage, Perseverance, Resilience and Hope. Join my guests and me on Wednesday March 3 at noon CST as we talk about having Everyday Courage in these Extraordinary Times.

On the call with me will be Rachel Perkins from Children’s Hospital New Orleans, Marlene Crouse from WellSpan Health in Pennsylvania, Sheri Raines from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Amber Thompson from Prowers Medical Center in Lamar, Colorado. We’ll discuss strategies they are using to promote a more resilient culture in these challenging times.

Register at this link