In This Issue
New Year, New You: Four Ways to a Better You and a Better Practice
by Donna Talain, RNC-OB, BSN, MBA
Happy New Year! It’s that time of year again. A time when we resolve to do things a little differently, to set goals, to make our lives and the lives of others a little better. No matter what 2016 brought, you have the opportunity now to make a fresh start. What resolutions have you made? Here are four things you can do to better yourself and your nursing practice.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been shown to improve nurses’ ability to cope with stress, which leads to improving the quality of patient care (Smith, 2014). The key is mindfulness meditation. It begins with deliberate, conscious breathing, enjoying the gift of the moment with every breath. With enough practice, eventually you learn to mentally escape the limitations of your physical boundaries. Imagine being on a break and escaping the stress of your shift to a more relaxing place. Repetitive meditation has also been shown to physically alter parts of the brain to improve focus and attention (Lazar et al., 2005).
Yoga
Originating in India thousands of years ago, yoga has become a popular health maintenance practice and therapeutic intervention for a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. According to a recent study, regular yoga can improve sleep quality which in turn reduces work stress in nurses (Ronghua & Xia, 2015). There are several forms of yoga out there, so find one that you enjoy and make it a regular part of your week.
Laugh More
Laughter is the best medicine, or so they say. According to Martin and Lefcourt (2004), laughter creates physiologic changes in the body which are conducive to health. Laughter may also help with moderating stress, enhancing your ability to cope. Besides, who couldn’t use a little more laughter in their lives?
Start or Maintain your AWHONN Membership
Finally, because this is all about improving your practice too, what better way than to use the evidence-based resources you have available. Your AWHONN membership puts hundreds of resources at your fingertips. AWHONN has once again decided to provide its Webinar series free to all its current members. If your membership is expiring soon, why not visit AWHONN.org today to renew. Or if you have a colleague that isn’t currently a member, why not recruit him or her? Refer 3 new members and your membership is FREE! Visit awhonn.org/?BecomeAmember.
Resources
Lazar, S., Kerr, C., Wasserman, R., Gray, J., Greve, D., Treadway, M., . . . Fischl, B. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport, 16(17), 1893–1897.
Smith, S. A. (2014). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: An Intervention to Enhance the Effectiveness of Nurses' Coping With Work-Related Stress. International Journal Of Nursing Knowledge, 25(2), 119-130. doi:10.1111/2047-3095.12025.
Upcoming Events
Portland Metro Chapter Meeting
SAVE THE DATE!
Hold Thursday, January 26th open on your calendar for the first event of 2017 for the Portland Metro chapter. A speaker and CEUs as well as a dinner venue are in the works. Once plans are confirmed, the information will be emailed. Please mark your calendars to join us January 26th to learn, help plan additional events for 2017, and network with AWHONN friends!
Central Oregon Chapter Meeting
Advanced Fetal Monitoring: Issues in Safety, Choice and Consensus
