One of my favorite healthy living/lifestyle bloggers Brittany from A Healthy Slice of Life shared a post Monday with a health check in. Reading her post and the comments got me to thinking how important it is to take time to step back and do an overall evaluation of our full bodied health. The past few months have been downright hard for all of us in one way or another. Like I have shared here before, in the past few months I quit my nursing job of 3 years, moved to D.C. during a pandemic, bought and moved into a camper with my husband and fur babies, and started a job with 2 days orientation. We are beginning the civil rights movement of our time with the #blacklivesmatter movement and the fight against systemic racism. Covid-19 is still spreading and effecting us across the U.S. I have worked and seen Covid first hand and know the pain and destruction it can cause. It has also kept me apart from loved ones and away from the things and places I love. I think it’s safe to say 2020 isn’t easy for anyone.
To be honest, I have been struggling with my mental health since the end of 2019. I’m not quite ready to share everything, but nurse burn out and the cancer battle and loss of my beloved dog Southpaw have really put me in a funk. I am finding happiness in my job and life again through travel nursing and a new adventure with my husband but I still am having hard days. I’m trying to learn to be an ally to my black friends and family and how to fight the societal racism I was born in to. I am try to be a good nurse and encourage people to do the right thing- wear a mask, social distance, practice hand hygiene- while being told I am just falling for the conspiracy. I missing my friends and family and things like summer concerts and trips to the beach while realizing there are much bigger issues going on in the world. Life is just hard. But we can’t learn and grow and be who we are meant to be without taking care of ourselves. And taking care of ourselves starts with checking in and learning to understand what we are feeling, why we are feeling it, and how to take care of ourselves through both the good and bad times of life.
Emotional
My emotional health has been doing better the past two months, but I still have had some hard days. Days when I miss my family and friends, doubt my decision to start travel nursing, and just feel an overwhelming heaviness over the state of the world. The racism and hate I see in the world is heartbreaking and infuriating. The pandemic is heartbreaking. The lack of belief of the science behind the pandemic is so frustrating.
Mental
I did not realize the mental and emotional strain my nursing job was taking on me. I loved the people I worked with and the patients I cared for, but I was stressed for days before and after my shift, I felt sick having to go to work, I wasn’t sleeping well or sleeping to much, the list goes on. My new job can be mentally draining because I’m always having to learn a new unit and new people, but I just feel so much happier and more mental clarity being in a job that doesn’t cause so much stress.
Physical
Oh dear. My physical health sure has taken a down slide during the craziness that has been the transition into travel nursing. I have ate waaaay to much comfort food and not enough veggies. I have not moved my body other than walks around town (probably to get food) and work. I had an ovarian cyst (not to TMI) right before I left for my DC and it was awful. I was on the couch for a solid week with some of the most excruciating pain I have experienced. Like, almost passing out from pain. I had been doing well with running 3-4 times a week but this brought that to a complete stop. Then, when I was feeling better, it was time to pack up our house to move in less than a week. Then cue multiple 48 hour trips home, going 30 plus hours without sleep at times (thanks, night shift), learning a new job, finding a place to live, the list goes on. Needless to say, any type of physical activity went to the wayside. The thing is, I feel SO MUCH better when I move. Even if it’s just walks with Declan (my dog.) So I have been making a more conscious effort this past week to start running or walking every day. I’m already feeling better and like I have more energy. Home workouts, yoga, and walks are all easy and socially distant ways to exercise but also not add stress to your body.
Self Care
I probably sound like a broken record but self care is just SO SO SO important. It will look different for everyone and will also look different depending on what your body and emotions need at this time. I wrote a post on self care while social distancing if you want some ideas on things to do during quarantine. For me lately, it’s sleeping when I’m tired, runs and walks with Declan, and nights by the campfire with my husband.
Gratitude
If you made it this far, thanks friend. This blog post turned out to be a lot longer than anticipated, but it feels to get these word down on “paper.” I want to emphasize I would say overall I am a happy person right now. I have so so much to be grateful for. I have a great marriage, great family and friends, and two fur babies I love. I am on an amazing and long awaited adventure as a traveling nurse living tiny. I love my job and work with nice people. Please don’t see this post as doom and gloom, but just know I can empathize with the hard days we are having this year. If you’re struggling, please reach out to me, a family member or friend, or mental health professional for help.
I hope you’ll take some time to check in with your full bodied health and try to find what you can do to help support yourself. Have a relaxing and safe weekend. <3
How are you feeling, friends? What self care do you have planned for this coming week?