Habits are powerful, so how can we really overcome them? There's not only a driving power within our brains that control habits, but there are also external forces that cause us to repeatedly do things without consciously thinking about it. When we determine the specific cues in our environment that stimulate us to repeatedly perform the same behavior, over and over again, we have accomplished the first step towards breaking a habit (Duhigg, 2012). Bad habits can be replaced by new and good habits, we just have to understand the process and be honest with ourselves. This not only can help us in our personal lives, but also allow us to teach our patients effective ways to break habits. Taking care of ourselves first enables us to be better nurses for our patients!
Nurses beginning their careers have shown an increasingly difficult time trying to adapt without experiencing stress (Accad, 2012). Through my research and study, I have found effective principals that will help in finding satisfaction in every aspect of your life.
I want to show you how we can overcome habits and make clinical decisions with integrity. This webpage will describe how nursing units can be filled with staff that make honest decisions, have good habits, and excellent work ethic. Learning from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits will allow you to thrive in your environment, communicate effectively, and deal with situations smoothly (Covey, 1999).
Sometimes our struggle with motivation lies directly in how others are performing their jobs. If we can all be working towards the same goal in unity, our work lives will be filled with satisfaction.
Accad, A. (2012, June). Compromising your nursing values can lead to burnout. Retrieved from http://www.nursetogether.com/Career/Career-Article/itemId/128/Nurse-Burnout-Prevention.aspx
Covey, S.R. (1999). Livingthe 7 habits: Stories of courage and inspiration. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habits; Why we do what we do in life and business. New York, NY: Random House.
Image retrieved from http://www.swedishinstitute.edu/index.php/nursing
