Every career

has high and low points, and nursing is no exception. Sometimes, it may all be humming along nicely, and everything seems great. Then, the next thing you know, the emotional weather report tells you that things don’t feel so good anymore.

At other times, it’s more obvious:

A tyrant replaces your awesome boss.
Your hospital gets gobbled up by another system.
You’re laid off.

Things can fall apart.

It’s been said that the only constant in the universe is change, and every nurse knows that a patient who seemed just fine can go south in the blink of an eye.

So, what do you do when the nursing skies suddenly turn cloudy and grey?

A Sudden Change in the Weather

Have you ever had a nursing job where things were going great, the team was solid, everything seemed OK, and suddenly, the carpet gets pulled out from under you? Or have you experienced times when things were good at work but terrible at home?

Sudden changes in the weather of your life can happen, and a sunny day can easily turn into a raging storm. It may be trouble at home, rocky events at work, or a combination of the two. It could even be related to your health; we nurses are human beings, and we have physical problems like anyone else.

On the personal side, countless factors can impact how you feel about your work and career. If you were single for the first 15 years of your career, got married, and started having kids, your relationship with work can drastically change. All bets are off once you have babies at home; nothing is more important. And when those toddlers start kindergarten, your life changes drastically again.

As a regular human being with a life like the rest of the world, you might get married, have kids, get divorced, take care of aging parents, and deal with anything else life throws at you. And when the feces hits the fan in your personal life, it will color how you feel about your work. The storm clouds roll in, and life suddenly gets harder.

Meanwhile, negative events at work, such as the aforementioned layoffs, the loss of an awesome boss, or other negative events, can also precipitate a change in weather. If something takes away some of the joy, peace, or stability of your work environment, those are more reasons for the winds to blow you off your feet.

Whether it’s stressors at home or on the job, all sorts of things can cloud your nursing skies and a career that previously felt pretty good can be transformed into work you dislike or maybe even resent.

No Simple Remedies

There are no simple remedies for cloudy skies at work and home, and not all problems are easy to fix. If your boss is indeed replaced by a tyrant and things at work get nasty and weird, you have the choice to deal with the new reality as best you can, apply for a transfer to a different unit, or find an entirely new job.

Work can often be the last thing you want to focus on when your personal life is a mess. If your elderly father enters hospice and you need to focus on him, work can be like an afterthought, even though you still need to earn a living. If your teenager is struggling with big existential questions and acting out negatively, you want to be home helping them, not slinging chemo.

Life can throw all sorts of crazy weather your way, and these are the moments that call on the resilience, humor, and personal strength you’ve cultivated throughout your life.

Crises at home and work will inevitably happen, and things will change. These are the moments when you need to tap into your emotional intelligence and life experience, as well as your network of allies who know and respect you.

There are countless well-meaning articles about nurse self-care. While some of that advice may be helpful, no amount of bubble baths and scented candles will drive the clouds away and change the emotional weather you’re experiencing.

Lean on your trusted mentors, seek the counsel of trustworthy nursing professionals, ask family and friends for support, and trust your intuition and ability to identify your greatest needs. If you need to quit that job, so be it. If that divorce is unavoidable, go through with it. If that teenager needs intervention and counseling, make it happen.

As a nurse, you’re not infallible or superhuman; clouds, thunder, and rain will happen, and you have the inner strength to face it all. You’ve experienced lousy weather before and will eventually face even more of it.

Summon the best of who you are, lean on your resources, and face the storm until the weather clears, and it will. And when the sun is shining again, look back on what you’ve been through, review the lessons learned, and be ready to face the new day, no matter what weather it may bring.

The post When the Nursing Skies Are Cloudy first appeared on Daily Nurse.