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Pushing Harder Does Not Help Nursing Burnout A challenge many of us as nurses face is the workaholic syndrome. In fact, I talk about this in my book and presentation, “Stop Nurse Burnout”. Being a workaholic as a nurse is a bit unique than any other profession. I will use my husband, Drew, as an example here. Drew is a heating and air-conditioning technician. He drives a big van, uses a lot of tools all day, and works with his hands. When Drew comes to the dinner table with me at the end of the work day, does he bring his hammer, level, or drill? Of course not! But as a nurse, this may or may not be the case. We teach patients using our voice. We turn, lift, clean, and fix with our hands. We empathize, advocate for, and care with our hearts. And- when you are a nurse, are you ever really “off”? Your family hears that you have graduated from nursing school. After the initial “congratulations” and celebrations wear off… then what comes next? The constant phone calls, texts, or emails saying, “Hey, you’re a nurse right? What do you think this is…” People can always count on a nurse! It is as if our workday never ends. We care for patients, our own families, and our greater communities at large. But if you are reading this and feeling the stresses of nursing burnout… and you think that putting the nose down and working harder will just help you push through… you are sadly mistaken, my friend. Working harder, pushing through, or simply ignoring how you are feeling and hoping that it will go away will not work out. Burnout will eventually consume all of your life. You may become physically ill or emotionally stressed. Work will no longer be fun and just getting yourself there will require every bit of energy in your body. There is no working through nurse burnout. Choosing Burnout Over and Over The other struggle we face as nurses is the insanity definition stated above. In fact, here’s a real-life example of this. As a keynote speaker, I get the honor of giving talks to nurses and nursing students across the country. This past year was no different than any other- only that I presented more talks than ever before! After a talk in Oklahoma, I was contacted by a nursing student in the audience. We got on the phone for a quick chat so that I could answer her questions and give her more guidance than was able to during a 60 minute audience-style presentation. One of her questions was spot on. She asked me, “Do you ever get people who ask you about how to eliminate their stress? And what do you do when they don’t follow up? I mean, how does that make you feel? How do you go on with what you are doing??” This nursing student is wise beyond her years! This happens to me- a LOT. After getting off of the stage at a talk in Indiana, a nurse came up to purchase Nursing from Within. She said, “What do you do when you do not want to do nursing anymore?” Since that question could take TONS of time to sort through and answer- I encouraged the nurse to email me and we could set up a time to talk by phone. She never did. As stated above to the nursing student asking me questions- this kind of thing happens often. Nurses tell me how unhappy they are, however for some reason, are unable to make lasting change. One thing I have noticed- even in my own life- is that as human beings we prefer the comfort of the known. And the comfort of being comfortable. So, even if a nurse is experiencing nursing burnout, sometimes making a change is harder, more difficult, scarier, overwhelming, and any of the above than not making the change. The not making the change is known. We are used to it. It is familiar to us. If you are experiencing nursing burnout, and you REALLY, really want to see different results— then it is TIME to take action. Different action. New action. Action that you are even a bit afraid of. Get your copy of Stop Nurse Burnout: https://elizabethscala.com/stop-nurse-burnout.  Check out the blog post that accompanies this episode here: https://elizabethscala.com/insanity-nursing-burnout-break-cycle/