Good Day Fellow Nurses! 

As nurses, we spend hours each day encouraging others.  For most of us, this trait is an inherent component of our basic personality.  Therefore, our encouragement and giving to others most likely does not end when we leave our nursing job but spills over into our family, friend, and community lives.

While all appreciate this quality, nurses sometimes leave themselves little time or energy to motivate and reward themselves.  It is a good possibility that our jobs may not do much for us to promote gratefulness and encouragement for nurses.  In the end, nurses may feel depleted, unappreciated, and discouraged.

I remember as a school nurse working very hard to try to please the staff and parents by endeavoring to take exceptional care of the students.  I worked hard at building relationships to establish trust in my skills as their nurse. 

As the lone medical professional in a building, others were often not in tune with the many nuances of what the school nurse did behind the scenes.  After difficult, busy days without acknowledgment of my hard work, I would sometimes feel deflated. 

I reminded myself that I was not in this business to gain a pat-on-the-back but to take excellent care of my little charges and school.  However, it would have helped my flagging ego and well-being to be recognized for going the extra mile and dedication to those I served.

So today, this BLOG is dedicated to all of you who are giving your heart and soul to nursing and your patients.  You ARE appreciated for what you do, even if you may not hear about it.  You are not alone.  I thank you and admire you for sticking it out day after day, giving of yourself with very little in return.  You are a special person!

This BLOG is just for fun for you, to acknowledge your commitment to nursing, and lighten your mood a bit.

Here are a few fun exercises to brighten your day:

• I found a fun little personality test that you may enjoy. Mine turned out quite accurate!  See what kind of person you are:   
  •   Myers-Briggs Personality Quiz  

• We need to remember to reward ourselves even if others do not.  Self-care is essential as a nurse to keep ourselves happy and going back day after day to our jobs and family.  YOU are just as important as everyone that you take care of. 
  • Ways to reward yourself:      32 Brilliant ways to reward yourself for a job well done  

Check out the fun (and flattering- haha the app removes wrinkles!) photo below of my mom and me. 

The app is found on Snapchat.   Comic style   

Love and gratitude to all of you!

Donna