Rise From The Ashes Of Burnout With Dr. Peggy Gleason

Hello, welcome to Shining Brightly Howard Brown, your host extraordinaire here. I've got an amazing guest. I'm so excited today. Becky Gleason Welcome. How are you?

I am doing great. I'm happy to be here. And thank you so much for the generous and invitation.

Well, first of all, you are at the core of my heart, a nurse and we're going to give you a quick bio here, but Dr. Peggy Gleason, this is abbreviated Duke train certified Integrative Health Coach, you are also you have a doctoral degree in natural health. You've been a nurse for over four decades, and you specialize in critical care nursing. Oh, my goodness. And your passion is passion is coaching nurses, nurses, exploring all dimensions of their lives, physical and emotional. And you've inspired women all over the world. And you've got to try to help them live more balanced and living a life of contentment, better health and peace of mind. And you will hear the New York accent originally from Nyack, New York. We're currently living in North Carolina, and your greatest joy coming from your children and grandchildren. So welcome to shining brightly, Peggy.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you for the introduction.

So the talk we're going to talk about is rising from the ashes of burnout, you are a nurse burnout specialist. But what you're going to hear is that for caregivers, for anyone facing any type of health issue, or people that just want a more better, balanced, rounded life, that you're gonna this is for you. So rising from the ashes of burnout. So I never heard that term before. Peggy, what is what is the definition? Er, Nurse burnout, what is it?

But when we look at burnout, it's a type of exhaustion, like extreme exhaustion, physical strength, emotional strength, maybe you an exhaustion of motivation, you're not motivated, do anything. And generally, that's like the short abbreviated definition. But it's it is a result of prolonged stress or frustration.

So when you think about it, again, you'll you'll speak to the details. But I know that sometimes a nursing shift can go 1212 and a half hours. And that's a lot to ask of anyone and then then they get some time off. But then in the time of COVID that all the rules were broken, you're working 60 hours, 70 hours, 80 hours, because of the demand. And that's not normal. That's not healthy.

No, it's not. And there's so many other things. It's not just the long, prolonged hours, it's the fact that they kind of feel sort of unappreciated. And like, there's a sense of, like, feeling like not just justice, they don't have a feeling of justice, like, Why do I have to work? You know, stay double shift, I'm exhausted, I can't think straight, I haven't been able to eat properly. And they're, they're kind of getting angry at that point, right? Because they're burnt out. They, they don't have resources, like nurses today, are so short on resources, because they're short staffed, so they don't have what they need. And they don't feel like they have any control over what's happening to them. So it's, it's happening to me, as a nurse, they feel like, this is happening to me, you know, they don't have control.

I would say get a pack of m&ms and a Diet Coke is not a meal. No, not immune. And then,

you know, I always call a nurses diet, eat on Grab and go diet. And that's what it is. It's a grab and go, you literally run from the bedside to the to the, you know, room that base, share, grab some things, shove it down your throat and to get back to the bedside. It's really pretty bad. And I remember doing that for years.

I know. So for a year. So that leads you you're an expert on this topic. You've have the credentials to do that. But you know, as a critical care nurse for 30 years, can you share a little bit more of your story with us? Well,

yes, I'd be happy to. I loved my job. I loved critical care. I always worked with the sickest of sick patients. That's what's my mojo, give me more lines, more more things to do. And I loved working with the families as well, like that was important to me. But I did that for no critical care was at least 30 of the 40 years. And what I was finding it wasn't just that we were overworked. This was way before COVID So I I can't even relate to how bad it was for them. But I know for myself, it wasn't just my work that was burning me out. It was everything I was doing because I was doing too much. And the reason I was doing too much is because I believed I could, oh, I can do that. No problem, I'll just add that to the plate. You know, I was, I was a mom of three, I had to take care of my family, I had to take care of my aging parents, I was going to school for my doctorate at the time, I was taking care of all the household responsibilities. It was unrelenting, it was constant, go, go go. And if I looked at my day, I'd wake up at like, maybe 430 or five. And I like it was hit the road, run, go do everything you had to do, including work, which was real rollerblading time. And then by by nighttime, it was, there was still no me time, you know what I mean? Like, it just you pass out to fall asleep and off, oftentimes not a good night's sleep, only to wake up and do the same thing. You know. So what happened to me is, I really thought I was, I just didn't let things bother me until I started getting severe migraines every day. And I never missed a day work, by the way. But they were so severe, I had to see a neurologist every three weeks because they were bad. And that, and I had GI issues. But you know, you just saw, you know, I didn't want to be a pansy about it. But I had a wake up call. And it was just wait a minute, I have a standing appointment. Neurologists, something's up with this. That was how I was manifesting burnout. Because everybody manifests differently. For me, it was GI symptoms, headaches and lack and not sleeping. So I once I realized it was I had to admit, you're burning the candle at both ends, for sure. And you need to shift something. And that's when I began learning all the tools and knew that utilizing everything I could. And that's the last time I had to deal with it. I never looked back and I made it my mission, and my passion to help all of those in my footsteps following

sharing, we're gonna get into a little more details on some of the signs of it. But I can't relate because of the judgment that you know, the nurses have to have, but things start to break down and you are avoiding them. You're ignoring them. I am a self admitted workaholic. And I my life was out of balance in Silicon Valley. And my wife put an article down that families that eat dinner together stay together and are more healthy and I wasn't home when she was how many times you're home for dinner. I was like never. So not not not a good thing. So I'm still learning. And then also as as a stage four. Now colorectal cancer patient of previously stage four non Hodgkins lymphoma patient I, I dealt with stresses that I never ever imagined, you know that you know told to get there my affairs in order but but from the treatment from the surgeries from the side effects, and the emotions, the physical, the mental, the financial, the relationship stuff. So it all gets magnified, and then things break down. And so I will tell you that I probably didn't recognize it either. You You want to avoid it, ignore it right you have something else, then there's something else on the list to do. So you probably have now become much more of an expert on recognizing those signs. And you can you could probably talk to someone pretty quickly and recognize that they're spinning out out of control.

Oh, yeah. And you know, because some people turn to things to self medicate, so to speak. You might find people I just need to drink at the gym today them wondering comes to one bottle. It's just they're drinking more, they're eating more. That's one of the things that physical fatigue is, of course part of it with the emotional fatigue. Insomnia is very common in burnout, lack of motivation. And that's that's the sad part because generally, I can speak for nurses. We're usually highly motivated. We like what we do we want to go to work, we want to do the best. So being losing that motivation, and being frustrated all the time, maybe some might feel a sense of failure because they can't do it the way they want to do especially during COVID. They were they had such a high workload, a heavy workload and high expectations and hey, you're one person and you might have three COVID patients that are on dental lairs. That's, that's crazy, right? So you look at that. And then when you really get to real serious burnout, it's you start having negative feelings about going to work. You, you, you're separate over it on a Sunday night, if you have to go in Monday, you're like, Oh, my God, I have to go back what? What's going to happen today, and then you start feeling bad towards yourself, right. And I think one of the worst things with burnout is, and well, I can just address compassion fatigue here, because people get compassion, fatigue, and burnout, confused. Compassion, fatigue, is a part of burnout. And the sad part of that is, as nurses, we're so empathetic, we feel everybody's pain, we want to fix everybody, right? That's what we do. That's what we're put on earth to do. But all of a sudden, you'll notice, a person who's suffering from burnout will say, I just don't have the empathy I used to have. And I don't understand it. I just, it's not like, I don't care. I just don't feel it. And that's the compassion fatigue kicking in. And that's all part of burnout.

Well, I would say that, you know, my mom first and my dad is my first caregivers, my wife, she dropped everything in order to support me and going through these long treatments and surgeries and side effects and keeping track and just treat being the family raising a daughter. So I, I like to say my nurses and my caregivers are my superheroes, because they put on and they're not there's a lot of men now. They put on their cape and their their mask, and they're there. But how do you maintain that for the amount of hours and pressure and critical decision making? How do you stay fresh, and so I could understand you make a very good point. People could turn to drinking, they could turn to opioid they could turn to marijuana, it's legal almost everywhere, right? And there's some goods to that right, getting a good deep sleep, but when you over abuse it, then you're you've lost your sense of of balance and keeping track of it. So it's very hard. So I mean, do you see people that have all flavors that they that they burn out real quickly? Or is it over time? Or is it just different for a person?

I think it is different for everybody. Like I said, it presents differently. For me, it was headaches, band headaches, you know, most people would never have gone to work with those had the headaches, but again, I was just gonna overcome everything. You know, that was the way I was like, just kind of heart heavy, very heavy driven. But I think burnout likely come some more gradually. Because it's not once although with COVID, I would say it increased the speed to lightning for burnout, because they were getting slammed from every direction. So I think burnout during the pandemic was is very unique in comparison to burnout prior to COVID, because of the demands and the shortage and the fear of losing their own life, or or bringing something home that would harm or kill their own family, and just the prolonged hours and the demands were just just awful. And it also was traumatic, because the nurses had to watch so many people die. I mean, it wasn't, you know, I have a friend. I'll tell you this one thing. I have a friend that worked in ICU, we worked together in the open heart surgery years ago. And then she went off to the trauma unit. Well, and this was in New York, in the trauma unit, it changed they changed the unit from the trauma unit to the COVID. Then turret ventilator vented patient room. So everybody on in this unit was now on a respirator and had the end of life. And she had to do this day in and day out and she would work. Oh, it was uncountable hours because she would always do she was 12 hour shifts, but they were usually up to 14 hours a day. And she'd always work an extra shift a week. And it was very traumatic. She says, I've lost three today. Like how do you get less traumatic, and that has to be dealt with?

I would say I live in I live in the stage for colorectal cancer world we're losing people every week. Unfortunately, you know, God knows their time is up but it doesn't make it any easier. It doesn't mean their life is not less valued about for a nurse I mean, do you see people just hanging up their their their weights and basically saying or their they're subscribed and going, You know what, I'm changing careers. I'd rather I'd rather go serve ice cream at Dairy Queen, and not have to deal with this?

That's a very good question. Because right now studies are showing that 44% of nurses are planning to leave by this year. By the end of the year, Oregon, there's already a huge shortage, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah, they've lost. I can't even remember what the statistic was, they've lost so many in the last two years because of fear because of fatigue because of burnout. But now, they're going to be losing a whole lot more this year. They just can't, they just don't want to do it anymore. And that's what I mean by burnout and losing empathy and losing your passion. It's it's a sad, sad tragedy. Yeah, but Peggy

That, to me that, you know, I'm not I'm not inactive treatment. But I'm in surveillance mode here. But for the people that are in our healthcare system, that I mean, that's the one of the core foundations is nursing in our health care system, and in most healthcare systems around the world. So that that's terrifying to me, that if we're going to do well,

it makes me It breaks my heart, because I spent all those years doing something I love. And to see people not have as many years of enjoyment as I had. I mean, I'm not saying it was all roses. But for the most part, I still loved being with patients and families. And it was it was good. But again, what what the nurses are going through today is, you can't even describe that, and the pain they're going through. They're sad, they're sad, they're there, you know, when you lose passion for something you put your heart and soul into, and you don't feel appreciated or respected or I mean, sadly, out of that. 44% there was quite a large number. In that study, where I think it was 65% said they had been physically abused by patients and patients families, which is heartbreaking. I mean, what in the world is going on? Right? So yeah, reading that, that article was, was was tough, it was really tough,

I was saddened by that article, because it's really a team sport, and everyone's losing their patients. And everyone just, you know, instead of, you know, knowing that the nurse has, you know, overwhelming, you know, number of patients to support, and they just think that they're the only ones there. And I understand that. But there's no reason to lose your sense of at least compassion and politeness. But people do. I'm sure they have happens all the time. But to yell at your nurse or to even scare strike them, I just uncalled for I wouldn't. That's unacceptable. How do you so now I'm thinking, how do you help nurses be? How did they even turn around from this? They adversity? Gotta recognize that you need help, right? You gotta raise your hand.

Yeah, you absolutely have to admit and recognize that, okay, this is not okay. And you kind of look at your whole life. And that's part of what I do is have people look at every part of their life. See what's really going on, because burnout does not affect just one part of your life. It doesn't affect just physical and emotional, emotional, it will affect financially up think about, they're burnt out, but they can't leave their job because they hid the money, talk about stress, right? They have social stress, they can't even enjoy the people in their lives. Because there's, they're in such a mess up. They're everything. They don't even enjoy that stuff. And they don't have time. You have no of course, occupational wellness and physical and emotional and there's just like eight different areas that I explore. And you will see from that document you mentioned you have that it's coming from, you're getting hit from every direction, basically when you're burned out. And that's why it's important to not only say okay, I I believe I have a problem. Now I have to go figure out what's the best way that I can go out there and get help. And I will say anybody with burnout needs to get professional help. You're not gonna it's not going to just go away. That's not how it works. You've been you've been traumatized you you're going through a bad time. If you just try to let it go away by ignoring it, probably get buried somewhere else. So it is important to seek seek professional guidance.

sticking your head in the sand is not not not not not not any solution there. But I'm just imagining that, you know, you come home, you don't have an ounce of energy for your kids, you don't have an ounce of energy for your significant other. Right? You know, you just you're trying to process the day and use are overwhelmed by it. So I think that's a really important piece that you know, to go get serious professional help. And there's probably lots of sources but you're certainly least the first nurse burnout coach that I've ever met. Do you do work just with other people in the medical profession or just nurses is that..

now I you know, of course, my URL is the burn the the nurse burnout? coach.com. But no, I will work with other healthcare, any health care professional, of course. And of course, caregivers that fit the profile? I mean, I think, to me, it's important to take care of them as well. They're going through the same burnout, they're going through the same scenario. And they need help, too. So no, I don't, I don't shut out anybody else. If they really need the help, I'm willing to, I'm very happy to help them in any way I can.

So I want to take the moment here because that you have a free gift to the people that are going to be viewing and seeing this. Talk about this passport to wellness, because we're going to include that on the URL on the screen and in the social media posting, so people can click on it, what are they going to what did they get there?

The passport to wellness is a document that will help you look at every single part of your wellness, like you have eight categories. And each category is going to ask you questions about yourself. And after that, it's it's a wonderful way to enlighten you as to what you need to work on first. Now that can lead to I have another program that I do work with. And I work directly with the clients that complete that, you know, that want to go further. And it's called the eight weeks to an online retreat. And it's a eight steps to wellness online retreat. And that takes all of that information and you get something every week. And then if you want the coaching with it, then you have me

Well, that's a beautiful resource. It's a beautiful resource. So I've downloaded it I'm gonna take it as well I want to take my temperature here. I've got shining brightly book coming out I've got a book speaking calendar, I podcasting. And so it's gonna take my temperature here because hopefully I've learned a little bit more about this disbalance like I want to share something that I sent this to you and you were so touched by it, but I want to read it for our our viewers and the listeners out there. In my book. In my acknowledgments I wrote this and I'm gonna read it verbatim so it's my unsung heroes. I will always be grateful to my infusion room nurses at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Beaumont Hospital rose Cancer Center, Farmington Boston, Botsford infusion centers, it takes a special person to administer intravenous chemotherapy day in and day out to cancer patients. You've welcomed me in in such a good spirit as manner as Holborow, you gave me a nickname for endless hours I was there to able to endure your compassionate care, serving men and women as you do each day is such a difficult calling, especially since you inevitably get to know many of us cancer patients who end up dying, may their memories be a blessing for those who knew and loved them. And that is so heartfelt to me because the nobility of nursing is you doing it for the care of people. It's a calling and it's the care and for people to lose that or to harbor resistance or not want to get out of the bed each day. That's painful. That's painful for me because you're you go to nursing school, you train you learn and and you do it for all the best reasons and to hear the facts and figures. I think we got to sound the alarm and get some people some furious help. And you're doing that. And I'm grateful that you offer that service. Please give any concluding remarks you want and also how can people get in touch with you?

I am going to provide you with a link to give your followers and it will be I will have I will have it ready tomorrow. It's actually a specific way to get in touch with me. It's a one minute video, it will give you some information that will tell you exactly how to schedule. Schedule a quick interview with me.

Excellent. So we'll include the nurse permanent link. We're going to include the link to the assessment that were the passport to wellness, a lot of good good stuff here. I want to just thank you for being here and nurses play a special role. All in my life and you've now just even made that stronger even though we're sounding the alarm a little bit, but people need to go get help. Thank you. Thank you. You shone brightly here today. I want to wish you the best. I want to have you back in a little while after the books, come out and talk some more. But thank you for all you're doing for our nurses and our medical professionals and others that need help to understand how to deal with burnout. What amazing guests you are, and thank you for all you do.