Things I want nurses to know before they break down

"I pressed the nurse call, but you're slow to come, aren't you?"
"You're just a servant, right?"
"Isn't that your fault?"

These are just some of the "words" we nurses are showered with on a daily basis.

It's not just the patients who are angry.
Family members, doctors, supervisors, juniors, and colleagues.
When days with nowhere to escape continue,
without realizing it, your own "heart" begins to wear away.

My colleague quit three months after being assigned.
"I'm trying my best, but things aren't going well."
"I can't get rid of my fatigue even after sleeping."
That's what she said, and in the end, holding back tears, she said, "I can't do this anymore."

I, too, have had moments after a night shift where I wondered, "Would it be easier if I just stepped out onto the balcony?"
That is how silently the limit of one's heart arrives.

But you know, there are things you can do before you break.

・If your heart feels unsettled, tell someone (put it into words)
・Notice the habit of thinking "it's my fault"
・Have the courage to take a break for once
・Forgive yourself for not being perfect

"Running away" is not being soft.
"Relying on someone" is not being weak.
Nurses are human beings, too.

There are days you want to quit. There are days you want to cry.
But the fact that you are there right now
is surely a "support" for someone.

Before you break your heart, I want you to know this.
That it is okay to value your own life, too.