New Year, Same Challenges!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We have waited at least 10 months to kiss 2020 goodbye and run full steam into 2021. Well; here we are and I can confidently say that last night was pretty uneventful.
I rang in the New Year (well, the East Coast New Year) with my family, sharing a bottle of wine with my husband, sitting next to a fire pit watching the Times Square "pods" with socially distanced groups on his iphone. It was actually a perfect evening and then we forgot what we were actually celebrating as my daughter lost her tooth at nearly the exact same time the ball dropped and that was much more exciting.
We made it out of 2020, but not out of the pandemic that changed our entire year. In fact, for my husband’s department, my brother's department, friends departments, sheriffs we know and our local hospital we are in the thick of it. Hospitals are running low on oxygen, nurses are taking on more patients than they feel they can safely treat, difficult decisions are being made regarding healthcare and sick patients are waiting hours with the paramedics bringing them to the hospital for a spot to open up in the emergency department.
The date on the calendar has changed but not much else. It is harder than ever, first responders and hospital staff are mentally and physically exhausted and there is no end in the near future.
Job related Stress and Trauma is at an all time high and the nurses, doctors, hospital staff and first responders must continue to show up. But now, it is a bit different. They must show up for themselves as well, because there is no relief in sight. They must care for themselves in order to keep caring for everyone else. This is the time that your resilience shows up.
There may not be time to go to the gym; meals may turn into whatever can be eaten in the 30 second walk to see the next patient and the ideal setting to refresh is nowhere to be found.
In 30 seconds, step outdoors and take a few deep breaths. While washing your hands in between patients, focus on the temperature of the water, the bubbles from the soap, rub some calming lavender on your wrists or place some peppermint on your mask. Listen to a meditation app while you drive to and from work or as you fall to sleep. Focus on what you did to help your patients, the strength you exhibited and how you helped your unit, your crew or your team. This is what you can do to be stronger today and every day after that.
This year, you can do something, even if it is just 30 seconds for yourself to build your mind, reduce your stress and strengthen your wellbeing. THANK YOU for doing ALL you do. We see you and are so appreciative of what you do. Not many of us could...
Happy 2021. It will get better, but we have to show our strength a little bit more, first.
We've got this!
