Happy Hour With Operation Happy Nurse

Happy Hour is back for our 15th season! We hope you'll hit that "play" button for this one, as this season, Carley and Lucio will learn all about Play Therapy! So, what is that exactly? The official definition of play is: to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. That may seem contradictory if you are purposefully using it as therapy, but as you'll learn over this season, it's a real, effective, and fascinating idea. From sand play, to theater play, to even hula hoop play, the idea that play is a restorative and stress-relieving activity has been around for some time now, particularly for children's therapy. However, nurses can also see real benefits, notably for combatting stress, depression, and compassion fatigue. As always, we'll bring on a guest expert to explain more and have Carley and Lucio try it out, so have some fun with this season as we explore Play Therapy!

Happy Hour with Operation Happy Nurse has another treat for you today! We’re back for our second ever "Ask A Nurse" bonus episode. As these episodes go, Carley and Lucio will continue to tackle hot topics in the nursing world, offering their honest opinions on the realities of being a nurse in the world today. So for this second ever Ask a Nurse, we focus on takeaways and tips! Carley and Lucio give Joe an inside look at hospital life, discuss all things napping, and give some practical advice for new nurses and nursing students coming into the profession. It's an episode full of fun, hot takes, and tips you don't want to miss!

Please remember, that you, the listener, can send in topics for us to talk about! Just reach out to [email protected] with your suggestions!

This week, on Mental Health Matters, Carley is joined by the lovely Layifa and Emily from @nurselifern! An amazing and very funny community, the @nurselifern page (Nurse Life Right Now) was founded by Layifa's brother Ebi to provide a space for humor and camaraderie for nurses. Sometimes the best way to handle things is by laughing, and since Ebi's tragic passing, Layifa and Emily have continued to keep the community going to provide a little bit of fun to an otherwise stressful and traumatic world. The two join us to discuss the importance of community and mental health in nursing, carrying on Ebi's legacy in the nursing community, and how laughter is unique in its capacity to connect and heal. We are so grateful to have had them on the podcast, and you can look forward to hearing more from them in the future!

Please check out @nurselifern for all the hilarious and relatable content you could ever ask for and more!

Tune in for an amazing Mental Health Matters this week, as we have the incredible Dian Griesel on the podcast! Dian, also known as @SilverDisobedience on Instagram, is a perception analyst, best-selling author, influencer, model, and founder of Dian Griesel International. She is also a practicing hypnotist and practices meditation in her daily routine. Carley and Lucio chat with Dian about her approach to mental health, get some tips and tricks (and skincare suggestions!) she's picked up from her life's journey, and just have a lovely conversation with this amazing woman. We were so lucky to have her, so we hope you enjoy this Mental Health Matters episode!

You can follow Dian through @SilverDisobedience or find even more of the wisdom she has to offer on her website diangriesel.com!

We're at the end of our journey with Sound Healing, so what is the verdict? On this episode, you can hear Carley and Lucio discuss their experiences trying out sound healing and how they felt it did as a stress reliever. One thing is clear, they each had a rewarding and relaxing time despite trying very different forms of sound healing, from group-based on yoga mats to solo sessions in pods. So we get to report on the whole range of sound production too, with more traditional sources like bowls and drums all the way to binaural beats through headphones. So whatever your comfort level or preference, there is an option out there for you!

If you have an idea for what we should try in future seasons in the world of stress and anxiety relief, and if you’d like to be featured on the pod, email your ideas to us at [email protected]!

This week's Happy Hour delves deeper into Sound Healing as we are joined by expert Sound Healer, Judit Duran. A yoga teacher for many years, she now focuses full time on Sound Healing, using Tibetan Singing Bowls and Tuning Forks in her practice. She sees clients privately at her home studio in NJ and offers workshops in the USA and internationally. Judit answers all the questions we have about just how sound healing works, how it can bring balance and growth to our lives, and the stress relief benefits people can find in it. If you feel inspired to try it for yourself, stay tuned for next week to hear Carley and Lucio's experience!

You can learn more from Judit on her website www.juditduran.com or Instagram @juditduranyoga!

Listen closely, because a new season of Happy Hour is here! This go around, we're exploring Sound Healing. Typically experienced through sessions known as sound baths, sound healing has been used for centuries by a variety of cultures from around the world. Ambient sound is produced by a range of sources (drums, bowls, or even vocal) and it washes over you to calm, center, and relax your body. The goal is to move you from a state of imbalance to one of balance. To begin our journey, Carley and Lucio welcome Joe back on to give his brief introduction to the topic and then dive into our 14th season of Happy Hour!

We all know nursing can be stressful. Finding your next travel nursing assignment shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsored by Stability Healthcare, a travel nurse agency that’s all about trust and transparency. With their comprehensive search tool and instant online rates, they make finding your next job quick and simple so that you can confidently take the next step in your career. Check them out on Instagram @stabilityhealthcare or at www.stabilityhealthcare.com to learn more.

Happy Hour with Operation Happy Nurse has an all new segment for you today! Introducing: Ask A Nurse! These episodes will be just our lovely hosts, Carley and Lucio, answering burning questions about the nursing profession and world. In the course of these episodes, they will tackle hot topics and offer their honest opinions on all of the realities of being a nurse and the healthcare world. For our very first episode, the questions all deal with preconceived notions, with the main question being: How does the reality of working as a nurse compare to any preconceived notions or expectations you had before entering the field? Tune in to hear their answers! 

We hope you are excited for these episodes, because you, the listener, can also send in topics for us to talk about! Send them our way at [email protected]

We all know nursing can be stressful. Finding your next travel nursing assignment shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsored by Stability Healthcare, a travel nurse agency that’s all about trust and transparency. With their comprehensive search tool and instant online rates, they make finding your next job quick and simple so that you can confidently take the next step in your career. Check them out on Instagram @stabilityhealthcare or at www.stabilityhealthcare.com to learn more.

TW/CW: Body Dysmorphia, Suicide. For this Mental Health Matters, we have the incredible Clayton Echard on the podcast. We have one of our most honest, raw, and real conversations we've ever had, and we are so grateful that Clayton went there with us. We talk about his early life struggles, his mental health journey, and how he wants to help others on similar journeys. There's deep discussion on the impact of social media, comparing ourselves to others, what it's like being a public face, and how we can tackle some of the obstacles that toxic masculinity presents that inhibit real growth. Clayton communicates so well about the issues that men face with the stigma of mental health; this is one of those conversations you don't want to miss!

Clayton is on Instagram @claytonechard and you can follow him as he continues his work as a mental health advocate!

We all know nursing can be stressful. Finding your next travel nursing assignment shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsored by Stability Healthcare, a travel nurse agency that’s all about trust and transparency. With their comprehensive search tool and instant online rates, they make finding your next job quick and simple so that you can confidently take the next step in your career. Check them out on Instagram @stabilityhealthcare or at www.stabilityhealthcare.com to learn more.

Happy Hour has another amazing Mental Health Matters lined up and ready to go for you! This week, Carley is joined by the inspirational Sam Roecker! Sam's story is just incredible. She is a nurse and mental health advocate herself, but she's also made herself known for her running prowess as well, by running marathons dressed in scrubs! It's her way of raising support for nurses' mental health. She most recently set a World Record (!!!) for fastest time in scrubs at the Boston Marathon. We chat about how she got her start in nursing, why she decided to start her current efforts, what running has done for her life, and some of her future plans as well! There's a real and honest conversation with some surprises as well, so make sure you stay with us to the finish line! We are so grateful to have had Sam as our guest!

You can follow Sam on Instagram @samroecker, where you can also find links to her fundraiser and cheer her on! 

We all know nursing can be stressful. Finding your next travel nursing assignment shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re thrilled to be sponsored by Stability Healthcare, a travel nurse agency that’s all about trust and transparency. With their comprehensive search tool and instant online rates, they make finding your next job quick and simple so that you can confidently take the next step in your career. Check them out on Instagram @stabilityhealthcare or at www.stabilityhealthcare.com to learn more.