Doing things badly can be a good thing?

I have had an interesting week; work has been busy with the team doing good things for patients and each other. All very supportive and a joy that they can be trusted to get on with things.

I’ve had two task this week that needed delivering. One was a business case and the other an opportunity to deliver a 6 minute talk as part of a conference day on human rights in end of Life Care.

The business case would seem straightforward however getting the style right for the (NHS) organisation can be a challenge. Fortunately my boss has plenty of experience in our place of work and whilst I started it not very well I’ve submitted what’s been agreed is a much better version. Anxiety about how it might look and be received is lessened; taking the first step is the worst bit for me.

And that, I’ve just realised, is why blog writing regularly hasn’t been easy either.

So I was interested in reading the article by Olivia Remes that points to the science behind beating anxiety, and why doing something badly is a good idea.

This struck a chord with me; getting started is an act that I can successfully sabotage by myself. So reaching a finishing point (sending the business case for consultation, or posting a blog piece) becomes a cause for internal celebration.

The second task has been longer in development as I’d been invited to contribute to a quick fire afternoon session at the Sue Ryder hosted “Human Rights in End of Life Care” on 27th June. A 6 minute slot was mine, along with three others who are trainers like me. The slides were easy, the content came pretty easily too. It was the prospect of delivery that became a matter of anxiety. There was some rehearsal and having the slides safely loaded in advance were helpful strategies.

The night before was not good in terms of sleep and all that could have gone wrong in terms of travel added an extra layer of worry.

On the day the trip was fine and the venue was easy to find and had a nice auditorium. Even so there were nerves; I’m conscious that a poor presentation does no one any favours. As it happened my little contribution was kindly recorded on my iPad by another speaker. I can see I “immediately” a lot to begin with, and then had some trouble with the slides. I did get a hoped for laugh or two, as well as some serious points made. I could have done better (I believe) though I was told I’d done well.

Olivia is helpful in that she points out that doing something badly (or at least not very well) is a way to combat anxiety. So I’m reminded to be kind to myself; to trust the praise of others and to ignore the internal doubts that will lead to further anxiety.

And maybe there’ll be an increase in the frequency of my blogging?

Nurses, blogging, and me

Once again I find myself at the keyboard ready to say something more about the day I’ve had as a nurse particularly as I’ve started a new job today and have been prompted by Teresa Chinn to write a contribution to the #70NurseBloggers idea.

My reflection on my day is about the language we use when we’re at work. Whilst in my experience most acronyms are familiar, the localised versions thrown about in meetings can make understanding difficult and slow the flow whilst explanations are given. This is not exclusive to nursing; many clinical and non patient facing parts of the NHS are guilty of this. 

I’d argue that with a little thought, agendas and other documents could contain one example of each expanded title so we can quickly appreciate what it is we’re considering. It would aid transparency from a governance perspective too. My new NHS acute trust role (lead nurse for Palliative and End of Life Care) means I’ll be exposed to more examples of local lingo; it’ll be down to me to ask for clarification and then challenge where it’s used inappropriately. That way I can keep moving and lose the training wheels that Teresa mentions in her blog piece. 

I recognise I’m not a regular blogger; I wait for inspiration and eventually something prompts me to write. As a nurse I find it’s one way for me to express an idea or acknowledge an issue of concern as it arises. It’s a form of public reflection as well as an opportunity to see what others think. As we’re expected to revalidate (having recently done so) ones blog pieces can be used as evidence of reflection. 

So one way to approach starting blogging, or getting going on the one is to try writing a reflection that you can share in the open space of a blog piece. Draft if necessary on a Word or other document and take a little time over it. That way you can be sure to get your thoughts in order, keep your language clear, and make sure you don’t breach any social media guidance such as that from the NMC. Then publish the piece and be ready to get a response, more often than not it’ll be positive and at least appreciative of the time taken. Don’t worry if you’re not generating a huge debate, I think it’s better to speak up anyway and continue to give nursing it’s voice.