Your guide to the emotional ward

Practicing mindfulness: a step-by-step guide

To practice mindfulness, catch your thoughts and develop into aware of them. Standing on the Pyxis, place your finger on the print reader. Take a deep breath, specializing in how the air fills your lungs. Notice the red light scanning your finger and the names appearing on the screen as you scroll for the patient’s name. Feel your finger touching the screen, hear the sound of a drawer opening and the feeling of closing it. If you might be behind closed doors, listen to the silence. This practice, once began, becomes something you will not wish to stop.

As nurses, we at all times give and expend loads of energy. Mindfulness helps conserve and restore this energy.

Mindfulness techniques in nursing

When you might be stressed, nervous or under pressure, acknowledge your feelings and begin respiratory deeply. I find 4-7-8 technique effective, but many others exists for exploration.

It involves repeating silently in your head what the patient says. It helps you actually listen and keeps your thoughts from wandering to the following task

Pay attention to what you hear, feel, smell, see and taste. However, I like to recommend saving this for after work attributable to the character of hospital smells and sounds.

Rest between moments of intense therapy. Pay attention to the sensations in your body and address them accordingly. If your feet hurt, elevate them. If you are feeling your shoulders and neck are tight, try seated yoga.

If you’ve a break, stretch outside. If breaks are rare, make sure to talk. Do you want a cup of tea? Notice the heat of the cup, the smell and taste of the tea, and the way the steam rises.