May 7, 2025 • 34 mins
TXT us your feedback!! <3 your fayce!
Happy Nurses Week, sacred soul. This episode is your reminder—and your ritual—that you are not just part of the system… you ARE the medicine.
This year’s Nurses Week theme is “The Power of the Nurse,” and we’re making it more than a slogan. In this episode, we reclaim that power together.
We talk about:
- Why “power” in nursing isn’t just about staying strong—it’s about rest, boundaries, and reclaiming your nervous system.
- My trauma-informed nursing skill, Code Pause, and how to use it to reset in moments of chaos
- How to protect your peace, vocalize your needs, and prioritize yourself without guilt
- The actual science behind why these practices work for real, sustainable healing
- A guided ritual to remind you that your needs matter
- This week’s Crystals, Coffee, and Divination prescription to fuel your spirit
BONUS: It’s Gift-Giving Time
To celebrate YOU during Nurses Week, we’ve dropped some sacred magic into your hands:
🛍️ The Code Team Store is LIVE → TCTH.org
🎉 Use code NURSEPOWER for 20% off everything in the new shop
📚 The Authentic Nurse Course is only $20.50 (normally $297)
📝 Download the special Nurses Week editions of The List – totally free!
These offers disappear at the end of Nurses Week. Go grab your ritual tools, resources, and reminders that you are worthy of the same care you give everyone else.
✨ Let’s Connect + Share the Power
If this episode spoke to your soul, share it with another nurse who needs to hear it. Tag me @theritualnurse and let me know:
What boundary are YOU holding this week?
What are you calling in?
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement.
And this week, it moves with you.
Hey! Make sure you subscribe to stay connected. Love a nurse? Who doesn't! Share with all the nurses you know. The more we reach, the more we help. We feel like no one deserves center stage focus more than nurses and our mission is to reach the millions of superstars out there. We'd love to hear your stories, your adventures, your wins, and especially your needs and questions! Email us at hello@ritualnurse (dot) com. Also, you can send us fan mail! Use the link at the beginning of the show notes. Resources, classes, blogs, and podcast info can be found on our home site at TCTH.org. The Ritual Nurse Podcast is part of The Code Team educational platform.
Love your FAYCES!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse, where healing meets
humor, science and a touch ofmagic.
Happy Nurses Week, you sacred,exhausted, wildly powerful
beings.
I see you, all of you, from thenew grad just trying to
remember what the heck SBARstands for, to the seasoned
(00:33):
nurse silently whispering getyour orders together under their
mask.
This week isn't about pizzaparties or those weird acrylic
trophies.
It's about power, your power,and this year's official theme
says it out loud the power ofthe nurse.
(00:55):
So today's episode is going tofocus on just that.
It's not just a celebration.
It's a reclamation of our peace, our voices, our priorities.
Let's talk about what it reallymeans to be powerful when
you're burned out, stretchedthin, still getting hit with
increasing workplace violence,rising anxiety and ratios that
(01:18):
should probably be illegal.
Power isn't just showing up,it's protecting your peace, it's
vocalizing your needs, it isprioritizing yourself, even when
the system wants you toself-sacrifice.
We're going to take a look atdistress, tolerance and
interpersonal effectiveness.
(01:39):
You know you're allowed topause, you are allowed to step
back, you are allowed to chooseyou.
So here's something I want tocover first.
This is a tool from mytrauma-informed care model, and
it's something that I call codepause, because, well, this time
you're the patient and we needto pause.
(02:00):
When everything around you ischaotic, when the alarms, the
charting, the family drama,maybe grief, maybe even
microaggressions and endlesspatient needs are threatening to
hijack your nervous system,you're going to call a code
pause.
Here's how it works.
The first thing you do isunclench your jaw and drop your
(02:21):
shoulders.
The next thing you do isbreathe in through your nose and
out through your mouth justonce, slowly, and then you're
going to name the moment.
This could sound like this isintense, and I'm still here.
I am overwhelmed, but I'm notin danger.
(02:43):
This isn't mine to carry allalone.
Or maybe it sounds like I amextremely frustrated right now,
and that's valid and I stillhave to function.
I must complete this task.
So you're going to name themoment.
If you can, you're going tovocalize it out loud to yourself
(03:06):
.
If not, you're going toconsciously vocalize it in your
head and then you're going tochoose your next move on purpose
, even if it's just saying I'llanswer that call light as soon
as I finished charting this med.
You're not going to plan outmultiple steps in advance.
(03:30):
You're halting the moment andconsciously choosing your next
move, the very next step andonce you reach that step, you
can proceed forward.
Step you can proceed forward.
Calling a code pause is a way toactually pause everything,
(03:51):
internally and externally, evenif it's just 10 seconds, and
allowing you to regroup, tovalidate or radically accept, as
the case may be, andconsciously choose to be in
control of your next movementforward.
Now, code pause is short,really short, but it's sacred
(04:12):
and here's why it actually works.
This isn't just fluff.
It's not just a fancy acronymor some kind of buzzword to use.
It's nervous system CPR.
So quick science, science drop.
Why code pause works is because,physiologically, it is
interrupting your acute stressresponse.
(04:32):
That single deep breath isactivating our parasympathetic
nervous system.
You are telling your brain weare not in physical danger.
By taking the time to standstill and slowly inhale through
your nose and slowly exhalethrough your mouth, you are
(04:54):
sending the signal we are not infight or flight.
We're reducing cortisol spikesand giving our prefrontal cortex
a fighting chance to stayonline.
Now, psychologically, we'reincorporating mindfulness and
emotional regulation.
We're labeling what's happeningand, instead of being ruled by
(05:15):
it, we get to control it.
So that's one of the firststeps to regulating emotion.
Naming it gives you your powerback to regulating emotion.
Naming it gives you your powerback, validation and or radical
acceptance are baked in, soyou're not fighting the chaos,
you're acknowledging it withoutletting it decide your next step
.
That's regulation, that'spowerful and it's healing.
(05:40):
The body remembers traumaresponses.
The body remembers ourresponses to our environment and
situations around us.
So every time we practiceutilizing these skills, we are
teaching our body a differentmemory and response to our
(06:04):
environment.
And, most importantly,codepause reminds you that
you're allowed to reset evenmid-shift and, yes, even
mid-chaos.
Is it a good idea, in themiddle of a code blue, to stand
there and do a real quickfive-minute meditation?
No, we all know that that'smost likely absolutely not
(06:26):
possible.
However, 10 seconds to gothrough a code pause and
establish what your next step iswith clarity is absolutely
imperative.
You don't owe anyone yournervous system in fight or
flight mode ever.
You deserve peace, and peacedoesn't have to mean quitting.
(06:48):
It doesn't have to mean showingup as less than it can mean 10
to 15 seconds to just reclaimyour, your breath and your
balance and then to move forwarddecisively.
A few other skills that I knowwe've covered in other episodes
(07:10):
earlier, but I just kind of wantto touch base on them again.
One of them is vocalizing yourneeds.
So vocalizing your needs can bekind of difficult.
Depending on how you grew up,depending on your culture,
vocalizing your needs may not besomething that you ever saw in
practice or were taught how todo.
(07:31):
So it can feel really limitingand foreign and almost like your
throat closing, almost like youcan't do it.
And I'm here to tell you thatyou can.
(07:52):
Sometimes, putting it in arecognizable system or like a
mnemonic, dbt as a therapy has amnemonic called DEARMAN that
helps people understand how tovocalize their need and approach
it.
And dear man as an acronym is away for you to advocate, even
(08:15):
to yourself.
Now, sometimes, if you're notpracticed at vocalizing your
needs, you may not be ready toacknowledge or validate or voice
your needs to yourself.
That may be something that youhave to practice.
So we're going to try this,because as nurses, we're
incredible at advocating forpatients, but when it comes to
(08:35):
our own needs, a lot of thetimes we whisper, we minimize,
sometimes we avoid not anymore.
So we're going to try this.
You're going to describe what'shappening, you're going to
express how it affects you.
You're going to assert what itis that you need and you're
(08:58):
going to reinforce why itmatters.
You're going to focus onstaying mindful.
You're going to focus onstaying mindful, appear
confident and negotiate ifneeded.
Now that dear man formula uh,you can do in a letter format.
You can actually use theacronym itself and write it in a
(09:19):
column.
There's a bunch of differentways you can utilize this to
communicate, not just withyourself in order to understand
and acknowledge your needs, butto practice the skillset so that
you can use it to communicatewith others.
So that you can use it tocommunicate with others so that
you can use it to understandwhere your boundaries are, what
(09:42):
your needs are and theirpriority, their importance to
you.
You don't have to wait forpermission to say what's not
working.
Power means telling yourmanager, for example, the truth
about unsafe assignments.
Power means asking your partnerfor decompression time after
(10:03):
your shift.
Power means saying no clearlywithout an apology, or saying
yes clearly without an apology,an apology.
(10:24):
Using dear man gives you astructure to practice this in
until you become comfortablewith vocalizing your needs and
expressing what they mean to youand reinforcing that.
Being able to be mindful in themoment instead of overcome with
emotion, being or appearingconfident in your approach and
the ability to negotiate ifneeded, if you're met with
pushback, if you are met withresistance.
Practicing the skill over andover again, just like practicing
(10:48):
any other skill, helps us besuccessful at it and internalize
it.
So you can't pour from an emptycup.
And our last skill set thatwe're going to cover here is
prioritizing yourself.
You're going to use please anda little bit of radical
acceptance, and no coffeerefills, by the way, don't count
(11:11):
towards that empty cup, emptycup.
So my framework also teaches anurse specific version of what
DBT would call please.
So for nursing, we're going tolook at physical illness, and
(11:33):
yes, I mean Aches, pains, bodyaches, metabolic conditions,
things that are going on withyou that are physically
affecting you.
We're going to look at oureating.
Do we have balanced eating tothe best of our ability?
How are we fueling our bodiesto get through this chaos and
(11:58):
avoiding mood alteringsubstances?
We want our neurochemistry tobe at the top of its game, and
I'm not saying that this is apermanent abstinence of any kind
or being decreed to you as somekind of moral imperative.
It is not whatsoever.
This is a great skill set touse in moments or passages of
(12:18):
life where you are facingadversity you are under extreme
duress, stress, anxiety.
Using dear man and please,along with some radical
acceptance, is a great way toground yourself, center yourself
, establish your structure andpriorities and navigate it
successfully with the mosthealthy coping behaviors that
(12:41):
you possibly can.
So, in addition to avoidingmood-altering substances, you
need to sleep you want to makesure that you're balancing your
sleep as best as possible andphysical exercise we know that
exercise releases endorphins andneurochemical brain boosting
(13:04):
molecules.
As simple as walking for 20minutes before your shift.
That's different than runningall over creation during your
shift.
That's different than runningall over creation during your
shift.
Mindfully and purposefullywalking to enjoy the fresh air
(13:27):
to inhale and exhale, to stretch, is far different than the
mindless walking we're doing 12hours on our feet running back
and forth, and it doesn't haveto be walking, it can be yoga
stretches, somatic exercises.
You just want to make sure thatyou are incorporating each one
of these facets into yourintervention for yourself during
(13:52):
this phase or time period ormoment of adversity that you're
that you are existing through atthe moment.
Self-care is not bubble baths.
It is and it isn't Okay.
So I'm not saying don't dobubble baths, it absolutely can
be.
But self-care, really, it'sbrushing your teeth after that
(14:13):
brutal double shift.
It's texting a friend insteadof doom scrolling.
It's allowing your humanity tomatter as much as your hustle
does.
Self-care doesn't have to beexpensive, bougie, fancy or out
of the ordinary.
Self-care looks likeremembering to pack your lunch.
(14:34):
Remembering to pack your lunch.
Self-care looks like hydrating,sleeping, nurturing yourself.
And here's the kicker Throw thatradical acceptance in there,
and that means we're notfighting what is.
We're radically accepting whatis and what's going on and we're
(14:54):
using our energy to choose whatcomes next.
It doesn't mean that you'reaccepting it and rolling over
and acting like a doormat orplaying dead.
We're not talking about that.
It means you're looking at thesituation and you're
acknowledging man, this reallysucks.
This is really frustrating.
Angering, this grief hurts,this exhaustion is real.
(15:18):
Whatever it is that's going onin your atmosphere at that
moment, you're validating thatit exists and then you are
getting to use your energy todecide your next steps.
So what I want you to do is makea note.
(15:39):
I don't care if it's on theback of your brain, a napkin,
the glove sitting next to you.
If that's all you've got.
I want you to do this.
I want you to write down threethings.
The first one a boundary thatyou're going to hold.
Keep in mind, this is all aboutself-care, preservation of you.
A boundary that you're going tohold.
Keep in mind, this is all aboutself-care, preservation of you.
(16:00):
A boundary that you're going tohold, a need that you're going
to voice.
Doesn't have to be long, can beone word things and one way
that you're going to prioritizeyourself this week Without guilt
.
Read them out loud, read themseveral times, sit with them,
(16:23):
think about them.
If you're one of my ritualgirlies, I want you to say it
like a spell, because that'sexactly what it is.
You are putting that out thereand confirming and affirming to
yourself that these thingsmatter, that you matter and that
you're going to prioritize them.
And by prioritizing those threethings, you're inherently
prioritizing yourself this week.
(16:46):
All right, nurse, if you'redriving home, hiding in the
supply closet or just finallysitting down for your first sip
of coffee in six hours, thismoment, right here, it's yours.
I want you to take a breath,roll your shoulders.
You've already made it throughthe first half of this episode
and we have more amazingnessahead Coming up.
(17:07):
We're going to shift intoritual mode, you know it, with
coffee, crystals and divination.
I've got your weeklyprescription of coffee, your
weekly crystal prescription andyour divination, our collective
card poll that's waiting on theother side of this break.
So use this musical interludeto refresh your hydration or
your coffee to pause, so youknow exactly where to come back
(17:30):
to after shift or on your wayhome, and don't go anywhere.
Your magic shift is justgetting started.
As long as I'm with you, aslong as I'm with you, as long as
(18:37):
you're with me, welcome back.
Thank you so much for stickingwith us.
We are into, of course, ourfavorite segment, which is
coffee, crystals and divination.
And remember last week well,actually the week before now
that the ritual nurse is everyother week releases, but the
week before that I was talkingabout finding cherry cold foam
(19:00):
and also ways that you can makeit if you don't want to buy
coffee from the mermaid fishpeople, and I was saying that I
was really nervous about it, butI wanted to try it combined
with matcha.
Wasn't sure how that was goingto marry.
The lavender cold foam was areally good idea.
I wasn't sure about the cherry.
(19:21):
Okay, I so I did, and I alsodid the dirty chai version of it
.
I have a really great chai tea,um, that I can brew at home and
a dirty chai just FYI is mixingespresso shots with chai and
then adding in you know lovelythings like cherry cold foam.
But it was unexpected.
(19:42):
It was really.
It was brightly flavored.
It wasn't like you know, youpicked up cherries that fell on
the grass and rolled around andpopped them in your mouth, which
is kind of what I was a littlebit worried about, because
matcha matcha, excuse me, can begreen flavored, shall we say
but it was really refreshing andit just it kind of I don't know
(20:04):
.
It felt like spring, it lookedlike spring, the beautiful light
pink color and beautiful greencolor, I don't know.
Just a super, super fun drink.
So whatever concoctions you'remaking this week, think about
them being spring themed.
You know, maybe an iced fruittea concoction with a flavored
foam thrown on top, maybe thatkind of thing.
(20:27):
The crystal of the week.
So we're going to pull from ourcrystal portal Oracle and I'm
going to take that deck out hereand see what our crystal is
going to be for this week.
The last episode we had anamazing one that was so very
(20:48):
apropos to what we were talkingabout this week.
We are looking at the power ofthe nurse, your power, my
friends, and let's see whatcrystal prescription we have.
And it is hematite persistence.
(21:09):
Let's take a look here.
Ooh, this is such a gorgeous umimage.
Okay, I love how sassy thesecards are.
So hematite deals with endurance, willpower and focus.
Like a skilled archer with abow and arrow, you're locked and
(21:31):
loaded with unwaveringdetermination and laser-like
focus, just as the arrow hitsits mark.
Trust in your inner strength topropel you towards your goals
with precision.
Now is the time to channel yourinner warrior, aim high and let
nothing stand in your way onyour path to success.
Well, if that doesn't fitnurses week and the power of
(21:55):
nursing like a glove, I don'tknow what does.
That is an incredible card pullfor this week.
So hematite a lot of peoplehave rings and bracelets that
are made from it, so this is aneasy one to carry around with
(22:17):
you and have in your sphere you.
And have in your sphere Um andkeywords like persistence and
endurance, willpower, focusreally great for contemplating
some of the mantras ormanifesting um or even
(22:39):
incorporating into the threegoals that you wrote down before
the break in the end of thatsegment.
Now we're going to pull ourcollective card for this week's
episode for reading, and againit's the power of the nurse that
we're focusing on.
So let's see what ourcollective poll is for this week
(23:05):
and what card we get using thecrystal struck tarot.
So this is the companion deck.
Both of these are by MoonstruckCrystals and if you look at our
socials, I've posted a couplepictures of them.
They're stunning.
They are absolutely gorgeous.
I just I love the aesthetic somuch.
She did come out with a miniversion and I had some pretty
(23:29):
intense discussions with myselfabout needing pocket or purse
sized versions of both decksthat I already had.
My decks are edged in thisbeautiful kind of holographic
silver, and she makes a gold oneas well.
So let's see what our poll isfor this week, and it is the Ace
(23:58):
of Pentacles, which is Jade.
Oh gosh, that is absolutelygorgeous, absolutely gorgeous,
the ace of pentacles.
And normally, um, with any kindof reading, I, if I'm answering
(24:23):
someone's question or workingwith a person individually, I do
it much differently becausethis is a collective poll.
It's really the theme of theweek, the episode that is on my
mind as I'm pulling these.
So the ace of pentacles isfinancial opportunity, wealth
and new path.
Jade also signifies abundance,manifestation and harmony.
This is a very prosperous card,particularly when it comes to
(24:48):
new opportunities relating tothe material or financial areas
of your life.
You are being presented with awelcome invitation to abundance,
but it's up to you to manifestyour success.
Absolutely incredible.
Completely ties in with thecrystal prescription for this
week and the theme of power, ofempowerment, self-empowerment.
(25:12):
I absolutely love this.
So that is our coffee for theweek, our crystal prescription
for the week and our tarotdivination for the week.
Our crystal prescription forthe week and our tarot
divination for the week.
Would you guys I was kind oftoying with this idea in the
show notes for every week, doyou guys want me to put down the
(25:33):
uh coffee drink ideas, thecrystal prescription and the
divination poll?
If that's something that youguys would like me to start
doing intentionally, sometimesthe transcription does it, but
if that's something that youwant me to start doing
intentionally in the show notesfor every episode, leave me
feedback on socials.
I keep asking for feedback onsocials and I don't know, maybe
(25:57):
you guys are shy, maybe whoknows, but give me feedback on
socials.
Let me know if you would likethat information in the show
notes.
Let me know if you've tried anyof the drinks or if you've come
up with an even bettercombination.
Um, there is a link.
If you're on Apple podcast orSpotify, at the very top of the
show notes there's a link thatyou can click on that
(26:19):
automatically pulls up a textbox, meaning like text messaging
, and it anonymously sends me atext both to my phone and to the
dashboard on my podcast.
Now, it is anonymous, so youcan send me stories, you can
send me information, and youdon't have to worry about your
(26:40):
privacy.
It's completely anonymous.
There's no number, information,there's nothing even collected,
but you can give me feedbackthat way, and also on TikTok.
I am the ritual nurse on TikTokand I'm just building the
account now, so definitely gogive us a follow and help us get
(27:03):
our content out there.
On Instagram, it is the codeteam.
There's an underscore inbetween each of the words and um
, our website, tcthorg.
But before we close out today,um, I've got something extra
special just for you guys,because to me, celebrating you
means investing in you.
(27:23):
So, first up, the Code Teamstore is officially live.
If you go to tcthorg there is atab that says shop in the
navigation.
There'll be links on the veryfront and the shop is live.
And so as we develop and accrueour favorite, you know, ritual
tools, divination, nursingresources, science, brain, all
(27:47):
the science info and exclusivedownloads for you guys, all that
stuff is going to be in oneabsolutely gorgeous space on our
website at tcthorg.
To celebrate Nurses Week, I dohave a gift for you.
I want you to use the codenurse power.
It's all caps and, don't worry,it'll be in the show notes for
20% off of everything in theentire store and that's good for
(28:09):
the entire, for the wholenurses week, all the way up
until midnight on May 12th.
And that's not all.
So the authentic nurse coursewhich um came out a few years
ago those of you that have beenfriends of mine for a long time
or part of the code teamcommunity before the ritual
nurse podcast, was even a thingum may have already taken the
(28:31):
course.
Um or you know, remember thecourse itself launching Um.
That course is the precursor toa lot of my trauma-informed
care model and the secondarycourse that we'll be releasing
in the fall.
But the authentic nurse courseis just this beautiful
(28:53):
self-discovery.
It's an asynchronous coursethat you do on your own pace
that walks you through theprocess of establishing your
intrinsic, your core beliefs,your structure and validating
your authenticity.
It's really a precursor to alot of the skills even that we
(29:18):
covered in the very beginningepisodes of this podcast.
So the authentic nurse course isnormally 297 and for nurses
week well, because it's nursesweek 2025, the course is going
to be $20 and 25 cents for theentire week.
$20 and 25 cents for the entireweek.
You guys are the reason that mycourses even exist.
(29:40):
You're the reason that theeducational platform even exists
.
So it's time you know to investand give back to you guys.
And I just thought that thiswas a fun and cute way to do it.
So the authentic nurse coursewill be $20 and 25 cents for the
entire week.
I encourage you.
(30:00):
Once you buy the course, you ownit, any updates to it, all the
downloads in it.
I can't even explain how packedthis course is.
It took about oh my gosh, ittook almost a year to get all
the materials together, to doall of the audio recording, to
create all of the downloads andcontent for it to the audio
(30:22):
mastering and it incorporatesyears of research into looking
at how we establish our corebeliefs and authenticity.
So it's a it's a phenomenalcourse it there's a lot of
meditation that's built into it.
It's incredible.
I encourage you to check it out.
And also if, on the basis of mybirthday episode, if you're
(30:51):
already a fan of the list I'vecreated special nurses week
versions that you can downloadfor free on tcthorg, just like
the regular, the basic whiteversion.
Because organizing your chaosshould should feel special and
sacred too, because organizingyour chaos should feel special
and sacred too.
So all of those gifts andgoodies and special codes are
going to be in the show notes,so you don't have to worry about
jotting them down orremembering them.
(31:12):
And enjoy, enjoy.
They're my gifts to you guysand a labor of love, and nothing
is more important to me thaninvesting in and celebrating you
guys.
So everything is going to belinked in the show notes and
it's going to be available theentire week, all the way through
the last final day, up untilmidnight.
(31:33):
So the power of us as nursesisn't just in saving others.
That's the number one thingthat TV shows focus on just in
saving others.
That's the number one thingthat TV shows focus on.
It's the number one thing thatstories about us focus on.
The power of being a nurse ishaving the ability to understand
and assimilate and bringtogether so many treatment
(31:57):
modalities and therapeuticinterventions and science and
holistic healing, and holdingall of it together.
In saying that, however,another part of it is also in
choosing to save ourselves too,to stay, to speak, to stand, to
go where you're going to thrive,to protect your peace, so that
(32:20):
you can thrive.
I want you to light a candlethis afternoon, this evening,
after your shift, and I want youto whisper those intentions
into it.
I want you to look at yourstethoscope like it's a special
tool to you and remind yourselfthat you're not just part of the
(32:42):
system.
You are a part of the medicinedelivered in this system.
And why did I say stethoscope?
Well, because you know, we knowthey're not doctor stethoscopes
, we know they're ours.
Grab your free copy of the listin the show notes, your sacred
tool to organize your chaos.
(33:04):
Make space for what matters.
Don't forget to use yourexclusive nurses.
We code for your uh.
20% off the entire store, theauthentic nurse course itself.
Um, you don't need to code foruh, the price has just been
adjusted to $20 and 25 cents, soyou don't even have to worry
about it.
But enjoy and indulge and takecare of yourself.
(33:26):
Please tag a nurse, please senda friend this episode.
Let's lift each other the hellup this week and every single
week.
And, as always, I love yourfaces.
This is your ritual nurse Reva.
Thanks for tuning in to theritual nurse podcast.
You can find us wherever youlisten to podcasts, so don't
(33:48):
forget to subscribe and stayconnected for all our social
links free education classes,blogs and podcast notes with
resources.
Head over to tcthorg until nexttime.
Love your faces.
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse, where healing meets
humor, science and a touch ofmagic.
Happy Nurses Week, you sacred,exhausted, wildly powerful
beings.
I see you, all of you, from thenew grad just trying to
remember what the heck SBARstands for, to the seasoned
(00:33):
nurse silently whispering getyour orders together under their
mask.
This week isn't about pizzaparties or those weird acrylic
trophies.
It's about power, your power,and this year's official theme
says it out loud the power ofthe nurse.
(00:55):
So today's episode is going tofocus on just that.
It's not just a celebration.
It's a reclamation of our peace, our voices, our priorities.
Let's talk about what it reallymeans to be powerful when
you're burned out, stretchedthin, still getting hit with
increasing workplace violence,rising anxiety and ratios that
(01:18):
should probably be illegal.
Power isn't just showing up,it's protecting your peace, it's
vocalizing your needs, it isprioritizing yourself, even when
the system wants you toself-sacrifice.
We're going to take a look atdistress, tolerance and
interpersonal effectiveness.
(01:39):
You know you're allowed topause, you are allowed to step
back, you are allowed to chooseyou.
So here's something I want tocover first.
This is a tool from mytrauma-informed care model, and
it's something that I call codepause, because, well, this time
you're the patient and we needto pause.
(02:00):
When everything around you ischaotic, when the alarms, the
charting, the family drama,maybe grief, maybe even
microaggressions and endlesspatient needs are threatening to
hijack your nervous system,you're going to call a code
pause.
Here's how it works.
The first thing you do isunclench your jaw and drop your
(02:21):
shoulders.
The next thing you do isbreathe in through your nose and
out through your mouth justonce, slowly, and then you're
going to name the moment.
This could sound like this isintense, and I'm still here.
I am overwhelmed, but I'm notin danger.
(02:43):
This isn't mine to carry allalone.
Or maybe it sounds like I amextremely frustrated right now,
and that's valid and I stillhave to function.
I must complete this task.
So you're going to name themoment.
If you can, you're going tovocalize it out loud to yourself
(03:06):
.
If not, you're going toconsciously vocalize it in your
head and then you're going tochoose your next move on purpose
, even if it's just saying I'llanswer that call light as soon
as I finished charting this med.
You're not going to plan outmultiple steps in advance.
(03:30):
You're halting the moment andconsciously choosing your next
move, the very next step andonce you reach that step, you
can proceed forward.
Step you can proceed forward.
Calling a code pause is a way toactually pause everything,
(03:51):
internally and externally, evenif it's just 10 seconds, and
allowing you to regroup, tovalidate or radically accept, as
the case may be, andconsciously choose to be in
control of your next movementforward.
Now, code pause is short,really short, but it's sacred
(04:12):
and here's why it actually works.
This isn't just fluff.
It's not just a fancy acronymor some kind of buzzword to use.
It's nervous system CPR.
So quick science, science drop.
Why code pause works is because,physiologically, it is
interrupting your acute stressresponse.
(04:32):
That single deep breath isactivating our parasympathetic
nervous system.
You are telling your brain weare not in physical danger.
By taking the time to standstill and slowly inhale through
your nose and slowly exhalethrough your mouth, you are
(04:54):
sending the signal we are not infight or flight.
We're reducing cortisol spikesand giving our prefrontal cortex
a fighting chance to stayonline.
Now, psychologically, we'reincorporating mindfulness and
emotional regulation.
We're labeling what's happeningand, instead of being ruled by
(05:15):
it, we get to control it.
So that's one of the firststeps to regulating emotion.
Naming it gives you your powerback to regulating emotion.
Naming it gives you your powerback, validation and or radical
acceptance are baked in, soyou're not fighting the chaos,
you're acknowledging it withoutletting it decide your next step
.
That's regulation, that'spowerful and it's healing.
(05:40):
The body remembers traumaresponses.
The body remembers ourresponses to our environment and
situations around us.
So every time we practiceutilizing these skills, we are
teaching our body a differentmemory and response to our
(06:04):
environment.
And, most importantly,codepause reminds you that
you're allowed to reset evenmid-shift and, yes, even
mid-chaos.
Is it a good idea, in themiddle of a code blue, to stand
there and do a real quickfive-minute meditation?
No, we all know that that'smost likely absolutely not
(06:26):
possible.
However, 10 seconds to gothrough a code pause and
establish what your next step iswith clarity is absolutely
imperative.
You don't owe anyone yournervous system in fight or
flight mode ever.
You deserve peace, and peacedoesn't have to mean quitting.
(06:48):
It doesn't have to mean showingup as less than it can mean 10
to 15 seconds to just reclaimyour, your breath and your
balance and then to move forwarddecisively.
A few other skills that I knowwe've covered in other episodes
(07:10):
earlier, but I just kind of wantto touch base on them again.
One of them is vocalizing yourneeds.
So vocalizing your needs can bekind of difficult.
Depending on how you grew up,depending on your culture,
vocalizing your needs may not besomething that you ever saw in
practice or were taught how todo.
(07:31):
So it can feel really limitingand foreign and almost like your
throat closing, almost like youcan't do it.
And I'm here to tell you thatyou can.
(07:52):
Sometimes, putting it in arecognizable system or like a
mnemonic, dbt as a therapy has amnemonic called DEARMAN that
helps people understand how tovocalize their need and approach
it.
And dear man as an acronym is away for you to advocate, even
(08:15):
to yourself.
Now, sometimes, if you're notpracticed at vocalizing your
needs, you may not be ready toacknowledge or validate or voice
your needs to yourself.
That may be something that youhave to practice.
So we're going to try this,because as nurses, we're
incredible at advocating forpatients, but when it comes to
(08:35):
our own needs, a lot of thetimes we whisper, we minimize,
sometimes we avoid not anymore.
So we're going to try this.
You're going to describe what'shappening, you're going to
express how it affects you.
You're going to assert what itis that you need and you're
(08:58):
going to reinforce why itmatters.
You're going to focus onstaying mindful.
You're going to focus onstaying mindful, appear
confident and negotiate ifneeded.
Now that dear man formula uh,you can do in a letter format.
You can actually use theacronym itself and write it in a
(09:19):
column.
There's a bunch of differentways you can utilize this to
communicate, not just withyourself in order to understand
and acknowledge your needs, butto practice the skillset so that
you can use it to communicatewith others.
So that you can use it tocommunicate with others so that
you can use it to understandwhere your boundaries are, what
(09:42):
your needs are and theirpriority, their importance to
you.
You don't have to wait forpermission to say what's not
working.
Power means telling yourmanager, for example, the truth
about unsafe assignments.
Power means asking your partnerfor decompression time after
(10:03):
your shift.
Power means saying no clearlywithout an apology, or saying
yes clearly without an apology,an apology.
(10:24):
Using dear man gives you astructure to practice this in
until you become comfortablewith vocalizing your needs and
expressing what they mean to youand reinforcing that.
Being able to be mindful in themoment instead of overcome with
emotion, being or appearingconfident in your approach and
the ability to negotiate ifneeded, if you're met with
pushback, if you are met withresistance.
Practicing the skill over andover again, just like practicing
(10:48):
any other skill, helps us besuccessful at it and internalize
it.
So you can't pour from an emptycup.
And our last skill set thatwe're going to cover here is
prioritizing yourself.
You're going to use please anda little bit of radical
acceptance, and no coffeerefills, by the way, don't count
(11:11):
towards that empty cup, emptycup.
So my framework also teaches anurse specific version of what
DBT would call please.
So for nursing, we're going tolook at physical illness, and
(11:33):
yes, I mean Aches, pains, bodyaches, metabolic conditions,
things that are going on withyou that are physically
affecting you.
We're going to look at oureating.
Do we have balanced eating tothe best of our ability?
How are we fueling our bodiesto get through this chaos and
(11:58):
avoiding mood alteringsubstances?
We want our neurochemistry tobe at the top of its game, and
I'm not saying that this is apermanent abstinence of any kind
or being decreed to you as somekind of moral imperative.
It is not whatsoever.
This is a great skill set touse in moments or passages of
(12:18):
life where you are facingadversity you are under extreme
duress, stress, anxiety.
Using dear man and please,along with some radical
acceptance, is a great way toground yourself, center yourself
, establish your structure andpriorities and navigate it
successfully with the mosthealthy coping behaviors that
(12:41):
you possibly can.
So, in addition to avoidingmood-altering substances, you
need to sleep you want to makesure that you're balancing your
sleep as best as possible andphysical exercise we know that
exercise releases endorphins andneurochemical brain boosting
(13:04):
molecules.
As simple as walking for 20minutes before your shift.
That's different than runningall over creation during your
shift.
That's different than runningall over creation during your
shift.
Mindfully and purposefullywalking to enjoy the fresh air
(13:27):
to inhale and exhale, to stretch, is far different than the
mindless walking we're doing 12hours on our feet running back
and forth, and it doesn't haveto be walking, it can be yoga
stretches, somatic exercises.
You just want to make sure thatyou are incorporating each one
of these facets into yourintervention for yourself during
(13:52):
this phase or time period ormoment of adversity that you're
that you are existing through atthe moment.
Self-care is not bubble baths.
It is and it isn't Okay.
So I'm not saying don't dobubble baths, it absolutely can
be.
But self-care, really, it'sbrushing your teeth after that
(14:13):
brutal double shift.
It's texting a friend insteadof doom scrolling.
It's allowing your humanity tomatter as much as your hustle
does.
Self-care doesn't have to beexpensive, bougie, fancy or out
of the ordinary.
Self-care looks likeremembering to pack your lunch.
(14:34):
Remembering to pack your lunch.
Self-care looks like hydrating,sleeping, nurturing yourself.
And here's the kicker Throw thatradical acceptance in there,
and that means we're notfighting what is.
We're radically accepting whatis and what's going on and we're
(14:54):
using our energy to choose whatcomes next.
It doesn't mean that you'reaccepting it and rolling over
and acting like a doormat orplaying dead.
We're not talking about that.
It means you're looking at thesituation and you're
acknowledging man, this reallysucks.
This is really frustrating.
Angering, this grief hurts,this exhaustion is real.
(15:18):
Whatever it is that's going onin your atmosphere at that
moment, you're validating thatit exists and then you are
getting to use your energy todecide your next steps.
So what I want you to do is makea note.
(15:39):
I don't care if it's on theback of your brain, a napkin,
the glove sitting next to you.
If that's all you've got.
I want you to do this.
I want you to write down threethings.
The first one a boundary thatyou're going to hold.
Keep in mind, this is all aboutself-care, preservation of you.
A boundary that you're going tohold.
Keep in mind, this is all aboutself-care, preservation of you.
(16:00):
A boundary that you're going tohold, a need that you're going
to voice.
Doesn't have to be long, can beone word things and one way
that you're going to prioritizeyourself this week Without guilt
.
Read them out loud, read themseveral times, sit with them,
(16:23):
think about them.
If you're one of my ritualgirlies, I want you to say it
like a spell, because that'sexactly what it is.
You are putting that out thereand confirming and affirming to
yourself that these thingsmatter, that you matter and that
you're going to prioritize them.
And by prioritizing those threethings, you're inherently
prioritizing yourself this week.
(16:46):
All right, nurse, if you'redriving home, hiding in the
supply closet or just finallysitting down for your first sip
of coffee in six hours, thismoment, right here, it's yours.
I want you to take a breath,roll your shoulders.
You've already made it throughthe first half of this episode
and we have more amazingnessahead Coming up.
(17:07):
We're going to shift intoritual mode, you know it, with
coffee, crystals and divination.
I've got your weeklyprescription of coffee, your
weekly crystal prescription andyour divination, our collective
card poll that's waiting on theother side of this break.
So use this musical interludeto refresh your hydration or
your coffee to pause, so youknow exactly where to come back
(17:30):
to after shift or on your wayhome, and don't go anywhere.
Your magic shift is justgetting started.
As long as I'm with you, aslong as I'm with you, as long as
(18:37):
you're with me, welcome back.
Thank you so much for stickingwith us.
We are into, of course, ourfavorite segment, which is
coffee, crystals and divination.
And remember last week well,actually the week before now
that the ritual nurse is everyother week releases, but the
week before that I was talkingabout finding cherry cold foam
(19:00):
and also ways that you can makeit if you don't want to buy
coffee from the mermaid fishpeople, and I was saying that I
was really nervous about it, butI wanted to try it combined
with matcha.
Wasn't sure how that was goingto marry.
The lavender cold foam was areally good idea.
I wasn't sure about the cherry.
(19:21):
Okay, I so I did, and I alsodid the dirty chai version of it
.
I have a really great chai tea,um, that I can brew at home and
a dirty chai just FYI is mixingespresso shots with chai and
then adding in you know lovelythings like cherry cold foam.
But it was unexpected.
(19:42):
It was really.
It was brightly flavored.
It wasn't like you know, youpicked up cherries that fell on
the grass and rolled around andpopped them in your mouth, which
is kind of what I was a littlebit worried about, because
matcha matcha, excuse me, can begreen flavored, shall we say
but it was really refreshing andit just it kind of I don't know
(20:04):
.
It felt like spring, it lookedlike spring, the beautiful light
pink color and beautiful greencolor, I don't know.
Just a super, super fun drink.
So whatever concoctions you'remaking this week, think about
them being spring themed.
You know, maybe an iced fruittea concoction with a flavored
foam thrown on top, maybe thatkind of thing.
(20:27):
The crystal of the week.
So we're going to pull from ourcrystal portal Oracle and I'm
going to take that deck out hereand see what our crystal is
going to be for this week.
The last episode we had anamazing one that was so very
(20:48):
apropos to what we were talkingabout this week.
We are looking at the power ofthe nurse, your power, my
friends, and let's see whatcrystal prescription we have.
And it is hematite persistence.
(21:09):
Let's take a look here.
Ooh, this is such a gorgeous umimage.
Okay, I love how sassy thesecards are.
So hematite deals with endurance, willpower and focus.
Like a skilled archer with abow and arrow, you're locked and
(21:31):
loaded with unwaveringdetermination and laser-like
focus, just as the arrow hitsits mark.
Trust in your inner strength topropel you towards your goals
with precision.
Now is the time to channel yourinner warrior, aim high and let
nothing stand in your way onyour path to success.
Well, if that doesn't fitnurses week and the power of
(21:55):
nursing like a glove, I don'tknow what does.
That is an incredible card pullfor this week.
So hematite a lot of peoplehave rings and bracelets that
are made from it, so this is aneasy one to carry around with
(22:17):
you and have in your sphere you.
And have in your sphere Um andkeywords like persistence and
endurance, willpower, focusreally great for contemplating
some of the mantras ormanifesting um or even
(22:39):
incorporating into the threegoals that you wrote down before
the break in the end of thatsegment.
Now we're going to pull ourcollective card for this week's
episode for reading, and againit's the power of the nurse that
we're focusing on.
So let's see what ourcollective poll is for this week
(23:05):
and what card we get using thecrystal struck tarot.
So this is the companion deck.
Both of these are by MoonstruckCrystals and if you look at our
socials, I've posted a couplepictures of them.
They're stunning.
They are absolutely gorgeous.
I just I love the aesthetic somuch.
She did come out with a miniversion and I had some pretty
(23:29):
intense discussions with myselfabout needing pocket or purse
sized versions of both decksthat I already had.
My decks are edged in thisbeautiful kind of holographic
silver, and she makes a gold oneas well.
So let's see what our poll isfor this week, and it is the Ace
(23:58):
of Pentacles, which is Jade.
Oh gosh, that is absolutelygorgeous, absolutely gorgeous,
the ace of pentacles.
And normally, um, with any kindof reading, I, if I'm answering
(24:23):
someone's question or workingwith a person individually, I do
it much differently becausethis is a collective poll.
It's really the theme of theweek, the episode that is on my
mind as I'm pulling these.
So the ace of pentacles isfinancial opportunity, wealth
and new path.
Jade also signifies abundance,manifestation and harmony.
This is a very prosperous card,particularly when it comes to
(24:48):
new opportunities relating tothe material or financial areas
of your life.
You are being presented with awelcome invitation to abundance,
but it's up to you to manifestyour success.
Absolutely incredible.
Completely ties in with thecrystal prescription for this
week and the theme of power, ofempowerment, self-empowerment.
(25:12):
I absolutely love this.
So that is our coffee for theweek, our crystal prescription
for the week and our tarotdivination for the week.
Our crystal prescription forthe week and our tarot
divination for the week.
Would you guys I was kind oftoying with this idea in the
show notes for every week, doyou guys want me to put down the
(25:33):
uh coffee drink ideas, thecrystal prescription and the
divination poll?
If that's something that youguys would like me to start
doing intentionally, sometimesthe transcription does it, but
if that's something that youwant me to start doing
intentionally in the show notesfor every episode, leave me
feedback on socials.
I keep asking for feedback onsocials and I don't know, maybe
(25:57):
you guys are shy, maybe whoknows, but give me feedback on
socials.
Let me know if you would likethat information in the show
notes.
Let me know if you've tried anyof the drinks or if you've come
up with an even bettercombination.
Um, there is a link.
If you're on Apple podcast orSpotify, at the very top of the
show notes there's a link thatyou can click on that
(26:19):
automatically pulls up a textbox, meaning like text messaging
, and it anonymously sends me atext both to my phone and to the
dashboard on my podcast.
Now, it is anonymous, so youcan send me stories, you can
send me information, and youdon't have to worry about your
(26:40):
privacy.
It's completely anonymous.
There's no number, information,there's nothing even collected,
but you can give me feedbackthat way, and also on TikTok.
I am the ritual nurse on TikTokand I'm just building the
account now, so definitely gogive us a follow and help us get
(27:03):
our content out there.
On Instagram, it is the codeteam.
There's an underscore inbetween each of the words and um
, our website, tcthorg.
But before we close out today,um, I've got something extra
special just for you guys,because to me, celebrating you
means investing in you.
(27:23):
So, first up, the Code Teamstore is officially live.
If you go to tcthorg there is atab that says shop in the
navigation.
There'll be links on the veryfront and the shop is live.
And so as we develop and accrueour favorite, you know, ritual
tools, divination, nursingresources, science, brain, all
(27:47):
the science info and exclusivedownloads for you guys, all that
stuff is going to be in oneabsolutely gorgeous space on our
website at tcthorg.
To celebrate Nurses Week, I dohave a gift for you.
I want you to use the codenurse power.
It's all caps and, don't worry,it'll be in the show notes for
20% off of everything in theentire store and that's good for
(28:09):
the entire, for the wholenurses week, all the way up
until midnight on May 12th.
And that's not all.
So the authentic nurse coursewhich um came out a few years
ago those of you that have beenfriends of mine for a long time
or part of the code teamcommunity before the ritual
nurse podcast, was even a thingum may have already taken the
(28:31):
course.
Um or you know, remember thecourse itself launching Um.
That course is the precursor toa lot of my trauma-informed
care model and the secondarycourse that we'll be releasing
in the fall.
But the authentic nurse courseis just this beautiful
(28:53):
self-discovery.
It's an asynchronous coursethat you do on your own pace
that walks you through theprocess of establishing your
intrinsic, your core beliefs,your structure and validating
your authenticity.
It's really a precursor to alot of the skills even that we
(29:18):
covered in the very beginningepisodes of this podcast.
So the authentic nurse course isnormally 297 and for nurses
week well, because it's nursesweek 2025, the course is going
to be $20 and 25 cents for theentire week.
$20 and 25 cents for the entireweek.
You guys are the reason that mycourses even exist.
(29:40):
You're the reason that theeducational platform even exists
.
So it's time you know to investand give back to you guys.
And I just thought that thiswas a fun and cute way to do it.
So the authentic nurse coursewill be $20 and 25 cents for the
entire week.
I encourage you.
(30:00):
Once you buy the course, you ownit, any updates to it, all the
downloads in it.
I can't even explain how packedthis course is.
It took about oh my gosh, ittook almost a year to get all
the materials together, to doall of the audio recording, to
create all of the downloads andcontent for it to the audio
(30:22):
mastering and it incorporatesyears of research into looking
at how we establish our corebeliefs and authenticity.
So it's a it's a phenomenalcourse it there's a lot of
meditation that's built into it.
It's incredible.
I encourage you to check it out.
And also if, on the basis of mybirthday episode, if you're
(30:51):
already a fan of the list I'vecreated special nurses week
versions that you can downloadfor free on tcthorg, just like
the regular, the basic whiteversion.
Because organizing your chaosshould should feel special and
sacred too, because organizingyour chaos should feel special
and sacred too.
So all of those gifts andgoodies and special codes are
going to be in the show notes,so you don't have to worry about
jotting them down orremembering them.
(31:12):
And enjoy, enjoy.
They're my gifts to you guysand a labor of love, and nothing
is more important to me thaninvesting in and celebrating you
guys.
So everything is going to belinked in the show notes and
it's going to be available theentire week, all the way through
the last final day, up untilmidnight.
(31:33):
So the power of us as nursesisn't just in saving others.
That's the number one thingthat TV shows focus on just in
saving others.
That's the number one thingthat TV shows focus on.
It's the number one thing thatstories about us focus on.
The power of being a nurse ishaving the ability to understand
and assimilate and bringtogether so many treatment
(31:57):
modalities and therapeuticinterventions and science and
holistic healing, and holdingall of it together.
In saying that, however,another part of it is also in
choosing to save ourselves too,to stay, to speak, to stand, to
go where you're going to thrive,to protect your peace, so that
(32:20):
you can thrive.
I want you to light a candlethis afternoon, this evening,
after your shift, and I want youto whisper those intentions
into it.
I want you to look at yourstethoscope like it's a special
tool to you and remind yourselfthat you're not just part of the
(32:42):
system.
You are a part of the medicinedelivered in this system.
And why did I say stethoscope?
Well, because you know, we knowthey're not doctor stethoscopes
, we know they're ours.
Grab your free copy of the listin the show notes, your sacred
tool to organize your chaos.
(33:04):
Make space for what matters.
Don't forget to use yourexclusive nurses.
We code for your uh.
20% off the entire store, theauthentic nurse course itself.
Um, you don't need to code foruh, the price has just been
adjusted to $20 and 25 cents, soyou don't even have to worry
about it.
But enjoy and indulge and takecare of yourself.
(33:26):
Please tag a nurse, please senda friend this episode.
Let's lift each other the hellup this week and every single
week.
And, as always, I love yourfaces.
This is your ritual nurse Reva.
Thanks for tuning in to theritual nurse podcast.
You can find us wherever youlisten to podcasts, so don't
(33:48):
forget to subscribe and stayconnected for all our social
links free education classes,blogs and podcast notes with
resources.
Head over to tcthorg until nexttime.
Love your faces.
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