Just a Nurse

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How often do we hear "put the patient first", or as mothers, we often naturally put our children first. But is putting ourselves first how we actually care best for others?

Clare and Rachel return to explore these questions using their own experiences. 

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In this episode, we explore the complex motivations behind choosing a career in nursing. Is it purely about helping others, or does it also stem from a desire to heal parts of ourselves? Sharing our own reflections, we reflect on how nursing can be shaped by both conscious compassion and unconscious wounds.
Together, we’ll unpack the concept of the 'wounded healer,' the balance between giving and receiving, and why prioritizing your own well-being is essential to truly care for others.

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In this heartfelt and humorous episode of Just a Nurse, as an ex-nurse and a returning nurse we share personal experiences of navigating stress as both a healthcare professional and a parent. We unpack the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale, exploring how even positive events (like a new house or Christmas festivities) can add to your stress load.

We dive into the Window of Tolerance, explaining how recognizing when you’re outside this zone can help you avoid burnout. This isn’t about toxic positivity or “just soldiering on”—it’s about taking stuff off your plate, not piling more on.

We also reflect on the cycles of nature: how everything powers down for winter while humans seem to power up, rushing through the stress of Christmas and endless to-do lists. And yes, there’s some humour too—like how boxes of After Eight mints somehow become both a coping mechanism and a source of joy.

Join us for a relatable discussion about finding balance, reducing stress, and learning to live in sync with your limits (and maybe even the seasons).

Also, if you'd like to support us so we can afford some proper editing and more after eight mints, click the link:

https://buymeacoffee.com/rachelann

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In this episode Clare and Rachel discuss stigma in relation to mental illness, with a focus on stigma for nurses. Rachel uses her own experience of stigma - her own thoughts as an A&E nurse looking after patients with a mental illness, then her own experience attending A&E as a patient following a traumatic bereavement. 
If you'd like to learn more about trauma informed care there is an educational page on the Royal College of Nursing website:

Trauma informed care | Clinical topics | Royal College of Nursing

Poem:

Girl with the brown paper bag

Girl with the brown paper bag
How selfish can’t she see
There are people who are dying
She’s really not in need

Girl with the brown paper bag
What’s the big deal
It’s all in her head
Is she being for real

Girl with the brown paper bag
Now I feel like I’m dying
Not sure what’s happening
Can’t think although I’m trying

Girl with the brown paper bag
Struggling to breath
A throat that's squeezing
Is this how it feels

Girl with the brown paper bag
I know how you felt
To feel so scared
Just wanting some help

Girl with the brown paper bag
I know how life changes in an instant
To feel so alone
But we’re no longer so distant

Girl with the brown paper bag
I’m so sorry I didn’t see
The trauma you carried
So now I plea

Girl with the brown paper bag
Although you’re long gone
I’m here to tell you
You did nothing wrong

Girl with the brown paper bag
I never got to hear your story
So I’m here sharing mine
To restore your glory

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This week we discuss whether parenting is more stressful than nursing. We also touch on intrusive thoughts and talk about the need for there to be more awareness for mothers, particularly pre-natal.

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A long awaited part two about manifesting and the law of attraction. An update about what we have learnt, the good, the bad and our best tips.

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This week we discuss the podcast series we both listened to - The witch trials of JK Rowling and admitting being wrong. Also recent comments from a certain person about sick note culture and mental illness and our thoughts on that. 

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Short talk about everything menstrual. Period cycles and learning about them late, also a bit on peri-menopause, with a smidge of ADHD.

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First topic of season two is 'women's work', divided into emotional labour, cognitive labour and domestic labour. A brief chat and our thoughts on it.

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Outro Poem:

Spilt Milk

It's not about the spilt milk.
It's never been about the spilt milk.
It's not even about the mess.
It's about our mess overflowing.
It's about the milk having no container.
It's about dealing with the mess alone.
It's about needing containers.
It's about needing help. 
But crying over spilt milk.
Has never been about the milk.

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Quick intro to season two with Clare and Rachel. Talking about everything and nothing and a half human cat. 

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