JUST REST!

Everyone seems to have something to say about nurses. They are praised for their kindness and compassion, and just as quickly criticised as rude, proud, or uncaring. The truth, however, is not found in either list. It lives somewhere in between, in the parts no one really talks about.

Recently, an old friend and I tried to reconnect during the long holidays when most people were free. My clinical postings left me unavailable, leading to repeated postponements. I finally met her after work, and that night, back on duty, I was exhausted. Her words, “It’s only a matter of time; you’ll soon be done,” made me reflect.

From the 200 level, we are introduced to the wards, and that is where it truly begins. “Follow them. Don’t sit down. Don’t press your phone. Or you’ll learn nothing,” they say. Day after day, we show up. Some come with a deep passion for the profession, while others simply try to navigate the path laid out before them. From there, we move on. 300 level. 400 level. 500 level. Internship. Staff. There is no real break. It becomes an endless cycle of care.

Nobody talks about the pressure that comes with the scrubs or the title “Student Nurse.” You are expected to automatically know how to dress wounds, fix IV lines, feed patients, and bandage properly. There is no break at home either. Overenthusiastic mothers announce your presence, while elderly men and women constantly ask questions about drugs to use, the benefits of every plant they see, and whether watching too much television is the reason their lives are not progressing. I do not get the correlation either, but it happens.

There are days we see and feel things we are not allowed to express. We cannot show displeasure. We cannot display disgust. We cannot throw up. We dare not cry at the sight of pain. Our faces must remain neutral, sometimes smiling. We hide trembling hands while performing procedures for the first time and mask uncertainty when questions come that we cannot fully answer.

Some days begin before our bodies are ready to move. Days we show up with minds in turmoil. Days we help people in pain while trying to suppress our own. We lift helpless patients when our energy is already almost gone. The constant exposure to pain, sickness, frailty, and death wears on you. There are days we serve breakfast to others while our own hearts are still bleeding from just receiving one.

Nobody talks about the moments when a patient is calling for help, and we can barely stand, or about the guilt that follows when we cannot respond, not because we do not care, but because we have already poured out so much that there is barely anything left to give.

So, my dear Nurse, take a moment. Do what you can and allow yourself to rest. Sleep for nine hours and know that you have not wasted your life. Go to that party. Dance. When it becomes too heavy, find a quiet place and cry. Take pictures. Make memories. Live.

You cannot care for anyone else without first caring for yourself. If you do not take care of yourself, burnout follows. You are not weak for needing rest. You are not selfish for choosing yourself. You are not failing because you are tired.

Rest!

Author: Aruwajoye Deborah