Hello Queen,
My name is Kate, I am a Nurse, Mom, Wife, and Entrepreneur.
I have been a nurse since 2015. My experience ranges anywhere from ICU to IR.
I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ve been there before. I was that burned-out, overworked, stressed-out, overstimulated woman who knew she wanted something different. But what the hell do ya do?
At first, I thought the answer was to go back to school. And I did.
However, after almost completing my DFNP, I realized I needed to do some inner work. After pouring myself into everything self-development, I finally figured it out.
This podcast and site are the fruits of all my labors. I must share what I have found with other women who are feeling the same way I was.
My promise is to always inspire and motivate you to reach for more. Listen to “you” and what “you” is saying.
You did not waste your time. You are right where you should be. Right now is perfect.
Are You Filling Up Your Cup
Seriously I love Self-Care and in this episode, we are going to tackle prioritizing yourself. OMG, I know, really. But you really do not understand fully until you see the benefits that self-care can give you. So let’s commit to just trying it out.
Here we go!
Mindset Is Everything
Okay, let’s set the stage. You board your flight to your favorite destination. As you begin to take off you hear the announcements playing over the speakers and on the screen in front of you. You hear them say “Place your oxygen mask on first before helping others”. You have heard it a million times but this time it hits a little different. In life, you need to make sure your oxygen mask is on and working before you can give service to others. If you pass out while placing someone else’s mask on what help are you to others?
Let’s take this into a bigger picture.
if you put your mask on, you could potentially help hundreds instead of maybe one. You would be able to give so much more value then, and value is ultimately what we really care about.
Let that sink in.
As nurses, it is all too common to hear that we don’t eat during our shift. We can hold our pee for up to 12 hours. Sometimes we don’t even drink water the whole shift because we are giving value to our patients.
How are we supposed to shift our mindsets into one of caring for us first over our patients?
In the hospital this is really difficult to shift, my suggestion is to start at home first.
I talk a lot about routines on this podcast because I live by them. If I do not maintain my routine I feel completely off and unfocused. In order for me to feel like I got the most out of my day, I have to stick to a routine. In the next few episodes we are going to explore habits and routine building, so make sure you stick around for those.
But you need to find what really makes you tick and build those into a routine.
What The Fuck Is Self-Care?
If you thought this was a podcast and blog for families, well you were wrong. Inspire RN is run by an old ICU nurse, our mouths could honestly surprise a sailor.
So now that your shock is over…
By definition, self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. To protect one’s own well-being and happiness.
Self-care is things like meditation, exercise, well-balanced diets, going out with friends and socializing, going out on date nights, etc. I have found that a good first step is finding out what really lights you up, to find your values. Things that are very important to you.
Right now I have a 10-page inner code roadmap that will help you find those values.
My values for example are family, spirituality, financial freedom, dreaming, and adventure. These are the things that I have to focus on when I am building my care routine and making decisions in my life.
These routines are a way of filling up your cup and making sure your joy is first to come.
So we talked about the overall concepts of why you have to take care of yourself. Then we explored how I use routine to help me fill my cup, now let’s talk about the idea of selfishness.
Selfishness Does Not Me Selfless
Most of us our moms here. I mean I am creating this podcast for all women in nursing but a lot of us who are looking to change up our careers are moms who do not find alignment within the healthcare system anymore.
Moms we are not selfish for wanting more for our families, for our kids, and for ourselves.
This idea of guilt and shame around wanting to build something or wanting to put yourself first is a major issue in our society and a big issue that I had to fight through.
I have been criticized by many close to me for wanting to quit nursing, for wanting to be different and eat different food. For wake up at 4:30 in the morning so I can journal and work out. For not wanting to hang out with people who do not align with my goals. I want to grow and I want to be different because I want something different.
I want to remind you, that you have dreams and you are the 1%. We don’t do what others do because we want something different than them. I want something far different for my future than the average Joe or Jane. So I am gonna act differently than them.
The criticism and shaming will come from many different people. You need to make sure that you surround yourself with those who understand your goals and are here to help you achieve them.
So moms you are not being selfish for shooing your kids upstairs so you can work out in peace, they will be just fine. Your baby can cry for 2 minutes while you finish cooking that healthier meal.
The hard truth also is that maybe some of these people don’t need to know every detail of your life if they just won’t understand.
As my journey has evolved I have found that sometimes sharing is not for everyone. So I now have a select few who support my dreams and believe in me that I will share things with.
So prioritize yourself and make sure that you grab that values guide. Once you know what fills your cup, I want you to implement 2 things. Maybe you have been wanting to work out more. So you wake up 20 minutes early and work out in the morning before work.
Listen 2023 is almost over, if you are here you want to achieve some goals, put aside the excuses, and just do the damn shit. If you want to lose weight then guess what you are spending your Sunday’s meal planning, shopping, and prepping. Just do it. It sucks at first, change always does, but stick with it, before you know it, you have created a habit and you’re achieving your goal.
So grab your values guide that will be linked in the show notes, Put aside the excuses, and pick 2 things that would bring you joy and fill your bucket. Start doing them. When you have been doing them for three months, guess what it’s a habit, and you’re on your way to success.
Meet me here next week for more chatting. We are gonna dive into work-life balance with Halloween coming up the kid’s activities and parties are gonna ramp up. So let’s give ya some tools to help you succeed. OK, love you all. Thank you for listening and I can not wait to see you all here next week.
