The Noteworthy Nurse

See ya later Calgary

It’s been and continues to be quite an adventure

Monday.....start of the work week for some....end of it for others......long weekend perhaps for some

Regardless of where you work as a professional nurse, schedules differ colleague to colleague & can frequently change. Yet somehow through all of the flux, we are expected to accept the changes politely.

No upset, no rant. Make it work. Scramble for childcare. Swap shifts. Cancel pick ups. Try to find the words to say "no, I'm. not staying".

Somehow we make it work for everyone else before ourselves.

Resentment easily creeps into our psyche. Stirs up our emotions. Shows up in what we say, how we say it, to whom we say it to (and to whom we don't say it to)

Perhaps polite isn't the best way. What if effective internal and external communication took you out of overwhelm, anxiety, overthinking, overanticipating the "how to " the "what to do if" the "what's gonna happen next if".

How effective would one be if fear wasn't the driver that kept us silent? or had us wanting to take back the words that forefully came out of our mouths?

Words matter. How they are delivered matters.

Don't let words be the symptom of underlying issues make them the solution 🩺

By profession I am , you guessed it, a nurse. Guessing you are too.

My nature is to nurture. But also I have a need to be nurtured. Balance I suppose and yet until recently I was anything but balanced. The scale so far tipped in the nurturing of others direction.

I was learning to protect myself as I worked and yet I was also by default, damaging myself personally as I tried to separate work life and home life.

Occupational hazard? Perhaps. Born of necessity when what one experiences in the workplace one has not been prepared for, and often the required debriefing overlooked. "part of the job" all to often the rebuttle.

I learned to soldier on Learned to numb myself. Scream silently.

There was no course about this. No warning to prepare oneself for the experience of working as a nurse.

Naively I wandered into my first shifts.
Perhaps you did to. Witnessed your first unexplained death. Watched the loved ones try to make sense of it all. At a loss yourself as how best to respond.

And so we learn as we go. Do the best we can at the time with the tools we have.

I've seen too much. Tragedy. Heart ache. Pain. Suffering. Sorrow. Physical Mental and Emotional.

I have experienced too much, participated in so much, lost so much.

What is there to gain? Anything?

First you learn to separate work and home. Then as time goes by you realize part of you has shut down. No longer fully available to those you claim to love most.

I am a professional nurse in the province of Alberta. Where my union just two days ago, made history with a vote. So now we add uncertainty to the mix. Colleagues who are confused, others angry. Disrespected. Some of us are frightened at what may lie ahead. Worry, anxiety, stressed out, all valid emotions.
Bills to pay, mouths to feed, lives to live.

Some of us have been down this road before.

I get it. Reach out.

Lets talk about it.

Yesterday I lacked clarity and so I sat deep in thought. Thinking of all the possibilities that could come. Personally & Professionally

Today I have a sign.
Today I am still uncertain.
However, I trust direction will be made known when appropriate

It is the waiting that I often find most difficult.
My mind gets busy. Worry & Anxiety can invade and take up permanent residency in mind if I am not careful.

We, the nurses of UNA, will move forward. Some of us reluctantly, some of us with ferocity.

I pray today for unity. I pray today for acknowledgement of individual agency. Each of us unique. Differences of approach and opinion. Each of us valued. Respected.

Agreeing to disagree. with a willingness to listen to one anothers perspective. Having healthy debate.

Words matter. Choose wisely. Deliver appropriately.

Lets move forward together.

UNA Local 415 South Health Campus

Hello Nurse Friend!

Private Support Group for JUST us NURSES.
Taking a journey where there is no looking back.
Lets go together to a Life Beyond BurnOut. Join it. Its private. And it just for YOU!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/445488153797342

As compared to the S&%T Show that has you in the whirlypop of fatigue and burn out.
Give yourself some love by way of paying attention to what it is you are truly wanting and go after that.
A life void of stress and a life that eliminates burn out.

When you know what you want.
When you know what to do to get it.
You too will be a nurse living a life of joy peace and calm.

PODCAST COMING SOON

I certainly knew nothing about the significance of this photo taken on my daily early morning walk en route to you guessed it....my morning coffee. And here it is.....Canada....sits on the world stage for a variety of reasons. Winter Olympics....Yay Proud Go Canucks go! Convoys....Border Crossings I shall not comment. I have my own views...my own beliefs...other than to say I am a citizen of Canada. Where Freedom has been taken for granted by many and disregarded completely by some Where we all seem to be defining that word..."freedom" with our own bias our own beliefs as to what should or not be happening. I don't know what the outcomes of the borders, truckers and convoys will be but I, a Canadian stand and watch with the rest of the world. One thing I know....These past two years have been both astonishing and disheartening. Challenging. Requiring courage and tenacity. Let no one accept another persons view point as truth unless willing to accept the challenge of reviewing all sides of the argument, all the evidence and educate ones self on the issue as placed in front you. I remain always a citizen of this unique county we all call Canada. I remain amazed , astonished, dismayed at times, proud at times. I have felt over worked at times, isolated at other times, unheard often, misunderstood more often, and yet here I am....I stand a Canadian. And yes....I do love a great cup of coffee in the early morning hours when most of Calgary has yet to wake up. Lets heal this nation, lets seek understanding rather than only wanting others to understand our own position. Lets heal this nation by agreeing to disagree on some issues. Lets heal this nation by allowing for forgiveness as we often are in need of that same forgiveness. Lets choose to support one another regardless of political views. Lets dig deep and want better for the generations to come. Lets gather together and embrace our differences.....

What really?

I don't know what I love to do anymore
I am too tired to think about it
I am too tired to think about anything
I'm frustrated and angry and and and

Join me this Saturday.

I'll be sharing some tools to start your journey back to who you are.

Sound like a dream? It is not You can have the life you want. Its going to take some effort. It will be a challenge.

Lets do something no one is doing.
Lets be unique.
Lets do something that will work.

Nurses helping Nurses

Get out of the cess pool of stress and back to enjoying your life, your job, everything again.

Join me the first Saturday of February for an informal Zoom hang out.


Do something for yourself today.
Reach out for available help.

find my website in Bio
hit webinar
receive email

In the mean time, take care of yourself. Help is on its way

What does every nurse want for 2022?

LESS STRESS!!!

You've done the work. Mandated OT. Rearranged schedules. Redeployments & Reassignments. Many a vacation became a staycation and many vacations cancelled altogether.
Staffing Shortages are global & then theres that pandemic as well.
Go home only to do
Laundry, groceries, cleaning and more

Work - Home = Rinse & Repeat.

And you think to yourselves...when will this nightmare ever end? I hate my life. I hate my job, my house is a mess, I've gained weight, I've spent too much money, I've watched countless hours of Netflix/Prime etc. and I can't seem to stay off of FB or IG or any other social media platform, can't seem to get a routine going.

If any of this sounds like you, if any of this feels like your life you are perfectly poised to change it all in 2022.

with FAR LESS STRESS!!!
A life that is enjoyable, fun and yes also
challenging.
A life that is fulfilling and obsession free.
A life that Pandemic or no Pandemic is a life with way less stress and way more joy.

Ditch the chaos and confusion. Welcome organization and contentment.

Sound too good to be true? It is not. It is available to you. And the stakes? The stakes could not be higher. This is your life I am talking about.
So hit the link in my bio, find the webinar and sign up. Its free, its for you and there is no better time than right now to step out of the lane of the Stress Mess you have been living and onto the road of freedom, organization, fulfillment and joy....and the bare minimum of stress that all humans have. You know the kind of stress you feel in an instant and just as quickly it goes away. That's normal...the stress of the over eats, over drinks, over works, over spends etc....that you can eliminate.
If you want to learn how to ditch the stress ball once and for all in 2022. Go to
barbjcampbell.com
Find the webinar link at the top of the page and sign up!
You can attend in the comfort of your own home. Its never been more important to ditch the stress so you can love your life, your job and your family and friends and live a life with FAR LESS STRESS!

I'll see you February 5th