Are you feeling overworked or overwhelmed? Do you struggle to say no? Then this is for you.
You already know you perform incredible work. Your dedication to helping others is inspiring, and your job can be rewarding and challenging. However, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance—you’re pulled in far too many directions.
Setting boundaries, saying no, and making time for things you enjoy are essential, but how do you do that?
You know saying no is a one-word sentence, but you keep thinking about your co-workers who will have to work short-staffed. You feel guilty saying no, but you’re also drained; you’ve got nothing left. You’re annoyed at the person who called and asked you to work in the first place—as if they threw a “guilt bomb” on your day. You’re annoyed at the “system” because nurses “always” have to work like this. You’re annoyed at yourself because you struggle to say no.
But what if there was another way?
You can say no and not feel guilty.
You do this by finding different thoughts and directing your brain to focus there.
They will be OK; they know this is part of the job when they sign up to be nurses.
If I take a day off, I will be a better person—less exhausted—and better able to care for myself, my family, and my patients.
By recovering from my stretch on, I will have more staying power.
You can say no and still be kind, respectful, and loving towards your co-workers.
While it’s easy for caregivers to think they’re responsible for everything and everyone around them, that is simply not true. You can take care of yourself and let others be responsible for their thoughts and feelings.
Saying no without guilt will help you reduce burnout, sleep better, decrease stress, increase job satisfaction, improve patient care, have better focus and attention, build better work relationships (no one wants to work with a crabby co-worker), and allow you to be a better person for everyone around you.
P.S. as part of the benefits offered at Logan Health Whitefish, employees get free coaching sessions. You can book an in-person coaching session here or a remote/Zoom coaching session here.