Are You "OK" with Dis-Ease?

Hi Everyone, this is Nikki and I want to thank you for tuning in today. In a time where nurses are leaving the profession in droves, I thought it best to offer some love. Don’t we need it? I am a Health Equity Education Coach and what that means is I combine coach leadership, health equity, belonging and well-being in nursing education to transform our relationship with equity practices. I hope to bend the arc in nursing towards nurses who act locally, but think globally. I imagine nurses who are activists, rebels, advocates, and helpers demanding that we use our healing abilities to restore relationships between minoritized and divested persons so that we can see their beauty through the scars that our society has inflicted. And with this knowledge, this change in attitudes, our practice will change, and so will the health of our society.

I want to elaborate on a point?I started in my Newsletter on LinkedIn about Self-Responsibility & Love. Even saying it makes me feel good. (deep breath in and out)

• Understand that when we experience pain or dis-ease it's an opportunity to re-evaluate our lifestyle and our environment

Imagine the many lessons you would learn, and the growth you could achieve, if you use the experience of disease as an opportunity to reevaluate your lifestyle and environment? What answers might surface if you pose the question: “why do I need this problem at this time?” Could you possibly let go enough to enjoy the rest that an illness may afford? As a mom, I’ve had that fantasy of actually getting just sick enough to be in the hospital for a few days not because I want to be sick, but because I want to rest lol, can anyone relate????And I bet many nurses right now are looking for some breathing room. Pre-COVID only 15.6% of nurses felt burnt out , in 2019, but since the start of COVID, that number has risen to 62%.

History is filled with examples of individuals who experience personal transformations as a result of serious disease or a crippling handicap. The achievements of Stephen Hawking, or the music of Ray Charles, have inspired millions of people all over the world.

Disease is not really the problem. That's right. Disease is not really the problem, its feedback.? It's our body's?attempt to solve the problem, a feedback of sorts that says something isn't working properly. That problem is much more than cramped, disfigured fingers, or a headache over the right eye. As the metaphors of a poem, or the images in a dream, these body signs can often be interpreted at many levels. The most apparent says, " I've got arthritis” and “Mother had it too". (Talk about the power of epigenetics and generational trauma!!!). Pausing and reflecting more deeply, however, you might realize that all of your life you've swallowed anger and clenched your fist behind your back. Having self-responsibility and love gifts us this awareness and the focus of attention changes radically. Instead of determining how many aspirins you can safely continue to take, you may choose to first seek what other more direct ways there are for expressing your feelings. Nobody is telling you not to take medication when needed; don’t misunderstand. The invitation is to tune into what is causing the dis-ease so you have more options to address your pain.

Conclusion

Are you feeling that disconnect in your nursing practice? Do you feel chronically overworked? Is your heart and mind begging for you to take a moment to re-evaluate your lifestyle? Thankfully, you don’t need to make any drastic changes to begin to reconnect with yourself and your needs. Take a moment right now to think about how you respond to dis-ease? Do you get a knot in your stomach? A headache that won’t quit? When you notice your body revving up in a stressful moment, know that you have the self-responsibility to acknowledge your feelings and decide what is the next best step for you.?

Thanks for tuning in, I hope this encourages you and motivates you. This is Nikki, your Health Equity Education Coach telling you you’re not alone, and you have some tools to work with. I have a beyond the book study co-learning masterclass called The Clinician's Guide to Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias Beyond the Book Study: Building Your Skill and Toolbox to Help Clinicians, Educators, & Faculty to Move Nurses Toward Health Equity . No pre-reading is required. Many nurses have leaned into diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to promote more equitable workplaces, but without aligning it to a transformational leadership process, it doesn’t convert to better learning environments or improved representation of diversity in nursing. This masterclass will help nurses get super clear on the actions to take to move nurses into practicing health equity. Stay tuned for the registration link. Be the love you wish to see.