January 8, 2025 • 28 mins
TXT us your feedback!! <3 your fayce!
This episode encourages nurses to embrace self-debriefing as a tool for emotional healing and resilience. By engaging in mindful reflections and integrating self-care practices, listeners can prioritize their well-being for a fulfilling nursing career.
Plus!! Our first ever Coffee, Crystals, and Divination segment!!! It was so much fun.
Listen in for:
• The Ritual Nurse blends humor, healing, and mindfulness
• Introduction to self-debriefing to process trauma and stress
• Practical exercises for self-awareness and vulnerability
• Daily challenges aimed at promoting self-care
• Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and body scans
• Community engagement through shared stories and experiences
• A soothing recipe and crystal prescription for grounding
• Encouragement for nurses to make themselves a priority
Have an incredible story? Questions? A survival tip? Email us at hello@ritualnurse and tell us! We can’t wait to highlight you. Tap the link above and send me a text! I can’t wait to hear from 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.
Riva (00:12):
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse, where healing meets humor
, science and a touch of magic.
Hi, welcome to the next episodeof the Ritual Nurse Podcast,
where humor, healing and magicintertwine and we make nursing
less stressful and way morefulfilling.
I'm your host, reva, a nursewho knows all too well what it's
(00:33):
like to feel overwhelmed,burned out and underappreciated.
That's why I'm here to create aspace for us to find peace,
purpose and a path forward thatallows us to prioritize
ourselves.
This podcast is different.
Here, we believe that healingis both practical and magical.
We'll explore new skills,rituals and moments of
(00:55):
mindfulness, all tailored to therealities of nursing.
So, as this is a brand new pod,let's rehash for any listeners
that are just joining us for thefirst time.
So what exactly is the RitualNurse Podcast?
Well, it's a short form podcastspecifically designed for
nurses.
I know how hard it can be tocommit to long form content when
(01:15):
you're juggling 12 hour shifts,patient loads and life outside
the hospital.
That's why each episode isgoing to be short, sweet and
packed with actual advice.
Whether you're driving home,grabbing a coffee between shifts
or trying to find five minutesto breathe, you can listen to a
full episode without feelinglike you need to stretch it out
(01:37):
over days and lose the thread ofwhat's happening.
Each episode is focused on onething healing.
Healing from trauma, stress andburnout that comes with nursing
.
Professional growth for thoseperiods of stagnation.
Personal growth to focus oncelebrating the wins and
thriving in the areas thatmatter the most.
(01:57):
I'll walk you throughmindfulness exercises,
debriefing strategies andrituals to help you process
those hard shifts, reclaim yourmental and emotional energy and
set healthy boundaries in yourpractice.
Healthy doses of humor andheartwarming will keep things
right where we need them.
This podcast will also diveinto real life stories and
(02:18):
interviews with fellowhealthcare professionals and
others working in the realms ofhealing and humor.
Together we'll discuss howscience and evidence-based
practice blend with holisticapproaches to create something
powerful.
As nurses, we walk the linebetween science and humanity
every day and it's time to startdeveloping practices that
improve our practice byprioritizing our own health
(02:43):
first.
Humor and comfort will keep usgoing together.
There will be plenty of laughs,caffeine and all of the shiny
crystals slash feel-good itemsthat you need.
So today we're diving into thefirst part of our Debriefing
With Yourself series a deeplypersonal and transformational
approach to processing theemotional, mental and physical
(03:06):
tolls of nursing.
But before we get there, let'sstart with a quick look at
nursing news.
So, this being the first weekof the new year, I headed into
the ANA's online journal ofissues in nursing.
They're featuring an incrediblecurrent topic on reproductive
justice, which is as relevantnow as ever.
Discussion points in thejournal cover great topics like
(03:30):
reflections on reproductivejustice 1989 to 2024, and also
intersectionality and feministtheory, a framework for
understanding and teachingsocial construct.
Both pieces offer profoundinsights and a chance for us, as
nurses, to reflect on our rolesin advocacy and education.
(03:52):
I'm not sponsored by any of thisand there's not going to be any
homework assignments about iteither.
I just always recommend being amember of at least two
professional associations.
It's essential to avoidcreating an echo chamber of our
own implicit biases due to oursearch tendencies and the
algorithms that that creates.
(04:12):
Personally, as a critical carenurse, I'm part of the ANA and
AACN, but there's so manyorganizations out there that fit
different specialties andinterests.
Joining a few of them is thebest way to get the newest
evidence-based practice, andexpanding your professional
(04:32):
network can challenge you andkeep you informed, which is a
key step in providing bettercare.
Now, does this mean I don'tfollow nurses on social media?
Of course not.
Get real.
I love Nurse John, nurse Blake,nurse Hadley and Nurse Jen
Hamilton, but you have tobalance that with science,
(04:53):
peer-reviewed research,evidence-based practice.
They would tell you the exactsame thing.
So let's move into our maintopic, which is debriefing with
yourself.
So this series is aboutempowering you to process the
weight of your work in a waythat is compassionate and
sustainable.
So in part one, right now,we're going to focus on creating
(05:24):
intentional space for youremotions and thoughts through
focused reflection.
We've kind of hinted at thisduring the week in between
episode one and now with ourself-care challenge that you can
find on our Instagram and ourFacebook.
So there was a seven day and afive day that you could choose
from for that first week, andthe point was to choose one of
those and fill out the bingocards associated with them and
(05:46):
the daily steps and then, afterepisode two, switch to doing a
second week.
So if you did the five-daychallenge the first week, you
would do the seven-day challengethe second week, and the bingo
cards were really neat.
They had very easy to accessand easy to contemplate items on
them, like meditating for fiveminutes creating a new playlist,
(06:10):
taking a walk in nature,spending some alone time,
creating a mood board, makingsure you're hydrated, drinking
enough water, and the dailychallenges.
For example, some of the oneson the seven day relax with a
full length spa routine, takingthe time to cook a healthy
dinner, get off social media forthe day, declutter a space like
(06:34):
your room or your closet.
The five day was a little bitshorter and had some really cool
features, like day one writedown what you love about you.
Day two create a happinessplaylist.
Day five approach your problemwith mindfulness.
So those are really funchallenges, very easy to do, no
(06:58):
cost involved.
Even when it comes to the spaday, you can do that right at
home with all of the ingredientsand access to things that you
have at home.
But they were hinting atturning the focus towards self
and providing self-care.
So debriefing with yourselfstarts, like I said, with the
(07:19):
ability to be self-aware, andthis process doesn't have to be
perfect.
Be self-aware and this processdoesn't have to be perfect.
It's about giving yourselfpermission to name and hold
space for your experiences.
So part of developing thisskill is intentionally crafting
a space that you feel okay to bevulnerable in and drop the
(07:40):
barriers that we normally haveup for protection against the
things we are constantly exposedto Great Lots of mouth words.
The heck does this look like,sister?
Let me tell you so.
For some people, this may becrafting a 10-minute space after
a hot shower and before goingto sleep, where you have no
demands or distractions.
(08:02):
For others, this may be the hotshower on the way to bed, using
the water as a somatic deviceto get physically in touch with
your body and how you're feeling.
Now, whether you write, speakdigitally, take notes or make
origami, that is up to you.
But the next part is going totake some practice.
But it's necessary to learn theskill of self-awareness and
(08:25):
separate it from self-evaluation.
So what the heck does that mean?
Okay, it means cut the judgmentout, just follow along and
watch for that inner voice tospeak up.
Suddenly You're going to make ashift, debrief on yourself,
four questions and a somaticexercise 10 minutes or however
(08:47):
long it takes you.
But warning, this is not astrict journaling exercise.
This is connecting body andemotion and letting the mind
observe it, while stayingnon-reactive and non-judgmental.
So the focus isn't onjournaling for extended periods
of time like freeform journalingor word flow.
(09:09):
You are guiding thisintentional reflection in a
space that you have created justfor this purpose.
So, in the interest of beingable to do this daily and begin
to make it habitual as well asimpactful, keeping it to a focus
(09:31):
of about 10 minutes or soallows you to stay focused, to
stay intent and for it not to beoverwhelming, because, in our
current emotional states, formany of us overwhelming, because
in our current emotional states, for many of us, contemplating,
doing something that may seemoverwhelming or have the
perception of possibly beingoverwhelming, or adding too much
(09:54):
to our emotional load, may besomething that we shy away from
or that we won't attempt or beconsistent with.
So the idea here is to strikeand find that perfect balance
between what is achievable andwhat you can be consistent with.
And again, this process is notand does not have to be perfect.
(10:19):
It's all about giving yourselfpermission to hold space for
those experiences and, howeverthat works out, no one's going
to be grading this, no one'sgoing to be evaluating it.
In fact, that's the exactopposite of its intended purpose
.
So what are some examples?
(10:40):
So, for the four questions,here's a set of four questions
that would make a greatjournaling exercise for this
mindfulness point.
The first one would be whatwent well today.
The second one, what challengedme today.
The third, how did I respond tostress?
And the fourth, what emotionsam I feeling right now?
(11:02):
Now I want you to think back onthe questions that I just said
and look at how they're phrased.
The questions didn't ask whatdid I do well today, what didn't
I do well today, because thoseare judgmental.
These questions are objective,simply, what went well today, or
(11:24):
what challenged challenged metoday, how did I respond to
stress, and what emotions am Ifeeling right now?
And the objectivity is very,very important.
So if you're going to craftdifferent questions, please pay
attention to the structure andthe style and keep it
non-judgmental and objective.
Then you're going to do a bodyscan exercise, so a quick three
(11:47):
to five minute somatic practicethat's going to identify areas
of tension or stress and this isgoing to help you connect to
your physical state after havingjust identified situations that
you experienced, currentemotions that you're feeling,
and then the physical state thatis associated with that
discovery.
It's all about observation.
(12:09):
You're going to observe anddescribe.
So you're going to observe yourthoughts, your emotions and
your bodily sensations withoutany judgment, and that's going
to set the foundation formindful awareness.
And then, after you've donethat, you're going to set it
down and the exercise is over.
Ruminating further on it leadsyou into the territory of
(12:33):
evaluation and judgment andpassing judgment on yourself,
and we're avoiding that.
The whole exercise is supposedto just be objective.
So awareness is the first steptowards transformation.
When we give ourselves the giftof reflection, we begin to see
the patterns that shape ourdaily lives.
So as we start to connect ourthoughts, our emotions and our
(12:57):
bodily sensations without anyjudgment, and we tie those to
the events that we haveexperienced during the day, we
begin to develop the ability tobe self-aware in the context of
the things that surround us andhow it affects us.
So this might feeluncomfortable, yes, it might
feel uncomfortable, but that'sokay, because growth often is,
(13:21):
and, trust me, the more you dothis, the easier it becomes to
identify what is affecting youand why, and without judgment.
Before we take a break, I wantto leave you with this.
So reflecting on your day isnot about judging yourself, like
we've said ad nauseum so far,or fixing anything.
(13:42):
This isn't a to-do list.
It's just about understandingand holding compassion for
yourself, exactly the way thatyou would for a patient or a
colleague.
When we go through debriefing atthe end of a shift, we don't
look at each other with judgmentor the situation with judgment,
situation with judgment.
(14:06):
We look at it with analyticalobservation, and that is exactly
the same type of debriefingprocess you're going to do with
yourself when you observe andsimply describe your thoughts,
emotions and your bodilysensations without any judgment
and place those in the contextof the things that you
experienced during the day.
All right, so we areapproaching our mid-episode
(14:27):
break.
So if you've got to head backon the floor, need to warm up
your coffee, or if you just wantto keep listening, either way,
take a moment to pause, stretch,grab a sip of your favorite
drink and when we come back,we're going to dive into the
somatic and mindful practicesthat are going to help you
deepen your self-debriefingprocess.
All right, welcome back.
(14:57):
Let's talk about how to connectyour body and mind in this
self-debriefing journey.
Somatic practices can helpground you after a difficult
shift.
This could be as simple as adeep breathing exercise like box
breathing.
Box breathing is where youinhale for four counts, you hold
for four counts and you exhalefor four counts the entire time
(15:19):
that you're doing it.
You are envisioning a box,let's say in midair, and either
a pulse moving around the edgestime that you're doing it.
You are envisioning a box,let's say in mid-air, and either
a pulse moving around the edgesof that box that is
synchronized with your breathingin and breathing out, or some
people envision a ribbon ofcolor moving around the
peripheral of the box that iskeeping time visually for them
(15:41):
of their four count breathing in, their four count exhale all
the way around the box.
And that process connects yourawareness of your breath moving
in and out and your physicalstate.
And another somatic practice isprogressive muscle relaxation.
So you start at your head, thevery, very top of your scalp,
(16:05):
and you slowly move through yourbody.
It's just simply noticing wherethere's areas of tension what
your hairband feels like, whatyour AirPods feel like in your
ears, a tie if you're wearing it, necklaces.
What your shirt feels like onyour shoulders.
What are your shoulders doing?
(16:27):
Are your shoulders bunched up?
Try dropping your shoulders andas you move past areas of your
body like your jaw, is your jawclenched?
Is your tongue pushing againstthe roof of your mouth, are you
holding your breath as youcontinue moving down through
(16:47):
your body and assessing whatit's doing, where there's
tension, uncomfortableness, pain, how your surroundings feel to
you.
You are connecting a thoughtprocess of your body, your
awareness, your emotional stateand what your body is responding
(17:07):
to in a nonjudgmental,observational way, all the way
from your head, all the way toyour feet.
And these are great practicesto do at the end of your
journaling exercise in order toconnect the physiological state
of your body with what you haveidentified as the psychological
state, your mental and emotionalstate.
(17:29):
These practices are very small,you can do them in the car, in
the elevator, laying down,standing up, but they are very
mighty steps towards creating asense of safety and balance
within yourself.
So mindfulness, using thesesomatic techniques, can also be
(17:49):
exercised with the senses.
You can do a grounding exerciseof your five senses, looking at
what can you see, what can youhear, what can you feel, what
can you smell and what can youtaste.
What can you feel, what can yousmell and what can you taste in
that present moment?
A lot of you may be familiarwith this as an exercise that
(18:09):
can be done to alleviate anxietyor stress or even panic attacks
at the time, and it is veryuseful for that because it is
forcing the body to focus ondifferent sensory inputs and
that slows the build ofneurochemicals in the brain when
(18:29):
someone is suffering fromsevere anxiety or a panic attack
.
So the five senses tool is agreat mindfulness tool that can
be used anytime you're noticingthat your let's say heart rate
is escalating, your stress isincreasing, your anxiety has
increased.
Maybe you just had secondaryexposure to trauma in a code or
(18:54):
with a patient or a patientfamily or a near miss with a car
accident.
Being able to have tools and inthe skill set that you can use
whenever you need to use them isincredibly helpful in building
the ability to be mindfulnesswhen you or to have mindfulness
when you need it, versus thisbeing something that you have to
(19:19):
recall and then utilize.
It's like building musclememory.
It's like inserting an IV usinga stethoscope all of those
things we've built muscle memoryfor because we've done it time
and time again with a focusedpurpose in an intentional space.
So you're gonna do the samething with mindfulness and
(19:40):
somatic exercises in a focusedintention, in a created space
that is literally all aboutyourself and that's going to
become muscle memory, much thesame way so many of our other
skills are.
So with that first segment,that's the part that I want you
(20:01):
to practice this week.
Have fun with that self-carechallenge and filling out those
bingo cards.
Remember, there's no perfectway to do this.
If you do this one night out ofall the nights this week, then
that's great.
If you read it and you getready to do it and aren't quite
ready to go there, but youcontemplate the mindfulness
(20:24):
aspects and the somatic aspectsand start thinking about that
process, that's great.
Also, there's no perfect way todo this.
It has to be right for you.
But creating that intentionalspace for yourself is ultimately
important in developing thisskill set that you can use to
(20:45):
prioritize yourself and yourhealing and make it so that you
are a better healer for otherpeople that you are a better
healer for other people.
So I'm super excited at thispoint because it is time for our
first ever crystals, coffee anddivination segment.
I've been looking forward tothis for I can't even tell you
(21:06):
months when I thought aboutdoing the segment.
I was so excited about it thatI really had to work hard at
making sure it didn't take overthe entire podcast episode.
So this week's drink of theweek is a warm honey and
lavender latte.
Part of it was inspired by oneof my kiddos being sick.
She doesn't drink coffee, but Imade her a warm drink of honey
(21:29):
and mint tea to soothe herthroat and help her coughing.
And I do drink coffee and I dolike lavender lattes.
So a warm honey and lavenderlatte this is perfect for
calming your nerves andcentering your energy, aka maybe
a decaf or a herbal tea thatyou can have right before you
(21:54):
practice your somatic exercisesor your journaling.
And so earlier this year I tookan amazing trip near Half Moon
Bay and I had the chance to stopat Half Moon Bay Lavender,
which is a family farm producingand selling some of the most
amazing herbs since 1995.
You can check them out athalfmoonbaylavendercom.
(22:15):
They have an organic lavenderinfused honey that is used in
this drink that is so fragrantand amazing because of their
lavender, so you can pair itwith a black tea or a green tea.
It's also exceptional that way,if you're not a coffee drinker.
Herbal tea, decaff same exactthing.
And you can recreate this bysteeping lavender with your tea
(22:38):
bag and then adding yourfavorite honey.
Or you can steam your milk withlavender and honey and then
either use a quick strainer oryou could put the lavender in
one of those cute tea thingslike the tea infusers and steam
the milk with that in it, addyour honey and there you go.
So I encourage you, while youare doing either the self-care
(23:00):
bingo cards or working on yoursomatic practice for your series
, one of debriefing withyourself, to pair that with a
warm honey and lavender tea orlatte and enjoy that amazing
calming scent and aroma as itgets you in the great mind space
(23:23):
.
To work on those skills.
And our crystal prescription ofthe week is amethyst.
So amethyst is known for itsability to promote calm and
clarity, along with balance,while reducing negative energy.
Now, as amethyst is a quartz,its hexagonal structure of six
sides is balanced.
Its Mohs hardness scale is a 7,meaning it's relatively durable
(23:45):
and it can withstand moderatewear or tear.
Also, it has a specific gravity, slightly more dense than water
.
So maybe, anecdotally speaking,of course, if we're 70% water,
that's where its grounding andcalming effect come from.
Amethyst also has a refractiveindex of 1.54 to 1.55.
(24:07):
So light bends slightly passingthrough it Maybe, perhaps
lending to that quality ofclarity passing through it,
maybe, perhaps, lending to thatquality of clarity.
So find a gorgeous piece ofamethyst and wear it as jewelry,
put it by the bedside or tuckit in a pocket close to you this
week and call in that calm,clarity and balance.
And for this week's divination Idrew the Four of Cups.
(24:30):
I couldn't plan this if I tried.
I even read it immediately tomy husband, who's here in the
studio with me.
The four of cups signifies restand meditation.
I know, I know I could not haveplanned this better.
If I tried my excitement onpulling that card, there may
have been a giggle or two.
So this is a signal to findsome time to center yourself in
(24:57):
a balanced space and rest andmeditate and hold that space.
The four of cups on this cardis surrounding the figure in the
middle in a perfectly balancedstructure providing an area of
protective space.
So take this as your generalreminder to prioritize time for
introspection and self-care thisweek.
(25:19):
So before we close, don't forgetto participate in part two of
the self-care challenge.
You can find it on ourInstagram and Facebook pages and
you can do either the seven dayor the five day.
And if you started off with thefive day, then switch to the
seven and vice versa.
If you're just joining us forthe first time, pick either or
do both, but have fun doing it.
(25:40):
And this week's challenge isall about creating a small daily
ritual that helps youtransition from work mode to
home mode, whether it's a cup oftea, a walk, journaling, a
shower, being creative music.
I also want to hear from you, sosend in your stories by
emailing hello at ritualnursecomor using the text me link in
(26:03):
the podcast notes.
This is a super fun feature andon all of the major platforms
at the very beginning of thepodcast notes there's a link
that says text me.
You can communicate with me.
If you click on that link onyour mobile devices and just
start typing the text, it'lltell you the first part not to
(26:23):
remove, so that way it gets sentdirectly to me and you type the
text.
I won't have your phone numberor anything like that, it'll
just come straight to me andit's a really quick and fun way
to share a story with me orinformation or even feedback.
So whether it's a funny moment,a touching patient story or a
tip that's helped you survive ashift, I'd love to share it with
(26:46):
our community.
You can ask for it to beanonymous, or, if you'd love the
spotlight, I would love tospotlight you.
Or, if you'd love the spotlight, I would love to spotlight you.
And as we wrap up this episode,I do want to ask you again what
would it look like if you madeyourself a priority, not just in
moments of crisis, but everysingle day?
(27:07):
What small, intentional changecould you make today to begin
your own healing journey?
This is the beginning ofsomething powerful.
Together, we're going to breakthe cycle of burnout, trauma and
stress that is too oftenassociated with nursing.
Remember, the Ritual Nurse ishere for you, one episode at a
time, as you navigate the highsand lows of life and healthcare.
(27:30):
Thank you so much for joining metoday.
Remember, this space is for you.
Until next time, take care ofyourself, because you deserve it
.
Keep healing, keep laughing andkeep thriving.
I'll see you in the nextepisode of the Ritual Nurse
Podcast.
Love your faces.
This is your Ritual Nurse, reva.
Thanks for tuning in to theRitual Nurse Podcast.
(27:52):
You can find us wherever youlisten to podcasts, so don't
forget to subscribe and stayconnected For all our social
links, free education classes,blogs and podcast notes with
resources, head over to tcthorg.
Until next time, love yourfaces.
Keep crafting those rituals toheal the healer.
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse, where healing meets humor
, science and a touch of magic.
Hi, welcome to the next episodeof the Ritual Nurse Podcast,
where humor, healing and magicintertwine and we make nursing
less stressful and way morefulfilling.
I'm your host, reva, a nursewho knows all too well what it's
(00:33):
like to feel overwhelmed,burned out and underappreciated.
That's why I'm here to create aspace for us to find peace,
purpose and a path forward thatallows us to prioritize
ourselves.
This podcast is different.
Here, we believe that healingis both practical and magical.
We'll explore new skills,rituals and moments of
(00:55):
mindfulness, all tailored to therealities of nursing.
So, as this is a brand new pod,let's rehash for any listeners
that are just joining us for thefirst time.
So what exactly is the RitualNurse Podcast?
Well, it's a short form podcastspecifically designed for
nurses.
I know how hard it can be tocommit to long form content when
(01:15):
you're juggling 12 hour shifts,patient loads and life outside
the hospital.
That's why each episode isgoing to be short, sweet and
packed with actual advice.
Whether you're driving home,grabbing a coffee between shifts
or trying to find five minutesto breathe, you can listen to a
full episode without feelinglike you need to stretch it out
(01:37):
over days and lose the thread ofwhat's happening.
Each episode is focused on onething healing.
Healing from trauma, stress andburnout that comes with nursing
.
Professional growth for thoseperiods of stagnation.
Personal growth to focus oncelebrating the wins and
thriving in the areas thatmatter the most.
(01:57):
I'll walk you throughmindfulness exercises,
debriefing strategies andrituals to help you process
those hard shifts, reclaim yourmental and emotional energy and
set healthy boundaries in yourpractice.
Healthy doses of humor andheartwarming will keep things
right where we need them.
This podcast will also diveinto real life stories and
(02:18):
interviews with fellowhealthcare professionals and
others working in the realms ofhealing and humor.
Together we'll discuss howscience and evidence-based
practice blend with holisticapproaches to create something
powerful.
As nurses, we walk the linebetween science and humanity
every day and it's time to startdeveloping practices that
improve our practice byprioritizing our own health
(02:43):
first.
Humor and comfort will keep usgoing together.
There will be plenty of laughs,caffeine and all of the shiny
crystals slash feel-good itemsthat you need.
So today we're diving into thefirst part of our Debriefing
With Yourself series a deeplypersonal and transformational
approach to processing theemotional, mental and physical
(03:06):
tolls of nursing.
But before we get there, let'sstart with a quick look at
nursing news.
So, this being the first weekof the new year, I headed into
the ANA's online journal ofissues in nursing.
They're featuring an incrediblecurrent topic on reproductive
justice, which is as relevantnow as ever.
Discussion points in thejournal cover great topics like
(03:30):
reflections on reproductivejustice 1989 to 2024, and also
intersectionality and feministtheory, a framework for
understanding and teachingsocial construct.
Both pieces offer profoundinsights and a chance for us, as
nurses, to reflect on our rolesin advocacy and education.
(03:52):
I'm not sponsored by any of thisand there's not going to be any
homework assignments about iteither.
I just always recommend being amember of at least two
professional associations.
It's essential to avoidcreating an echo chamber of our
own implicit biases due to oursearch tendencies and the
algorithms that that creates.
(04:12):
Personally, as a critical carenurse, I'm part of the ANA and
AACN, but there's so manyorganizations out there that fit
different specialties andinterests.
Joining a few of them is thebest way to get the newest
evidence-based practice, andexpanding your professional
(04:32):
network can challenge you andkeep you informed, which is a
key step in providing bettercare.
Now, does this mean I don'tfollow nurses on social media?
Of course not.
Get real.
I love Nurse John, nurse Blake,nurse Hadley and Nurse Jen
Hamilton, but you have tobalance that with science,
(04:53):
peer-reviewed research,evidence-based practice.
They would tell you the exactsame thing.
So let's move into our maintopic, which is debriefing with
yourself.
So this series is aboutempowering you to process the
weight of your work in a waythat is compassionate and
sustainable.
So in part one, right now,we're going to focus on creating
(05:24):
intentional space for youremotions and thoughts through
focused reflection.
We've kind of hinted at thisduring the week in between
episode one and now with ourself-care challenge that you can
find on our Instagram and ourFacebook.
So there was a seven day and afive day that you could choose
from for that first week, andthe point was to choose one of
those and fill out the bingocards associated with them and
(05:46):
the daily steps and then, afterepisode two, switch to doing a
second week.
So if you did the five-daychallenge the first week, you
would do the seven-day challengethe second week, and the bingo
cards were really neat.
They had very easy to accessand easy to contemplate items on
them, like meditating for fiveminutes creating a new playlist,
(06:10):
taking a walk in nature,spending some alone time,
creating a mood board, makingsure you're hydrated, drinking
enough water, and the dailychallenges.
For example, some of the oneson the seven day relax with a
full length spa routine, takingthe time to cook a healthy
dinner, get off social media forthe day, declutter a space like
(06:34):
your room or your closet.
The five day was a little bitshorter and had some really cool
features, like day one writedown what you love about you.
Day two create a happinessplaylist.
Day five approach your problemwith mindfulness.
So those are really funchallenges, very easy to do, no
(06:58):
cost involved.
Even when it comes to the spaday, you can do that right at
home with all of the ingredientsand access to things that you
have at home.
But they were hinting atturning the focus towards self
and providing self-care.
So debriefing with yourselfstarts, like I said, with the
(07:19):
ability to be self-aware, andthis process doesn't have to be
perfect.
Be self-aware and this processdoesn't have to be perfect.
It's about giving yourselfpermission to name and hold
space for your experiences.
So part of developing thisskill is intentionally crafting
a space that you feel okay to bevulnerable in and drop the
(07:40):
barriers that we normally haveup for protection against the
things we are constantly exposedto Great Lots of mouth words.
The heck does this look like,sister?
Let me tell you so.
For some people, this may becrafting a 10-minute space after
a hot shower and before goingto sleep, where you have no
demands or distractions.
(08:02):
For others, this may be the hotshower on the way to bed, using
the water as a somatic deviceto get physically in touch with
your body and how you're feeling.
Now, whether you write, speakdigitally, take notes or make
origami, that is up to you.
But the next part is going totake some practice.
But it's necessary to learn theskill of self-awareness and
(08:25):
separate it from self-evaluation.
So what the heck does that mean?
Okay, it means cut the judgmentout, just follow along and
watch for that inner voice tospeak up.
Suddenly You're going to make ashift, debrief on yourself,
four questions and a somaticexercise 10 minutes or however
(08:47):
long it takes you.
But warning, this is not astrict journaling exercise.
This is connecting body andemotion and letting the mind
observe it, while stayingnon-reactive and non-judgmental.
So the focus isn't onjournaling for extended periods
of time like freeform journalingor word flow.
(09:09):
You are guiding thisintentional reflection in a
space that you have created justfor this purpose.
So, in the interest of beingable to do this daily and begin
to make it habitual as well asimpactful, keeping it to a focus
(09:31):
of about 10 minutes or soallows you to stay focused, to
stay intent and for it not to beoverwhelming, because, in our
current emotional states, formany of us overwhelming, because
in our current emotional states, for many of us, contemplating,
doing something that may seemoverwhelming or have the
perception of possibly beingoverwhelming, or adding too much
(09:54):
to our emotional load, may besomething that we shy away from
or that we won't attempt or beconsistent with.
So the idea here is to strikeand find that perfect balance
between what is achievable andwhat you can be consistent with.
And again, this process is notand does not have to be perfect.
(10:19):
It's all about giving yourselfpermission to hold space for
those experiences and, howeverthat works out, no one's going
to be grading this, no one'sgoing to be evaluating it.
In fact, that's the exactopposite of its intended purpose
.
So what are some examples?
(10:40):
So, for the four questions,here's a set of four questions
that would make a greatjournaling exercise for this
mindfulness point.
The first one would be whatwent well today.
The second one, what challengedme today.
The third, how did I respond tostress?
And the fourth, what emotionsam I feeling right now?
(11:02):
Now I want you to think back onthe questions that I just said
and look at how they're phrased.
The questions didn't ask whatdid I do well today, what didn't
I do well today, because thoseare judgmental.
These questions are objective,simply, what went well today, or
(11:24):
what challenged challenged metoday, how did I respond to
stress, and what emotions am Ifeeling right now?
And the objectivity is very,very important.
So if you're going to craftdifferent questions, please pay
attention to the structure andthe style and keep it
non-judgmental and objective.
Then you're going to do a bodyscan exercise, so a quick three
(11:47):
to five minute somatic practicethat's going to identify areas
of tension or stress and this isgoing to help you connect to
your physical state after havingjust identified situations that
you experienced, currentemotions that you're feeling,
and then the physical state thatis associated with that
discovery.
It's all about observation.
(12:09):
You're going to observe anddescribe.
So you're going to observe yourthoughts, your emotions and
your bodily sensations withoutany judgment, and that's going
to set the foundation formindful awareness.
And then, after you've donethat, you're going to set it
down and the exercise is over.
Ruminating further on it leadsyou into the territory of
(12:33):
evaluation and judgment andpassing judgment on yourself,
and we're avoiding that.
The whole exercise is supposedto just be objective.
So awareness is the first steptowards transformation.
When we give ourselves the giftof reflection, we begin to see
the patterns that shape ourdaily lives.
So as we start to connect ourthoughts, our emotions and our
(12:57):
bodily sensations without anyjudgment, and we tie those to
the events that we haveexperienced during the day, we
begin to develop the ability tobe self-aware in the context of
the things that surround us andhow it affects us.
So this might feeluncomfortable, yes, it might
feel uncomfortable, but that'sokay, because growth often is,
(13:21):
and, trust me, the more you dothis, the easier it becomes to
identify what is affecting youand why, and without judgment.
Before we take a break, I wantto leave you with this.
So reflecting on your day isnot about judging yourself, like
we've said ad nauseum so far,or fixing anything.
(13:42):
This isn't a to-do list.
It's just about understandingand holding compassion for
yourself, exactly the way thatyou would for a patient or a
colleague.
When we go through debriefing atthe end of a shift, we don't
look at each other with judgmentor the situation with judgment,
situation with judgment.
(14:06):
We look at it with analyticalobservation, and that is exactly
the same type of debriefingprocess you're going to do with
yourself when you observe andsimply describe your thoughts,
emotions and your bodilysensations without any judgment
and place those in the contextof the things that you
experienced during the day.
All right, so we areapproaching our mid-episode
(14:27):
break.
So if you've got to head backon the floor, need to warm up
your coffee, or if you just wantto keep listening, either way,
take a moment to pause, stretch,grab a sip of your favorite
drink and when we come back,we're going to dive into the
somatic and mindful practicesthat are going to help you
deepen your self-debriefingprocess.
All right, welcome back.
(14:57):
Let's talk about how to connectyour body and mind in this
self-debriefing journey.
Somatic practices can helpground you after a difficult
shift.
This could be as simple as adeep breathing exercise like box
breathing.
Box breathing is where youinhale for four counts, you hold
for four counts and you exhalefor four counts the entire time
(15:19):
that you're doing it.
You are envisioning a box,let's say in midair, and either
a pulse moving around the edgestime that you're doing it.
You are envisioning a box,let's say in mid-air, and either
a pulse moving around the edgesof that box that is
synchronized with your breathingin and breathing out, or some
people envision a ribbon ofcolor moving around the
peripheral of the box that iskeeping time visually for them
(15:41):
of their four count breathing in, their four count exhale all
the way around the box.
And that process connects yourawareness of your breath moving
in and out and your physicalstate.
And another somatic practice isprogressive muscle relaxation.
So you start at your head, thevery, very top of your scalp,
(16:05):
and you slowly move through yourbody.
It's just simply noticing wherethere's areas of tension what
your hairband feels like, whatyour AirPods feel like in your
ears, a tie if you're wearing it, necklaces.
What your shirt feels like onyour shoulders.
What are your shoulders doing?
(16:27):
Are your shoulders bunched up?
Try dropping your shoulders andas you move past areas of your
body like your jaw, is your jawclenched?
Is your tongue pushing againstthe roof of your mouth, are you
holding your breath as youcontinue moving down through
(16:47):
your body and assessing whatit's doing, where there's
tension, uncomfortableness, pain, how your surroundings feel to
you.
You are connecting a thoughtprocess of your body, your
awareness, your emotional stateand what your body is responding
(17:07):
to in a nonjudgmental,observational way, all the way
from your head, all the way toyour feet.
And these are great practicesto do at the end of your
journaling exercise in order toconnect the physiological state
of your body with what you haveidentified as the psychological
state, your mental and emotionalstate.
(17:29):
These practices are very small,you can do them in the car, in
the elevator, laying down,standing up, but they are very
mighty steps towards creating asense of safety and balance
within yourself.
So mindfulness, using thesesomatic techniques, can also be
(17:49):
exercised with the senses.
You can do a grounding exerciseof your five senses, looking at
what can you see, what can youhear, what can you feel, what
can you smell and what can youtaste.
What can you feel, what can yousmell and what can you taste in
that present moment?
A lot of you may be familiarwith this as an exercise that
(18:09):
can be done to alleviate anxietyor stress or even panic attacks
at the time, and it is veryuseful for that because it is
forcing the body to focus ondifferent sensory inputs and
that slows the build ofneurochemicals in the brain when
(18:29):
someone is suffering fromsevere anxiety or a panic attack
.
So the five senses tool is agreat mindfulness tool that can
be used anytime you're noticingthat your let's say heart rate
is escalating, your stress isincreasing, your anxiety has
increased.
Maybe you just had secondaryexposure to trauma in a code or
(18:54):
with a patient or a patientfamily or a near miss with a car
accident.
Being able to have tools and inthe skill set that you can use
whenever you need to use them isincredibly helpful in building
the ability to be mindfulnesswhen you or to have mindfulness
when you need it, versus thisbeing something that you have to
(19:19):
recall and then utilize.
It's like building musclememory.
It's like inserting an IV usinga stethoscope all of those
things we've built muscle memoryfor because we've done it time
and time again with a focusedpurpose in an intentional space.
So you're gonna do the samething with mindfulness and
(19:40):
somatic exercises in a focusedintention, in a created space
that is literally all aboutyourself and that's going to
become muscle memory, much thesame way so many of our other
skills are.
So with that first segment,that's the part that I want you
(20:01):
to practice this week.
Have fun with that self-carechallenge and filling out those
bingo cards.
Remember, there's no perfectway to do this.
If you do this one night out ofall the nights this week, then
that's great.
If you read it and you getready to do it and aren't quite
ready to go there, but youcontemplate the mindfulness
(20:24):
aspects and the somatic aspectsand start thinking about that
process, that's great.
Also, there's no perfect way todo this.
It has to be right for you.
But creating that intentionalspace for yourself is ultimately
important in developing thisskill set that you can use to
(20:45):
prioritize yourself and yourhealing and make it so that you
are a better healer for otherpeople that you are a better
healer for other people.
So I'm super excited at thispoint because it is time for our
first ever crystals, coffee anddivination segment.
I've been looking forward tothis for I can't even tell you
(21:06):
months when I thought aboutdoing the segment.
I was so excited about it thatI really had to work hard at
making sure it didn't take overthe entire podcast episode.
So this week's drink of theweek is a warm honey and
lavender latte.
Part of it was inspired by oneof my kiddos being sick.
She doesn't drink coffee, but Imade her a warm drink of honey
(21:29):
and mint tea to soothe herthroat and help her coughing.
And I do drink coffee and I dolike lavender lattes.
So a warm honey and lavenderlatte this is perfect for
calming your nerves andcentering your energy, aka maybe
a decaf or a herbal tea thatyou can have right before you
(21:54):
practice your somatic exercisesor your journaling.
And so earlier this year I tookan amazing trip near Half Moon
Bay and I had the chance to stopat Half Moon Bay Lavender,
which is a family farm producingand selling some of the most
amazing herbs since 1995.
You can check them out athalfmoonbaylavendercom.
(22:15):
They have an organic lavenderinfused honey that is used in
this drink that is so fragrantand amazing because of their
lavender, so you can pair itwith a black tea or a green tea.
It's also exceptional that way,if you're not a coffee drinker.
Herbal tea, decaff same exactthing.
And you can recreate this bysteeping lavender with your tea
(22:38):
bag and then adding yourfavorite honey.
Or you can steam your milk withlavender and honey and then
either use a quick strainer oryou could put the lavender in
one of those cute tea thingslike the tea infusers and steam
the milk with that in it, addyour honey and there you go.
So I encourage you, while youare doing either the self-care
(23:00):
bingo cards or working on yoursomatic practice for your series
, one of debriefing withyourself, to pair that with a
warm honey and lavender tea orlatte and enjoy that amazing
calming scent and aroma as itgets you in the great mind space
(23:23):
.
To work on those skills.
And our crystal prescription ofthe week is amethyst.
So amethyst is known for itsability to promote calm and
clarity, along with balance,while reducing negative energy.
Now, as amethyst is a quartz,its hexagonal structure of six
sides is balanced.
Its Mohs hardness scale is a 7,meaning it's relatively durable
(23:45):
and it can withstand moderatewear or tear.
Also, it has a specific gravity, slightly more dense than water
.
So maybe, anecdotally speaking,of course, if we're 70% water,
that's where its grounding andcalming effect come from.
Amethyst also has a refractiveindex of 1.54 to 1.55.
(24:07):
So light bends slightly passingthrough it Maybe, perhaps
lending to that quality ofclarity passing through it,
maybe, perhaps, lending to thatquality of clarity.
So find a gorgeous piece ofamethyst and wear it as jewelry,
put it by the bedside or tuckit in a pocket close to you this
week and call in that calm,clarity and balance.
And for this week's divination Idrew the Four of Cups.
(24:30):
I couldn't plan this if I tried.
I even read it immediately tomy husband, who's here in the
studio with me.
The four of cups signifies restand meditation.
I know, I know I could not haveplanned this better.
If I tried my excitement onpulling that card, there may
have been a giggle or two.
So this is a signal to findsome time to center yourself in
(24:57):
a balanced space and rest andmeditate and hold that space.
The four of cups on this cardis surrounding the figure in the
middle in a perfectly balancedstructure providing an area of
protective space.
So take this as your generalreminder to prioritize time for
introspection and self-care thisweek.
(25:19):
So before we close, don't forgetto participate in part two of
the self-care challenge.
You can find it on ourInstagram and Facebook pages and
you can do either the seven dayor the five day.
And if you started off with thefive day, then switch to the
seven and vice versa.
If you're just joining us forthe first time, pick either or
do both, but have fun doing it.
(25:40):
And this week's challenge isall about creating a small daily
ritual that helps youtransition from work mode to
home mode, whether it's a cup oftea, a walk, journaling, a
shower, being creative music.
I also want to hear from you, sosend in your stories by
emailing hello at ritualnursecomor using the text me link in
(26:03):
the podcast notes.
This is a super fun feature andon all of the major platforms
at the very beginning of thepodcast notes there's a link
that says text me.
You can communicate with me.
If you click on that link onyour mobile devices and just
start typing the text, it'lltell you the first part not to
(26:23):
remove, so that way it gets sentdirectly to me and you type the
text.
I won't have your phone numberor anything like that, it'll
just come straight to me andit's a really quick and fun way
to share a story with me orinformation or even feedback.
So whether it's a funny moment,a touching patient story or a
tip that's helped you survive ashift, I'd love to share it with
(26:46):
our community.
You can ask for it to beanonymous, or, if you'd love the
spotlight, I would love tospotlight you.
Or, if you'd love the spotlight, I would love to spotlight you.
And as we wrap up this episode,I do want to ask you again what
would it look like if you madeyourself a priority, not just in
moments of crisis, but everysingle day?
(27:07):
What small, intentional changecould you make today to begin
your own healing journey?
This is the beginning ofsomething powerful.
Together, we're going to breakthe cycle of burnout, trauma and
stress that is too oftenassociated with nursing.
Remember, the Ritual Nurse ishere for you, one episode at a
time, as you navigate the highsand lows of life and healthcare.
(27:30):
Thank you so much for joining metoday.
Remember, this space is for you.
Until next time, take care ofyourself, because you deserve it
.
Keep healing, keep laughing andkeep thriving.
I'll see you in the nextepisode of the Ritual Nurse
Podcast.
Love your faces.
This is your Ritual Nurse, reva.
Thanks for tuning in to theRitual Nurse Podcast.
(27:52):
You can find us wherever youlisten to podcasts, so don't
forget to subscribe and stayconnected For all our social
links, free education classes,blogs and podcast notes with
resources, head over to tcthorg.
Until next time, love yourfaces.
Keep crafting those rituals toheal the healer.
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