I am a Nurse, Frontliner for Covid-19, and a Stress Management Coach.
Kathy Parlevliet, the nurse who knows. Recognizing the feelings that are hidden behind your mask. Looking into our eyes can be telling a story. A pair of goggles and 2 masks, along with a shield, leads to a lot of isolation. Becoming comfortable with all the layers is a surprise, allowing for a level of being invisible. After months of gearing up for outside protection from Covid, the inner feeling is to survive. It is a unforgettable challenge day to day. It all starts with a mask.
What have you experienced as you layer on all the gear?
Have you thought about how many smiles we haven’t seen?
When will our feelings become acceptable to share?
The amount of time and energy expended to protect ourselves is accumulative to many hours. Being consumed by essential tasks for our patients, is never-ending. The compassionate and caring hearts of healthcare becomes depressed. Support is shared in the form of food, and jokes. Trying to keep our appearances strong, while so buried in plastic. Most of the time we were so camouflaged, that until a person spoke, their identity was uncertain.
If we smile, it is seen by the corners of your eyes becoming slanted. Possibly imagined by your voice tone. I came into work the other day and a nurse had drawn a smiling mouth on their mask. We all laughed, the reality of what we have been missing.
Sharing our feelings makes us vulnerable to judgment. Storytelling has helped open the conversation. Listening and comforting each other is a way to healing.
If you are having difficulty with sharing your feelings, I am here.
Kathy Parlevliet @theRNcoach.com
Let’s talk soon.
© 2024 The Nurse Who Knows
