I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying that goes something like, “you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of other people”. This goes for many things in life: nurses, our relationships, and even  caregivers for a family member. While this applies to nurses, it is just as important for our patient’s because the aforementioned situations likely apply to them too.

In my personal experiences as a nurse, I have watched myself develop a very thick skin and straightforward attitude with my patients. For example, I work in a cardiac step down unit where heart attacks and open-heart surgeries are a hot commodity. Recently I had a patient who wasn’t even in their 40s who came in with classic chest pain, heart attack symptoms and ended up having cardiac bypass surgery in order to save their life. In such a situation, this patient required understanding the extent of their condition, especially when they were asking to go outside for a cigarette; which can be hard for some nurses to allow, especially if they are new.

This is the perfect case scenario where I end up laying it out on the line to my patients about the type of care they need to be providing to themselves: letting them know how lucky they are to have been saved, and this requires a very firm standpoint in the patient-nurse relationship. In turn, it instills trust in you as their nurse, but also gives a higher degree of hope that patients will take care of themselves. In a lot of these situations, I use my own personal life experiences, especially if I think it will help get through to them. Relating to your patient’s initiates a very sound relationship with them. Sharing personal experiences to relay a message about good health can be effective.

My other life motto as a nurse is that we truly should practice what we preach. In order to do this as a nurse  ideally it requires us to take good care of ourselves, which in turn is putting yourself first. Even though our patients have the right and expectation for us to educate them on their conditions, the role may not be taken as seriously if the nurse does not appear to be practicing good health and wellness themselves. For example, if you’re educating your patient on living a healthy lifestyle – not smoking, exercising daily, eating healthy – but you aren’t applying this advice into your daily life, not only does it contradict the care you are providing, but patient’s might be less likely to change their own behaviors. Another example would be to share a fitness or nutrition journey. Discussing the challenges and accomplishments might inspire them to make a change for themselves.

Lastly, this also means that we need to allow ourselves the proper self-care so that we can always be on our A-game at work.  Every year around the time of my birthday I take at least a whole week off so that I can just relax, get some personal things done, and have time to myself away from work. I can enjoy myself and not forget how much I love that! With that being said, don’t be afraid to be your patient’s savior, eat your fruits and vegetables, make time to exercise, and take time to yourself, especially if you need it – and don’t be afraid to need it! 🙂

Sydney Adelstein is a 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing.