It’s okay to say “no” to guard your mental health

When you consider your role as a nurse, words like “compassionate” and “committed” may come to mind. And while these words reflect your identity as a nurse, it is important to define who you’re no matter where you’re employed.

Setting boundaries at work could be uncomfortable and even scary. For some nurses, take into consideration saying NO creates fear of consequences similar to losing a job, damaging skilled relationships, or hindering future roles. While these concerns are natural, setting limits on yourself within the workplace is important to support your needs – each physical and mental.

Start with yourself

Saying “no” could be difficult in the event you are all the time searching for others. But step one starts with yourself. Affirm your value and realize that you just’re not only a nurse – you are an individual with abilities and passions who deserve a healthy work-life balance.

In an episode of the NurseDot Podcast, host Cara Lunsford, RN and Vice President of Community at Relias spoke with guest Katie Duke, MSN, AGACNP-BC and nurse influencer about how you can say that NO within the workplace. When creating skilled boundaries, start with yourself first, said Duke, who has 20 years of nursing experience, seven of which were as a board-certified adult and geriatric acute care nurse.

“I often tell people that you have to create your own definition of a nurse,” she said. “You need to stop looking for confirmation of your identity and your identity from your employer or from your day or night job. Because as nurses, we tend to absorb that being a nurse is our entire identity – our entire existence.”

This boundary is particularly vital since it highlights the importance of other parts of your life. If you do not set this sort of boundary, these areas could seem less worthwhile in comparison with your nursing life.

For example, to illustrate you’re employed within the emergency room of one of the best hospital within the country, but you furthermore may excel in one other field (e.g., you are a author, painter, or athlete), Duke suggested. If you begin comparing your personal and skilled identities, it’s possible you’ll place more importance in your role at a prestigious hospital. Focusing more in your skilled role may make you underestimate your personal actions or achievements and feel like they aren’t value sharing.

Prioritization of your needs

For some, weaning themselves from associating their identity with the workplace is usually a difficult process. However, it’s okay to say “no” – even in the event you set a boundary. You can say, ‘I won’t allow myself to treat where I work as the first source of who I’m as an individual and what my value is,'” Duke said.

Identifying and setting limits for yourself is a form of self-respect, but also self-love because you are prioritizing your own needs and desires. Lunsford emphasized the strength and resilience you build through these practices. “When you love yourself, people are less likely to encroach on or overstep your boundaries,” she said.

Limits and high demands

As a nurse, you are responsible for many elements of health care while maintaining compassion. Because of these elements, saying “no” is not as easy as it seems. Considering factors such as short staffing, this may seem impossible to say NOespecially in high stress situations.

AND test on excessive work and professional burnout, it was found that greater workload increases the symptoms of professional burnout in nurses, as a result of which more people take sick leave. In this study, when more nurses took sick leave, it meant a greater workload for the remaining staff, creating a cycle of overwork and burnout. These types of scenarios are well known in nursing, and enforcing restrictions can be a way to disrupt this cycle and reduce the risk of burnout.

AND Harvard Business Review The article discusses two aspects of setting boundaries – hard and soft boundaries. The article defines hard as areas that are non-negotiable and soft as areas that you are willing to compromise on. Defining your limits in this way can help you identify and choose what you need most.

The profession of a nurse, although rewarding, involves many demands. Therefore, it is necessary to establish realistic professional boundaries. For example, you may be asked to work overtime or see more patients, but you feel exhausted or burned out. In situations like this, don’t be afraid to speak up NO. A realistic limit is to prioritize your physical and mental health.

A matter of safety

In the podcast episode, Lunsford shared a similar point of view, touching on the impact of security. “There are times when you are asked to do something that is beyond your capabilities,” she said. “You have been asked to take on a shift that you know you simply cannot do. It’s not safe for you. It’s not safe for your co-workers. This is not safe for your patients.”

Research has shown this patients are at higher risk and nurse safety is at risk as nurses cope with heavier workloads. Although staffing challenges and conditions such as moral damages still require attention, they say NO respects your own safety and health needs.

It’s also important to be unapologetic when implementing these boundaries, according to Duke, who has more than 15 years of experience in mentoring and advocacy. “You shouldn’t start by saying, ‘I’m sorry,’” she said. “If someone asks you to do something that you don’t have time for or that isn’t your priority right now, that deserves a response like, ‘I can’t do that for you right now because I need to focus on the priorities of my responsibilities. And leave it at that.”

Saying NO is a form of self-care

Self-care looks different for everyone. This may include eating a nutritious meal, taking a brisk walk, or reading a book.

In the tip sheet, American Psychiatric Nurses Association states this saying NO it is also a form of self-care. Because most nurses work on the front lines of health care, it is important that they practice self-care techniques that include setting professional boundaries.

Self-care is a method known to improve the quality of life. AND the science of self-care revealed that nurses felt more tired as a result of working long hours in a stressful environment. However, by engaging in self-care, including recognizing their limitations, nurses felt happier, healthier, and more confident.

According to American Nurses Association Code of Ethics in Regulation 5.2, nurses have the identical responsibilities to themselves as to others – to advertise personal health, safety and well-being. By setting personal parameters within the workplace, you’re advocating for your personal health, comfort and happiness.

Setting boundaries is crucial in each your personal and skilled life. However, this practice will not be perfect and sometimes success will not be immediate. Be patient with yourself when setting boundaries within the workplace and remind yourself of all the great belongings you do outside of your role as a nurse. “You are worthy of love, confidence and worth, and it has nothing to do with your title or where you work,” Duke said.