Be Still
It is 12:10 in the morning and no one is awake but me. Our two dogs have even stopped whining and are asleep.
The only sound I hear is the occasional cycling of the air condition and the wind blowing which makes our front door creak.
The stillness makes me remember why I used to love night shift; reminds me why I love nighttime; and reminds me of the verse that says, “Be still and know” (Psalm 46:10)
As a tried-and-true emergency department nurse, being still is not something I am good at. In fact, I used to chuckle at my BFF when she would sit down for about 15 minutes then pop up to clean something or cook something or make a call…or something…anything. Mind you, the only reason I was sitting still (laughing at her inability to do so) was because of recent knee replacement surgery.
What can we as leaders and as women learn about stillness?
· From stillness comes clarity. My Calm app often reminds me that a few minutes of quiet in the morning helps prepare for the day.
· From stillness comes the ability to focus and to decrease errors. That is why research has shown nurses need to be able to set up medications in a quiet area undisturbed by the comings and goings of the unit.
Yet how many leaders have chastised nurses for not answering call lights, for taking too long charting on one patient and moving on to the next, for not answering the phone fast enough when the physician calls back? In essence, have we discouraged silence and stillness? Have we become so overwhelmed with “doing” that we have forgotten about “being?” Has COVID taught us anything about the sanctity of life and family and first doing what is important?
I, for one, have returned back to my priorities of God, health, family, THAN work/school. When I have to choose between a work call or spending time with my family, my family wins out.
Maya Angelou said it best. “People don’t care about what you do; they care about how you make them feel.”
How can you, as a leader, engage in conversations with your staff about what is important to them? How can you ensure your staff is taking time to “be still” throughout their shift? And…what will YOU do in the coming week to be still and take care of yourself?
