Tag: mental-health

  • Antidotes to Fear and Self-Doubt

    Antidotes to Fear and Self-Doubt

    I love the little acronyms they come up with in 12-step groups. And fear has a few of them: F– False E-Evidence A-Appearing R-Real Or: F: Face E: Everything A: And R: Recover or the more humorous: F– F**k E– Everything A– And R– Run! Fear has a way of creeping in sometimes. It can…

  • Life (and what does it all mean anyway?)

    Life (and what does it all mean anyway?)

    Recently I read this adorable book called Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa. I loved it. I had seen the movie first, years ago, which is based on the book (I think it’s available currently on Prime). It is all about a man who owes someone money and so he is selling dorayaki to pay…

  • Easy Healthy Habits to Try This Week

    Easy Healthy Habits to Try This Week

    Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all my U.S. peeps! Hopefully you’ve got Monday off. If not, I know how that goes. I’ve worked many holidays over the past decade or so. Healthcare and retail can be tough that way. Regardless of whether you have off or not, here are some easy healthy habits to try…

  • Nurses Week and How Things are Going For Nurses (Hint: Not Great)

    Nurses Week and How Things are Going For Nurses (Hint: Not Great)

    Nurses week is coming soon! In the U.S. It runs from May 6 (National Nurse’s Day) to May 12 (Florence Nightingale’s birthday and International Nurses Day). My hospital system will be celebrating from the 4th to the 8th or so. Interestingly (and in a rather timely manner if you ask me) a recent report came…

  • Preventing Burnout-RN Edition

    Preventing Burnout-RN Edition

    Nurses, I see you out there. I know that your job can be a lot. Some days are better than others, but sometimes it feels overwhelming. Certain fields such as ER nursing, ICU nursing, and oncology nursing can be particularly stressful. What is burnout? What are the signs of burnout? Is it avoidable? Let’s explore…

  • A Change for the Better

    A Change for the Better

    It can be hard to make a change. I graduated nursing school in the middle of COVID, having gone back after my kids were older and my ex and I had separated. I worked full-time in retail and then hospital pharmacies, going to nursing school part-time. After working for about a year on my unit,…

  • Palliative Care vs Hospice Care

    Palliative Care vs Hospice Care

    “Aren’t palliative and hospice the same thing?” No, they are different, but do share similarities! While both palliative patients and hospice patients are facing life-threatening illnesses, a palliative patient can still be receiving curative treatments. Hospice patients, meanwhile, are no longer receiving curative treatments. Palliative Care Both palliative and hospice care are holistic, taking the…

  • How often do you say no?

    How often do you say no?

    “How often do you “say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?” I say “no” daily, in more than one way… By making my own coffee, I’m saying “no” to pricier coffee bar coffees. I have been diligent with making dinner, usually 6 nights a week, saying “no” to take-out and restaurant dinners.…

  • Strategic Sundays or… How I Use Baking and Heavy Metal to Cope With Negative Feelings (Like the Sunday Scaries)

    Strategic Sundays or… How I Use Baking and Heavy Metal to Cope With Negative Feelings (Like the Sunday Scaries)

    I’m a big metal fan. Wait, not that kind of fan. 😛 The other kind. The kind that loves spending a Saturday night in a small venue with the drums and guitar so loud I can feel it in my soul. (Yes, I wear earplugs). Recently I got to see Rivers of Nihil– and WOW.…

  • Lost… And Getting the Essentials

    Lost… And Getting the Essentials

    “What activities do you lose yourself in?” I admit it, I’m a serial hobbyist, particularly in the journal-y, bookish, paper craft kinda way. Have you heard of journal ecosystems? Yeah. That’s me. I have journals about my journals! Okay, maybe it’s not that bad. But I’m getting there. There’s my main journal, the craft-y/junk journal,…