The Nurse's Personal Dashboard

On a recent episode of RN.FM Radio, we were discussing nurses' wellness--both spiritual and physical--and the concept of one's personal "dashboard" came up in the course of the conversation. Are you aware that you have your own dashboard, and if so, do you heed the warning lights that occasionally light up?We all know what a dashboard is, and we also know that a dashboard--like the cockpit of a plane, train or bus--gives us relevant and crucial information regarding the safety and function of the vehicle in question. Now, we humans have dashboards too, but these dashboards are virtual rather than physical, and we have to learn to read the signs in order to react responsibly when something goes awry.Your Inner SpeedometerIn the car, you always know how fast you're going (unless your speedometer's broken, that is!), and you also know that there are speed limits for various roads that you must follow, or risk being pulled over by the police and issued a citation. When you're going too fast in your life, how do you know it? What are the signs that you're moving too fast and taking too little time to rest? What mechanism alerts you that it's time to slow down? There's no external cop who'll do you the favor of pulling you over (unless your wife or husband acts the part!), so this is something you need to do yourself.Signs of moving too fast are spiritual breathlessness, a feeling like you can never do enough, and the sense that you're on a treadmill and can't get off.If you're mov...
Source: Digital Doorway - Category: Nurses Tags: nurse wellness nursing nurses nurse self care work-life balance self-care Source Type: blogs