In the finale of our podcast series, Donald Proby joins Maddy to talk about the importance of cultivating joy in our lives every day — even when circumstances don’t feel joyful.

Nearly every nurse will experience moral distress at some point in their careers, and a recent study found that one in five nurses considers leaving the profession for this reason. Erin Borland, BSN, RN, and Aimee Milliken, PhD, RN, join Maddy to talk about how to identify moral distress, prevent “moral residue” from building up and develop coping strategies that benefit individuals and care teams.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? Normella Walker, MA, and Massiel Eversley, MJ, BSN, RN, NE-BC, join Maddy for a discussion about how feeling excluded can affect resiliency and well-being.

If you’re tired of being tired, this episode is for you! Monica Aurilio, BSN, RN, and Charles Czeisler, MD, PhD, talk about what it means to get a good night’s — or day’s — rest, addressing the challenges of shift work and how to overcome them. You’ll hear about common sleep disorders and receive practical tips for establishing a sleep health regimen.

In times of stress, some of the quickest mechanisms for relief may not be the healthiest. How can we be aware of when our coping mechanism in the moment turns into a pattern of behavior that puts our health at risk? Sejal Shah, MD, chief of the Division of Medical Psychiatry at the Brigham, joins Maddy for a conversation about how to recognize misuse and take good care of ourselves during stressful circumstances. 

The practice of applying trauma-informed care (TIC) is established in patient care, but what about applying it to yourself? In this episode, PACU nurses Heather Ankiewicz, RN, and Varina Bednarz, BSN, CCRN, CEN, speak about their experiences coping during the first surge of COVID-19. Annie Lewis-O’Connor, PhD, NP-BC, MPH, FAAN, articulates the benefits of using a trauma-informed approach to self-care and shares recommendations on how listeners can apply TIC during difficult experiences in their own lives.

Nurses and other health care providers and staff have emerged as the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that label doesn’t always feel good. Christine Murphy, MS, PMHCNS-BC, CARN-AP, and Susan Gabriel, MSN, RN, CCRN, unpack the hero construct and discuss how the well-intentioned label can negatively affect someone’s well-being. Susan and Christine also share their self-care practices and provide practical advice for coping with stress and building your resiliency.

Learn how to identify signs that your resiliency is low and what you can do about it in this episode, featuring guests Erin Collier, RN, clinical nurse in Palliative Care, and Amanda Moment, LICSW, of Palliative Care Social Work.