Nursing careers can become stale when nurses feel uninspired and disempowered. Our positions and specialties can feel like straightjackets, and we can feel beset by ennui, malaise and professional claustrophobia.
When nurses feel stuck in a box or painted into a corner, it's time for inspiration and empowerment, but where can they be found?
Seek out inspiring stories
If you're feeling stuck in your nursing career, it is essential to seek out other nurses with inspiring stories. You may feel quite isolated, so when you hear what others have done to elevate their careers, light bulbs may shine within your psyche, and internal doors may open where there once was a keyless padlock.
Nurses' stories abound. There are countless blog posts, articles, nurse memoirs, books and podcasts that share the stories of how nurses rose above challenge, forged unique paths and created idiosyncratic visions of what their career could be.
Through the savvy use of targeted Internet searches, podcast apps and nursing-related hashtags on social media, you can explore a plethora of deeply relevant material reflecting the longings and desires of the earnest 21st-century nurse.
Align with forward-thinking colleagues
There may come a time when the company of your negative, sarcastic nursing colleagues may lose its luster. You may yearn for colleagues and professional friends who have broken the stereotypes, exploded the myths and broken free of myths and strictures that keep some nurses feeling constricted for decades.
Mavericks and iconoclasts exist in the global nursing community, and they are not terribly hard to find — in fact, some of them are quite public and approachable.
The above-mentioned blogs, social media platforms, books and podcasts are several channels through which such individuals can be found, but some may live and work among you. There are even special events for nurses who need a lift, from hula-hooping and writing retreats to spa weekends, online empowerment seminars and personal growth workshops.
Meanwhile, is there a local nursing (or non-nursing) colleague who you admire? Is there a nursing leader who inspires you with awe, admiration or deep respect? Seek these individuals out, and keep your eyes and ears open for others who have a unique journey to share.
Take a risk and ask
If you feel at risk of burnout, compassion fatigue or complete rejection of your nursing identity and career, there's so much at stake. If you're at risk of losing heart and giving up hope, what's the relative risk of reaching out for inspiration, or a hand to help you up from your disenchanted state of mind?
As stated earlier, many nursing luminaries, thought leaders and iconoclastic groundbreakers are more accessible than you think. Nursing is a powerful collective, and there are plenty of nurses who are more than willing to lend support to those who need a boost.
There's great risk in burning out and losing your nursing joy. Seek sources of inspiration and ask for what you need. Your career, soul, spirit and nurse's heart deserve it.
