Not So Serious Selfcare: Laughing For Ourselves

In the first part of this series, How Nurses Can Use Humor To Prevent Burnout we looked at The Dirty Dozen; the unseen and seldom articulated pressures that are part and parcel of every nurse’s day. In this installment, we’ll be looking at practical ways to use humor as part of your self-care routine.

It’s Okay If You’re The Only One Laughing

The wisest words I ever heard came from a Southwest flight attendant giving the whole Here’s what’s going to happen if this big old plane comes crashing out of the sky spiel. She was explaining how to use the oxygen system, and said, “Put on your own mask first. Then save everyone else.”

Humor works exactly the same way. Before we can go on to use humor to benefit others– our patients, our colleagues, our family and friends — we first must become proficient in using humor on our own behalf. Luckily, life provides many opportunities for this. (more…)