There are a number of articles published on the effects of stress and burnout in nursing. If you haven’t read any of these articles, you’ve probably had your own experience with stress, if not in your workplace, then in your life. How do we deal with stress?
MEDITATION TIP OF THE WEEK ...IS A SERIES OF SHORT, EASY TO REMEMBER, AND BASIC TIPS ON HOW TO MEDITATE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, IS IT HELPFUL? When Meditating, Understand Thoughts to be Like Clouds Minding one's life mindfully, aware, and compassionately comes from realizing the changing nature of our thoughts. We do this by turning the mind inward, transforming the stormy arisings of thoughts, emotions, and feelings by recognizing them to be impermanent phenomena like passing clouds in the sky. Minding one's life mindfully comes from realizing that whatever thoughts and emotions may be stirred up [...]
Compassion Doesn't Have to Hurt, in Nursing or Otherwise Albert Einstein wrote: A human being is a part of the whole called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, his feelings, as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and [...]
How can we call remaining in the present “meditation?” Is meditation merely a state of non-distraction? When do you find yourself most present? Most distracted? Whether distracted or present, each moment is an opportunity, an invitation, to meditate. Many people assume that we mediate by finding a cushion or quiet place and then sit, motionless, in a state of calm bliss. But, every moment that we’re awake can also be a moment when we’re aware. Each Moment is an Invitation to Practice Each moment that we’re present, whether with our family, friends, or those we care for, is a moment [...]
COMPASSION ISN'T OUTSIDE OF YOU Compassion isn't something foreign to our minds and our hearts. It isn't something "out there" that we have to get or acquire. And, it isn't something that we need to learn (although we may need to remember it at times). Granted, there are times when we feel that to find even the smallest compassionate impulse for certain patients requires of us the most Herculean effort. There are also times when, either due to the amount of stress that we're experiencing, or the number of patients we're dealing with, it doesn't feel like there's "...enough to go [...]
By creating the third mind of nursing, that wonderful creatrix of possibility from which spring infinite possibilities for change, we can create an intangible force of awareness and compassion, and venture to bring the collective mind into a new era of nursing.
Don't have time for a meditation class? There may be a solution for you! What if you could take a class just once, and with practice, attain a degree of meditative skill that would positively benefit you?
Please read this week's post. It contains a number of posts written by a group of nurses who've contributed their views on what it means to make resolutions for the new year. It's my pleasure to share their work with you, my reader. Have a great New Year's Eve!
Science Proves that Meditation Works! You've probably read it before, either on this site or somewhere else, that meditation can foster compassion (there's even scientific evidence proving this!). And, we know through scientific research that meditation works to effect changes in the brain as well. So, through meditation, learning to know one's mind and know one's heart go hand-in-hand. When you come to know your mind, your heart follows and vice versa. Okay, so assuming that's the truth, how can you learn to take better care of yourself through the art of meditation? How can you learn to be more [...]
Nursing as a Practice of Meditation While this week's post is directed towards nurses and healthcare professionals, I encourage all of my readers to have a look. Since healthcare and its practitioners can impact all of us at some point in our lives, it's important to know what nursing is doing about showing up at the bedside, mindful and compassionate. Enjoy!