Missouri Nurse News - July 2022

12
Missouri Nursing News July, August, September 2022
Rest, Relax, Laugh:
Spending Time with Yourself
Dr. Phyllis Lawrence, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Reprinted with permission from
Tennessee Nurse February 2022 issue
Rest and Relax
How many times have you been told that you
need to get plenty of sleep for good physical health?
Sleep is also instrumental in maintaining sound
mental and emotional health. Rest is not only the
act of sleeping, but you can rest your body, mind,
and tap into your spirit simply by feeling renewed.
Waking up and feeling that you have run a marathon
is a sign of significant activity during your rest
period. Either the mind continues to cycle, or you
may be suffering from a sleep disorder. In either
case, you are not at rest.
To rest the mind, you must relax. Relaxation is
defined as the state of being free from tension and
anxiety (Google dictionary, 2022). The Cambridge
Dictionary defines relaxation as a pleasant activity
that makes you become calm and less worried. This
definition supports the concept of complementary
and alternative interventions and modalities.
Relaxation can really be a state of mind. One of
the most effective holistic modalities that promotes
relaxation is meditation. Meditation is reflected
in many forms, including guided imaginary,
mindfulness, Zen meditation, Mantra meditation,
Transcendental meditation, and Yoga meditation,
just to name a few. Mindfulness has become popular
over the last few years. Being mindful is the basic
human ability to be fully present in the moment,
aware of your surroundings, feelings, and emotions.
Try it, sit still in a quiet place. Place your hands in
your lap. Now close your eyes. What do you hear?
What do you smell? Breathe slow and steady while
maintaining the rhythm. Continue this practice for
approximately 10-15 minutes. Notice the change
in your stress level or anxiety. This simple exercise
can alleviate stress and anxiety, and if engaged in
regularly, lead to an optimistic outlook.
Laugh for a Healthier You
Have you noticed that when you laugh, you feel
better? It is harder to cry while you are laughing.
Research has found that laughing triggers the release
of endorphins (nature’s feel-good chemicals). It has
also been reported that laughter decreases stress
hormones and increases immune cells. We have a
natural response to infection, which helps produce
antibodies, improving our resistance to disease and
promoting our overall well-being. What makes you
laugh? Is it a funny commercial, your loved one(s),
maybe your co-workers? Laughter is the best
medicine. In an article by Robinson, Smith, & Segal
(July 2021), learn to create opportunities to laugh,
watch a funny movie, TV show, or YouTube video,
check out a comedy club, read the funny pages,
check out the humor section in your bookstore, play
with a pet, better yet host a game night with friends.
I would like to share with you some of the things
that make me laugh. Watching my favorite comedy
movies, even though I know the punch line, dancing
to my favorite 80’s jam on YouTube, and serving
with a grateful heart. When I see someone smile, I
smile! During hard times, laughter has been a saving
grace for many. Whitman (2017) A new study reveals
how laughter affects the brain, which may be an
explanation why giggles play an important role in
social bonding.
When you take time for yourself, you validate your
worthiness and value. Make it a point to celebrate
your life. Buy that neat sweater, go to the movies
with your spouse, family, or friends. Do something
that you enjoy, and that makes you feel good. How
about butter pecan ice cream? Take care of yourself
so that you can take care of others. The first step
to self-care is accepting that you are worthy of that
care. The care you require may need to come from
a professional source, and that’s okay. There are
services available through most healthcare facilities
and organizations. Sometimes you just might need to
talk. It may be a good time to phone a friend.
Take a moment and plan to rest, relax, and laugh.
Try to include at least one activity to cover each one
of the components. Start with resting and relaxing,
then let the laughter begin. Remember, you are
worthy, valuable, and appreciated. Self-worth can
only be measured by you. So make every moment
count, and be mindful of your value. I can sum it up
in one word, priceless!!
References
L. Robinson, M. Smith & J. Segal (2021). Laughter is the
Best Medicine. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/
mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm
Mindful: healthy mind, healthy life (2022). https://www.
mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
Whiteman, H. (2017). Laughter releases ‘feel good
hormones’ to promote social bonding. https://www.
medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317756
Getting Clear on Bullying Versus Incivility
Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CSP
Reprinted with permission from The Florida
Nurse, February 2022 issue
Numerous studies
show the prevalence
and devastating impact
disruptive behaviors have
on nurse retention and
satisfaction, patient safety
and the financial health of
an organization. Today, more
than ever, the unpredictable,
life-and-death nature of
the pandemic has created
an environment that is
ripe for an increase in Dr. Renee Thompson
workplace bullying and
incivility. Research at the Healthy Workforce Institute
shows an uptick in bad behavior and nurses are
experiencing greater workplace incivility now more
than ever before. Additional studies show:
• 45.7% of nurses said they witnessed more
incivility than before the pandemic (El Ghaziri
et al., 2021).
• 14.3% of surgery patients had higher
complications with surgeons who had one
to three reports of unprofessional behaviors
compared to those surgeons who had no
reports of disruptive behaviors (Cooper et al.,
2019).
• 94% of individuals have worked with a toxic
person in the last five years; 51% of the
targets stated they are likely to quit as a result
(Kusy, 2017).
Developing successful, targeted interventions
to reduce bullying and incivility among nurses
will require that leaders develop awareness and
understanding of nurses’ unique experiences with
disruptive behavior. One of the biggest areas of
confusion that makes it difficult to address and
eliminate bad behavior is a misunderstanding about
the differences between bullying and incivility.
An important first step to educating yourself and
your employees is to get clear on those differences.
This will help you raise awareness, set expectations,
and develop appropriate strategies to eliminate
each type of disruptive behavior. Bullying should be
a NEVER event, but not everything is bullying and
when we call everything bullying, we lessen our
chances of identifying and addressing true bullying
behavior.
BULLYING
For a behavior to be considered bullying, it must
include three things:
A Target-This target can be a single person or
group of people. Group targets can include the
opposite shift, new nurses, or nurses who have a
particular ethnic background.
Harmful-The behavior must be harmful in some
way. This harm can be to the target or harmful to a
patient.
Repeated-The most important element of
bullying. The behavior can’t be just a one-time
event, it must be repeated over time.
INCIVILITY
Incivility is different from bullying but tends to
be much more pervasive. While the behaviors can
be similar, they tend to be lower level. Incivility
shows up as your typical rude, unprofessional,
inconsiderate behaviors: eye-rolling, condescension,
favoritism, alienation, gossiping, mocking, cursing.
Make no mistake about it, incivility is a healthy
and professional workplace killer, and needs to be
addressed.
The Bottom Line
Bullying and incivility can destroy work
environments and impact patients in a negative
way. The key is to get very clear on the behavior –
is it bullying (target, harmful, repeated) or incivility
(low level, rude, and unprofessional). We are
hemorrhaging nurses due to bad behavior and
it’s time we get educated on how to recognize
and address bullying and incivility so that we can
cultivate a more respectful and professional work
culture.
References
Cooper, W., Spain, D., Guillamondegui, O., et al. (2019,
June). Association of Coworker Reports About
Unprofessional Behavior by Surgeons with Surgical
Complications in Their Patients. JAMA Surgery,
154(9), 828–834. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2019.1738
El Ghaziri, M., Johnson, S., Purpora, C., Simons, S. and
Taylor, R. (2021, July). Registered Nurses’ Experiences
with Incivility During the Early Phase of COVID-19
Pandemic: Results of a Multi-State Survey. Workplace
Health & Safety. doi:10.1177/21650799211024867
Kusy, M. (2017). Why I don’t work here anymore: A
leader’s guide to offset the financial and emotional
cost of toxic employees. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press
Bio:
As an international speaker and consultant, Dr.
Renee Thompson tackles the challenges facing
healthcare leaders today. With 30 years as a nurse,
Renee is an expert on creating healthy workforces by
eradicating bullying & incivility. She is in demand as a
keynote speaker and has authored several books on
bullying.