Where Health Begins... And Continues.

Health starts where we live, learn, work and play... spoke the first sentence of a free writing assignment in one of my graduate  school classes; and so my pen wrote, and it's ink stains metamorphosed from scribbles in a notebook to 'on the train ride home' slightly more legible blog post. 

My workplace. It's swimming in a pool of health. The very purpose of my day to day work is to promote health. Every step I take, every medication I administer, any time spent educating my patients; is all with that same purpose, to promote health. 

As  individuals preaching health, we ought to be examples of healthy beings; to show and teach by example.  However we are nurses, not angels; shocking, but true. Many of us are lacking sleep and excuse ourselves for skipping the gym, some spend half of lunch break purchasing fast foods and the other half munching it whilst administering some deadly lung therapy in the form of nicotine rolled with with tobacco. 

But behind the lady in green with an ID badge indicating RN, is a body in need of emotional as well as physical refreshments to keep that badge attached to a pumping heart and a clear brain. 

 Our body needs that nourishment in order to preserve and dictate energy for the daily, endless lists of responsibilities. Nourishment in terms of food and drink as well as that rare momentous opportunity to stare at the four walls and answer to no one; yet to gather some more strength for what the next call bell rings.

While most units have a room for those luxuries, the lucky RNs of 11e must sneak our snacks on our way to grabbing iv bags, and must inhale it before a superior notices. Our brain breathers consist of sitting in the nurses station with telemetry monitor's rhythmic beeps as our background music. 

 Yes much of our health begins where we start it; by the decisions we make, lifestyles we choose, and environments we choose to surround ourselves in. I decide to wake up early  to work out, to pack a healthy lunch, to immerse in occasional brainless activities as a mind breather. But that's only where health begins. 

However, health continues in places which advocate for the continuity of our healthy beginnings. A time and place to injest those healthy choices, and a place for the brain to take an occasional breath of mindless air. 

Health begins with mindset, it is continued by our actions, and it is maintained in environments which advocate for its accessibilities for fulfillment.