I’m reminded that self-awareness is critical in the three things that are important to me, caring and leadership and my family.
One can only understand in another what is understood in self (Eckroth-Bucher; 2010; p 297)
I first became aware of the importance of self-awareness in self-help books. And then emotional intelligence entered leadership classes.
Suddenly leadership became very personal. And it is personal. And we can all agree that the best leaders are ones with self-awareness.
But my question is, How is development of self-awareness Not a top priority in nursing?
Nurses work in emotionally charged situations where people are in the middle of life crises, and nurses’ development of internal resources can make a difference, just like with leaders.
There’s so much at stake….
Empathy and compassion are dependent on self-awareness. (E-B; p 297).
Compassion competence requires self-awareness (Lee & Seomun, 2016).
Yes, these programs require time and commitment,
and curiosity for the best results.
Personal knowledge is an area difficult to master and to teach.
Yet, here we are in an age of emphasis on emotional intelligence and mindfulness, …
a Personal Renaissance is underway…
We can start talking about self-awareness among ourselves and start identifying different ways to develop it that are easy to access and apply for nurses.
Caring Consciousness Skills are as Critical as Clinical Skills
… and it starts with Self-Awareness
The first big A-ha from self-awareness is …
identifying which of our feelings and emotions
are dominating our lives and need to be heard.
Interestingly, just by paying attention to the negative feelings and emotions that can dominate our lives, reduces their power.
What a gift ..
The benefits are clear for everyone. It helps clear our thoughts and slow things down.
These are all a part of self-care.
The need for self-care now includes the need for self-growth programs and it starts with self-awareness.
We in nursing can bring self-awareness programs to our nurses, just as leadership has for their leaders.