not yet a nurse officially.......will begin my nurses aid job tuesday. i am very interested in hearing what suggestions you all may have.
how do we as nurses (i am a nurse wanta be at the moment) how do you refill??
great question-- i am gonna be listening and taking notes for sure

Different things at different times in my career. In the past, it was exercise, reading, soaking in a hot tub, planning and making improvements to my house, or planning that special vacation. Hanging out with people who are not nurses also helps, because it reminds me that life isn't all about sickness and disease.

These days, I've added regular attendance and involvement in my church and two Welsh Corgi puppies. Dogs are always so "in the moment" and they remind me to just enjoy life today. Plus, they always give me great big puppy kisses when I come home from work.

I begin Nursing School this January...it's been a long process getting to this point in my life...I am so excited.

Dealing with stress and "refilling that cup" at the end of the day is so important....that goes for anyone really.

-I spend lot's of time with my dog---she is my "fuzz therapy."

- I go jogging and listen to whatever music helps me get pumped and get out my sadness and anger from the day.

-I speak to my parents on a regular basis....my loved ones help me keep focused and remember why I work hard. I don't know what I would do without my mom and dad!

-I love cooking----so I try to open a cook book and just totally zone out into whatever I am preparing......it's like meditation for me.

---also, I have learved to say NO to people when they demand my free time....It sounds silly, but I sometimes have a hard time saying no to people when they ask for help on something....pretty soon you spread yourself so thin that there is no time to "put back in your cup."

I am disappointed in the lack of replies compared to the views.
Come on nurses. Does this mean we don't know how to fill the cup!

fill our cups
I'd have to say friends and family are the biggest things in my cup as I finish school. Working out when I have the time to vent. I think everyone should find a hobby and loose themselves in it at least once a week. Just have a you time. Last weeks project was drawing a portrait of my husband and I, next week....who knows? Blasting the music when your home alone and dancing is always my personal favoriote, but that's not eveyrones style....find yours.

fill my cup Lord :-)
I remember one day after work when I was working at a skilled facility up in Cleveland Ohio....We had a man who had been a stroke victim for several years. He had a big bad mean temper and I was warned about how he likes to punch people when they are taking care of him. We had developed a relationship him and I so that he understood I was always aware of him and his moods. He grabbed my wrist one day while I was giving him his g-tube feeding and was about to sling Ensure everywhere. I stood firm and still and said this, "Now "his name" we both know that if you throw this stuff everywhere, I'll just have to clean it up and start all over again..." He looked at me...btw, he was paralyzed on one side so he only had use of one hand...he looked and he let go of my wrist and let me continue. The man was in his right mind but was mad at the world. When we moved a newer resident into his room he got to listen to Christian TV all day every day for a very long time...well I bet it seemed that way to him :-) but one day I knew that "his name" needed Jesus and I risked my job when i said to him, "Jesus loves you!" For the first time since I had known him, he looked at me and He Smiled! I think that filled my cup full because he accepted my very simple witness to him and btw, He was not able to speak either. God Bless! Emmie-san

how do you fill your cup??
I have three of the best friends that I found in nursing school 7 years ago. We managed to stay in touch at least once a week since we graduated. How can you laugh about the things that happen at work unless you laugh with a friend that understands what it is like to have your hair blown back by a doctor or to give a pt. an emesis basin only to have them ralph on your shoes?? We get together at least once a month for dinner and drink a glass of wine (okay = a few glasses) and laugh and enjoy each other's company. Only a nurse can appreciate all that you do in a days work. It is the best source of relaxation I can imagine.

I fill it as much as I can
Its a drag sometimes to be a nurse.I work ER and all the drunks, od, cpr, MI, CVA, STDs...not to mention crappy staffing and other issues. The only thing that gets me through my shift is to be a real person and work hard to stay positive. I make alot of jokes with the coworkers and docs, but esp. if appropriate, the patients. Okay its not always appropriate, but as long as I'm not mean, I do. I get to know people..it reminds me of my humanity and why I care. I love people, even when they can piss me off. Its real life and I see it all. When I go home, I sleep alot so my next 12 hours won't be so hard. Personal time and pampering is essential. And I bond as much as I can with family and friends. Keep it positive and be the nurse you always wanted for your family and friends. I really do what I think I can do because I want to do it.

You guys are awesome. I guess I should tell you how I fill my cup if I'm asking. I love cooking. I try all the flavors of the world and come home and try to recreate them. To play in the kitchen with music going and drink a glass of red wine is my kind of relaxation. However, in the years that have passed, I have mostly worked as a bone marrow transplant nurse. Cancer of all sorts. I learned that I get my cup filled AT work. The situations I come across have all happened before-just the faces and names change. I have the answers to the questions they are looking for. But what seams to have happened over the years is that my patients blessed me and gave me such faith and courage . The odd family comes along that needs me to carry them through the whole process, but thats what I do. I just realized that I have the greatest career ever and God has blessed me with this gift and it definitely goes both ways. I encourage all of you to uplift your patients, they do reciprocate. And remeber that caring is an artform.

Renewal
How do I fill my cup at the end of the day? Here's some of my coping mechanisms.

1) If you drive home, DO NOT turn on the radio. A few minutes of quiet is so valuable. I think we don't even hear the monitors, phones, overhead pages, call bells (hmmm), after a while, but all that exhausting noise is in our heads. Let it clear out before you get home.

2) Make family time positive--in other words, don't sweat the small stuff at home, your kids will never remember you for how clean the kitchen counters were, but they will remember those moments you spent face to face. (Yes, even teenagers). Those moments will keep you going, too.

3) Create something. Anything. Sew, paint, woodwork, cook, a new hair style, whatever gives you a sense of accomplishment. You are more than your career. (oh, yeah.....)

4) OK, guys can kind of tune out here for a moment. I like to designate one night a week as "grooming night", and take some private time to catch up on grooming essentials that make me feel good: a manicure, pedicure, extra hair conditioning, etc. I'm sure there is something that guys do, but it probably doesn't take a full evening!

That's my basic survival list. I also like to plan a fun activity at least once every 2 weeks--like meeting a friend for lunch and a movie.

AND LAUGH! If we don't, we're sunk for sure.

happy replenishment to all,
Nurse Betty

How do you refill your cup?
This is such a good topic. I've been an RN for over 4 years and I still haven't completely gotten the gist of how to refill my cup. Thanks to all who have replied, I'll take them into consideration. I usually try to just make sure I didn't leave a mess for the next shift, drive home jammin with some good music, and let it loose with talking about my day at home or just relax and chill. I think I do bring my work home with me too much, but I'm learning not to do that as much---I think---I hope.

filling the cup
I have been watching this area and I too am surprised that over 300 people have looked at it without replying including me. truthfully I don't know the answer. I am exhausted physically and emotionally on the days I work and am bored to tears on my days off I think sleep is the answer on workdays ! My children are grown ( That used to fill my cup and it would runneth over) I have thought about going back to school but I never liked it while I was there so I am going to just travel more ! Check back next year

In reply to the recent post...
Yeah, I certainly make sure I go "somewhere" outside of my state at least once a year. Traveling and buying whatever I want most anytime (but I rarely want anything) helps realize why I'm blessed to have a good paying job, and a job I like--and most usually love.

When I come home after a hard day of work I enjoy cuddling with my dog. Pets are amazing!! Most often though I do not leave work needing my cup filled. I work in Labor and Delivery and after a long hard day of I sit in a chair and hold a baby "the miracle of life", how refreshing.

What a great question, i was just talking about this with a friend of mine. maintaining friendships and family relationships that i care about are very important, also just some quiet down time where i can "zone out", read a book, watch tv or play around on the computer are helpful.
I also write in a journal and try to meditate for just 5 minutes a day but I have been slacking in that area.
One of the things that i am very bad at is that i let a lot of my personal responsibilities go, like paying bills on time and cleaning my house, these are areas that i need to work on so i can be more responsible, balanced and have less anxiety. I have always been the kind of person who is good in a crisis but becomes easily bored with the day to day routines of life.
As for the person who mentioned that they take their work home with them, i too, am guilty of that but it has gotten a lot better over the years. Let's face it, as nurses we are caregivers, that is our job but if we don't fill our own cup up then we have nothing left to give. This is a very important topic for all of us

I guess what I do kind of tends to vary on the shift I'm working and the time of year, and now it'll depend where i'm at as a traveler. I'm working straight nights right now, so I tend to spend a little bit of time reading and just spending time with my cats in the morning when I get home and I will occasionally talk to my mom or sister for a few minutes. Over the last 5 months now I've had a new way to 'fill my cup' as i get to enjoy my first nephew, so i can call my sister and hear him and about the new stuff he's done in the last couple of days. other than that, there's the obvious, i have several craft projects going at a time either a blanket or cross-stitching. And I'm still going to school so I can try to switch gears into that for awhile. Talking to my friends who are nurses makes a big difference in venting cuz they know exactly what i mean when i'm frustrated! And if I start to forget why I love my job, I remember a couple of patients I've had in the last 3 years that would make anybody love nursing!

How I fill my cup
Yes paying my bills on time is an issue for me sometimes, but I think it's just because I just want to veg when I get off work for so many days, any suggestions to how I can keep up on maintaining my good credit score. I was thinking of online banking, but the bottom line is who really fills like paying bills after we do the work that we do day after day?

The only way to fix this is to set up a budget and automate paying your bills. I seldom think about my paying my bills anymore because I let the computer at my bank do it, and I only write one check per month. Leave's me lots of time to do other things . . .

Same thing about cleaning your house. Pay someone to do it for you and stop feeling guilty about it. Life is too short to spend it cleaning your house. Spend your days off doing the things that you really enjoy.

How do I fill my cup? Sometimes that is rather difficult, I admit. Honestlly I am an avid gamer. It helps me to be off somewhere absorbed in solving pusles or battaling other online players. It is rather difficult to dwell on how many BSC's you emptied today when someone is chasing you with a shotgun.
Chasing someone else with one is good relief for all the political stuff that comes with this job too. When I need to dwell on the codes, as I think we all do from time to time, I find spending time alone to be consoling.