Kentucky Nurse - September 2021

September, October, November 2021 Kentucky Nurse • Page 23
Joy at Work
Priscilla Smith-Trudeau, MSM, RN, BSN, CCM,
CRRN, HNB-BC
Reprinted with permission from
Vermont Nurse Connection, May 2021 Issue
Just follow your joy. Always.
I think that if you do that, life
will take you on the course
that it’s meant to take you. ~
Jonathan Groff
Do you, like many nurses,
have a mental list or better yet
a written list of things you think
you need in order to be truly
joyful at work? There are many
externals our profession teaches
us to pursue such as advanced
degrees, management
positions, becoming a specialist,
and certifications to name a few. But are they really the
keys to finding joy at work? The research suggests no,
at least when it comes to long-term happiness. Nurses
are quick to adapt to new circumstances—a quality that
has helped us survive and thrive. But it also means that
the positive things that initially made us happier can soon
become our new normal and we can return to our old
happiness baseline. Researchers in the field of positive
psychology have found that you can actually increase
your happiness and overall satisfaction at work by
changing your perspective and attitude. And that’s truly
good news, because it’s something anyone can do.
Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm
and our intelligence aglow. ~ Helen Keller
We all have a capacity to be joyful that can be
developed and trained as it is a primary component
of psychological well-being, encircling moments of
appreciation, lasting contentment, and a sense of
confidence and gratitude. Kelly McGonigal, PhD is a
health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University
who is known for her work in the field of 'science help'
which focuses on translating insights from psychology
and neuroscience into practical strategies that support
health and well-being. In her new book, The Joy of
Movement, Kelly explores from a scientific perspective
how movement creates profound positive changes in the
brain. That we need to ask ourselves to find our way in
by answering the following questions: What do you love
to do? Where do you love being? Who do you want to
become? What would impress yourself if you could do it?
She insists there is no training protocol, “no one path or
prescription except to follow your joy.” If you’re looking
for a guideline, it’s this: Move, any kind, any amount, and
any way that makes you happy (McGonigal, 2019).
Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job,
relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it,
or change it. ~ Chuck Palahniuk
Who among us hasn’t been stressed about the global
pandemic, unemployment, financial uncertainty, or civil
unrest? The Institute for Healthcare Improvement states
that the same issues that drive burnout also diminish
joy in work for the healthcare workforce. The most
joyful, productive, engaged staff feel both physically and
Myths About Joy
Money will make you happy.
You need a relationship in order to be
happy.
Happiness declines with age.
Some people are just happier than others
and there’s nothing you can do to change
that.
Source: www.helpguide.org
Priscilla Smith-Trudeau
MSM, RN, BSN,
CCM, CRRN,
HNB-BC
psychologically safe, appreciate the meaning and purpose
of their work, have some choice and control over their
time, experience camaraderie with others at work, and
perceive their work life to be fair and equitable. They go
on to say that health care leaders need to understand
what factors are diminishing joy in work, nurture their
workforce, and address the issues that drive burnout and
sap joy in work. How do we bring joy to the workplace?
According to Willem Kuyken, PhD, DClinPsy, director of
the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre and Ritblat
Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the
University of Oxford, “Joy is an intrinsic attitude of mind
that includes gladness of the heart, softheartedness,
and tenderness that supports a capacity for
appreciation, contentment, and gratitude. Just as our
hearts can tremble in the face of suffering, they can
also tremble in the face of happiness and beauty.
Its affective tone is gladness, aliveness, and vitality.
It is associated with a range of emotions, including
contentment, wonder, radiant pride, gratitude, and
delight. (Kuyken, 2019).
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new
experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to
have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have
a new and different sun. ~ Christopher McCandless
We all start out joyful when we graduate from nursing
school and then life gives us many reasons to be upset,
sad and angry and yet we know we have the ability to
change every negative moment into a beautiful memory,
simply by deciding to express our joy and to let our joy
take over our practice. I have heard it said that joy is the
cure to the sickness of the soul. Besides the chances
that life gives us or not, we are responsible for our own
choices. If we want a life of joy, we need to make the
choices that can lead us there. We need to be excited
about our jobs or relationships otherwise, we cannot
feel the joy of living. One of the richest sources of joy is
getting totally immersed in an activity and putting all our
soul and talent into it. For example, sitting at a patient’s
bedside and listening to their story. It is recognized that
telling stories about one’s experiences and problems can
be highly therapeutic. One of the greatest things about
joy is that it can be contagious. It can manifest itself as
a serene peacefulness and inner calm, or it can translate
into a feeling of meaningful harmony. This is the joy that
comes with wisdom. Most of us wrongly expect things
to bring us joy and to make us happy. The truth is that
joy never comes from exterior sources. It always lives in
Tips to Cultivate Joy
Train your brain to be more positive.
Nurture and enjoy your relationships.
Live in the moment and savor life’s
pleasures.
Focus on helping others and living with
meaning.
Take better care of your health.
Source: www.helpguide.org
people’s hearts and we can only find it in us or in those
around us. There are moments in all our careers when
we may feel overwhelmed by stress and routine and
not be particularly happy. Despite how we may feel in
those moments, believe it or not we can still find ways
we can reclaim our joy in small pieces and get back to
a sense of contentment. The pandemic was a perfect
example where many of us had moments when we were
overwhelmed by the stress and enormity of the situation.
To fight these moments, we had to seek new experiences
and new lessons in our practice that could only come
from joy. It is true that the joy of life comes from our
endless encounters with new experiences.
There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding
joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them when they
go. ~ Frederick William Faber
Priscilla Smith-Trudeau, MSM, RN, BSN, CCM,
CRRN, HNB-BC is board certified in holistic nursing and
board certified in rehabilitation nursing. She has been
a nurse for more than 40 years and understands the
interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit. She brings
a holistic, complementary and integrative focus to her
work.
References
Kuyken, W. (2019). Sparking Joy: A Mindfulness Practice for
Everyday. Retrieved February 9, 2021 from: https://www.
mindful.org/sparking-joy-a-mindfulness-practice-for-everyday/
McGonigal, K. (2019). The Joy of Movement. Penguin Random
House, NY, NY
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