shania Archives - Shania Lynn

“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.”
― C.S. Lewis

I sit here alone with my two dogs on a snowy afternoon. My alone time often brings on my anxiety as my mind is able to wander. I am stuck inside with a frozen tundra outside. My breakfast plans have been canceled. My husband was picked up to work at the hospital and will be remaining there for 1-2 days. So, I sit. The dogs start barking because they hear kids screaming outside. That is when I think of perspective.

When I was younger, snow days were the best. We got to get off school, enjoy the one time a year we could sled and build a snowman, while my parents were upset because the roads were icy. At that time, we were young and didn’t care because we got to play all day. As an adult, I observe the snow from afar and sit in my cozy home with my anxiety creeping in as I know I’ll be sleeping alone and forcing myself to keep busy. But that is all perspective. Why am I anxious that it is snowing as an adult when before it brought so much joy? How selfish it is of me to be experiencing these feelings when I am resting in a warm home on my day off. I can drink as much coffee as I want to. I can cuddle with my pups and watch as much Netflix as I want. Why does my mind immediately go to anxiety-provoking thoughts? It is all about perspective.

I choose to find the joy in everything. Those kids’ screams are so happy as they get to sled down the parking lot. I get to blast worship music and sing as loud as I want to (and not well) because my husband is not home. I can choose a chick-flick if I want to. I choose to enjoy the beauty of the white blanket of snow (and ice) that is out my window because I have no responsibilities today. I choose to see an unfortunate situation from a positive perspective. I choose to always see the glass half-full.

Until next shift,

Shania

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit- you choose.” Proverbs 18:21 (MSG)

Choose Joy. Those two words I wear on my badge every day at the hospital. The most common compliment that I receive is that I am always smiling. The hospital is full of emotional highs and emotional lows. Being a caregiver at the bedside, it is my job to at least look like I am having a good day. A smile can brighten the room, and hospital rooms can be quite dark- both literally and figuratively. From new terminal diagnoses to upcoming procedures, the patient and family are not at their highlights of life. The least I can do is smile, and show genuine compassion.

I choose joy everyday because my patients cannot afford much less. In the midst of low blood sugars, falling blood pressures, calls for pain medications, family phone calls, each patient has the right to be treated individually with kindness, autonomy, and respect.

Whether speaking to yourself or to someone else, the words spoken have either the power to heal or the power to kill. There is a time to be sad and a time to be happy, however words must be carefully thought before they are spoken. Here are a few examples:

A doctor rushes into the room to share the plan without asking for any clarification, questions, or concerns. – Speaks death
A doctor shares unwanted test results at the bedside at an appropriate time. – Speaks life
A prayer before a procedure. – Speaks life
A word of encouragement and hope at discharge as a patient transitions to rehab after experiencing deficits from a stroke. – Speaks life
A dying patient breathes their last breath after a loved one says that it is okay to go. – Speaks life
Nursing retention rates are low at places where bullying is prominent. – Speaks death
Powered by People is a service utilized to recognize caregivers by their coworkers for their hard work- Speaks life
The minute a person gives up, is the minute their body starts to decline; “I can’t…” – Speaks death
You would never speak to someone else like you speak about yourself/ your own abilities. – Speaks death

Are you speaking with kindness today? Do your words speak life into a person or do they speak death? You decide.

Until next shift,

Shania

A Glass Half Full

Speak Life: The Power of Words

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