There are three different types of isolation, and this subject is pretty cut and dry though it is important. I came to learn that when I had to miss a few days because of an outbreak.
"One does not fall in love; one grows into love, and love grows in him" - Karl A. Menninger6/23/2014 Love. It's such a weird word, and it is connected and associated with many. Empathy, compassion, good nature, whole heartedness and the list goes on. It's extraordinary how one small act of love and kindness can undo the very buttons of your soul and let all the bad out. Even though the hospital is place that harbours sad times, times everyone wishes they didn't have to see, it is also a place of love. You can see it when the nurses give so much of their time to their patients, or when the patients families come into visit.
The amount of work I am going through these days is insane, and it shows. I have just gotten my evaluation from my supervisor back today. Although she said I was amazing, and that it took her a while to think of something I needed improvement on, she told me I needed to leave things at the door when coming into work. This is how much stress I am going through, it physically shows on me. Work, co-op, school and a younger sister to worry about all in my graduating year? TOO MUCH. Of course, that doesn't matter, you still have to push through it. What does matter though, is managing your stress. It's easier said than done. SO, I've come up with my top ten ways to relieve stress out of my life. This may not work for you because everyone is different. I take part in therapy because I'm so stressed all the time (even before all this extra stuff got on my plate). My counsellor always says, self care should be the most important thing to me. I know it's hard, but if you have time, write down ten self-care activities you can do when you're too stressed about everything. Another good habit is to write down and know your resources, so if you ever have a meltdown you know who to talk to. I know my co-op is a very heavy job, and when I mean heavy, I mean emotionally. I get to see sick and/or dying people on a daily basis. It's sad, and I have to develop a wall in order to survive that sort of thing. But that brings me back to my original question, when is too much considered to much? For me, that means headaches, tears, frustration, exhaustion (especially this!!!!), anger or even getting sick. Stress is no good for anyone. So if you ever feel like you're about to explode and there is steam coming out of your ears, sit down, take a second, look at your top ten list, and do one of those activities. If you feel comfortable enough, share yours in the comments below. I'll start with mine, so without any further jibber-jabber:
SO there you have it, my top ten things that relieve my stress. What about you? Leave them in the comments below :) My first day at the hospital was so nerve wracking. It took so long to get all of my documents and testing done in order to be a co-op student. The whole time, all I could think about was how awkward it would be for me because I ended up starting so late, and how mad my employer would be. My employer wasn't mad, in fact she understood everything. With sweaty palms and hopeful glances at my new environment, my employer Jane* set me up with an I.D badge. The picture was so horrible. The worse-than-a-mugshot kind. After Jane giggled, and told me it was the same with everyone, I reluctantly put it on and sheepishly followed her all the way to the medical floor. Click-clack all the way and the sound of my sloppy boots dragging behind. When we arrived at the floor, she told a lady who was at a desk who I was and what I was doing there. With a slight nod of the lady's head, Jane disappeared quickly and left me standing in front of the nurses station without even a look of acknowledgement from anyone. Some were busy typing away on their computers, and some we chatting about stuff that I had no idea about (at the time). Then the clinical aids welcomed me, and showed me to the staff room where I could keep my stuff. After introducing themselves, they explained some of the jobs I could do to start. With my cart in tow, I began stocking shower rooms, nurses carts and isolation carts. I also emptied linen bags and filled water jugs. To be honest, the work was dry in the beginning and I hated it. I wanted to know what everyone else was doing, how they did it, not emptying garbages for the rest of my hours. However, I wanted things to quickly. Just being there was a new experience for me, and I was a new experience for everyone working on the floor. This was something I didn't find out about until later on. The hospital hadn't participated in a co-op program in years! That made me feel lucky, and a little more patient. New experiences don't come all the time, so you have to enjoy them when you can while trying not to expect too much or want more. So all-in-all the moral of this post is that new experiences come in small and big packages, you just have to be willing to receive them.
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