by Kim Richards, RN
Founder, NurseFit® Got Self Care?™
President, Kim Richards and Associates, Inc.

Are you sure?? I never thought of myself as the kind of risk-taker that would leap out of a tall building without a net, but I guess these last four years have changed all that. While I am a big fan of bungee jumping, I am confident that the mammoth rubber band around my legs will provide a soft landing. Yet, as I take the leap of following NurseFit® to the next level, I wanted to share how my desire to address the lack of a formalized program allowing a convenient, comprehensive venue for nurses to practice self care, self compassion and stress reduction brought me to this point; to this moment of barely looking before I leap.

After interviewing hundreds of nurses over my career as an executive recruiter, my background as a nurse, my experience as a yoga instructor and my personal quest for balance and a more intentional life, I felt the entrepreneur in me “calling” to investigate further.

Would an on-site program focused on stress reduction techniques, transitioning compassion fatigue and offering inspirational coaching on the importance of self care serve to significantly impact nurse engagement, foster communication and team work?

I had heard common themes from nurses about their various reasons for switching jobs and had observed some discouraging changes in colleagues over many years of attending conferences and professional meetings. I personally had experienced times when I felt my energy and passion drift away as I consistently put others first and forgot the ultimate truth:  I cannot continue to give my best to others if I have ignored my personal need to fill my own reservoirs and reignite my own spirit.

Martyrdom is neither attractive nor fulfilling!

Like many others, my life moves at warp speed and it takes a proactive effort to protect my “me time” in order to sustain the pace and engagement needed to contribute my talents and passion. I had finally learned that self care is not self “ish” after trying to circumvent that universal law and failing miserably. It is ironic that as nurses, we tend to place our own self care on the back burner even as we witness the catastrophic fallout of poor self management everyday in various settings. As a nursing leader once said to me,

“I perform optimally when I feel good and when I have taken personal responsibility for my own care. It is expected that I bring my “A” game to work every day, and I expect that of my staff. If I cannot set the example, I am being inauthentic and will not be an effective leader. In fact, I feel it is actually selfish NOT to take care of one’s self, as the “leftovers” is what those around you must compensate for as they work harder to make up for the deficit. ”

To expand upon that sentiment, would it be truthful to say that we have a profound effect on our loved ones, our colleagues and our patients when we selfishly choose to ignore the role we play in creating the change we want to see in the healthcare industry? When we are not fully present in our own lives, we may be able to fool others, but never ourselves. An empty, guilt-driven vessel has little to give. As nurses, we choose the profession to offer compassion, healing and to nurture the life-affirming purpose of caring for others. How about our responsibility for creating a sanctuary for ourselves?

Given the highly stressful and increasingly complex healthcare environment, over the years I could feel the tension in voices over the phone, emotional angst and the chipping away of the care-giving spirit. Many colleagues were my age (50) and older, many of us graduated on a Friday and went to work on Monday…and we have never stopped. Many careers have spanned a lifetime, certainly with great joy, satisfaction and achievement, yet I was sensing their yearning for more balance and meaning in the work.

I was also hearing similar disenchantment from younger nurses, who felt unable to verbalize the disillusionment of their brief nursing career, and lacked a new set of skills to add to their “coping” toolbox. They felt something was “missing.”

My vision was to create a supportive, nurturing, healing environment that was convenient, sustainable, impacted meaningful metrics while supporting the “care for self” element of Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring Science and Creative Health Care Management’s Relationship-Based Care model. I envisioned a protected time that allowed the nurse to release her obligations to others, de-stress and return to her/his heart, or source of her/his spirit.

The new tools would also be available to them any time, any place, as the learned techniques were only a breath away; creating mood changes, providing stress relief and boosting energy. By providing convenient yoga practice and other stress reduction modalities, I decided to test my “idea” in a hospital environment. My experience until then had only been in a health club setting, yet the transformations I saw in class were impressive and participants were “hooked” on the stress reduction, mindfulness and improved ability to open their hearts and embrace gratitude and appreciation. They simply felt better. Could this be replicated in the work setting? Would the emotional connections strengthen, the rediscovered authenticity improve team work, and new found empowerment impact engagement?

Because this project was being funded by my executive recruitment firm revenues, I was on a tight budget, yet had learned a thing or two about start-ups. I had learned the hard way about being very selective in sharing my idea with others, yet needed to determine the initial direction and next steps. It’s interesting when asking others their thoughts; it’s like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose! My mind was ready to explode! 

What would I call this idea?

Just as any life altering decision is made, I contacted several friends, served wine, and let the creativity flow! And so, NurseFit® was born!

Fast forward 4 years…

With an open mind and heart, I found myself meeting the right people at the right time. Synergistic opportunities to collaborate with others “randomly” appeared. These experts unselfishly contributed their talents and expertise where mine were deeply lacking and I was cognoscente about always remaining grateful and appreciative for the additional depth, credibility and suggestions they offered. Because of the collaborative efforts, the NurseFit “Caring for the Caregiver” program is highly successful and gaining momentum nationally as well as internationally. Initially, I knew no one to ask, contact or talk with about the “what, where and how” to accurately reflect and develop critically important components. The most significant blessing occurred this year, after collaborating with some wildly talented and gracious key leaders who believed enough in the mission of NurseFit to extend a hand, thus catapulting the program to the next level.

Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, including improvement in stress reduction and symptoms of compassion fatigue. Awareness and willingness is the key to change. Social networking is allowing nurses to share their success stories with others around the country as they support each other in their quest to make self-care a priority in their own lives.

The NurseFit program consists of these core components:

• on-site yoga
• breathing exercises
• meditation
• journaling
• monthly coaching to teach how to quell negative self-talk and self-sabotaging behaviors
• incentivized “rewards” for consistent participation
• positive affirmation cards and reading inspirational reflections from Healing with Heart: Inspirations for Health Care Professionals, to encourage self reflection, mindfulness and a return to the heart or the source.

Here’s what I’ve found: When hospitals and nurses make the commitment to a program that honors and values taking protected time for reflection, supports staff with monthly coaching sessions (even an on-site cooking class!) along with the other core components of yoga and stress reduction techniques, nurses feel more cared for, more supported, more valued and more committed to their work, their employer, their colleagues and their patients.

I’m often asked about the evolution of NurseFit and how I’ve arrived at this point. It seemed only appropriate that I share this story with you at this time of year—a season that encourages gratitude and reflection. It is with deep thanks and some astonishment that I reflect on the events leading to this moment and I’m filled with feelings of thanksgiving. May you be filled with a pure gratitude for all the gifts in your life.

Cheers! 
Kim