Adding joy to the day of a Critical Care Nurse seems like it might remain at the bottom of our ‘to do’ list, and oh so difficult to see through all the pain. And yet, there are moments that fill your heart with the love and compassion needed to move forward.

The second I heard the drum, I felt it's resonance deep into my soul, like I had been yearning for it my entire life. Have you had that experience?

Sometimes it takes a loooong time before you realize you want to, need to, MUST do what is best for yourself, and establish boundaries.

You have it in yourself to do what is best for you.

In todays blog, Nurse Jill shares a small snippet of her journey to realizing her limitations and recognizing her boundaries.

No one was talking about burnout, compassion fatigue and exhaustion over ten years ago. No one. So, I kept on, trying to hide all the classic symptoms of burnout. Until it all came crashing down.

I recall my own journey to expressing gratitude. I started my own gratitude lists years ago, and at first, I found it difficult to think of things I was grateful for. So, I wrote stuff like, I’m grateful for the sky. I’m grateful for the apple I ate at lunch. I’m thankful for the garbage man who picks up my stinky trash every Friday.