25. The Power of Positive Connections: Transform Your Life with a Spark Team

 "In this episode of The Nurses' Breakroom with Jenny Lytle, RN, we dive into understanding what’s missing in your life—body, mind, and spirit. Discover how to envision a calmer, less stressed version of yourself and make intentional changes to bring that vision to life. Learn how to identify your 'spark team,' the group of people who uplift and energize you, and create a support system that fuels your personal growth. Whether you're battling burnout or seeking balance, this episode offers actionable insights to transform your self-care journey." 

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:29

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Nurse's Break Room with Jenny Lytle, rn. Last week, we looked at intention and how you are fearlessly pursuing your dreams, thinking back to what matters most to you. What comes up for you in terms of fears that you might have? What are things that are holding you back? Where do you feel some resistance back? Where do you feel some resistance? I encouraged you to look at your calendar and figure out if there are some items that are on there that are just on there to take care of you. So this week we are going into needs and what is missing from your life, body, mind and spirit. Going into needs and what is missing from your life, body, mind and spirit. So I invite you to, first of all, just close your eyes and take a deep breath and envision your calm, peaceful and less stressed life. What changes do you need to make to bring that vision to reality? What changes do you need to make to bring that vision to reality?

Speaker 1: 1:38

As people who are so busy caring for others that we can forget to care for ourselves, this can be a bit uncomfortable, but just consider the people that you surround yourself with. A lot of them are likely struggling with these same issues and so encouraging some of them or mentioning to them that you are on this journey to improve your life in some way, to change things in some way. See if maybe some of them want to come along on the ride as well. If you're listening to this as it's being published, we're coming to the end of the year in 2024. And everybody starts focusing on New Year's resolutions and thinking about the ways that things are going to be different next year, but the reality is most of those resolutions are tossed by the wayside before Valentine's Day. So, being more intentional, looking at what you want to truly accomplish and what it's going to take to get there, looking at what's missing and maybe that's a group of positive, supportive people Maybe it's a margin in your schedule. People, maybe it's a margin in your schedule and just take a little time to look through that and figure out what is it that you need.

Speaker 1: 3:02

I encourage my clients to identify their spark team, and a lot of us have one, but it's just looking at the people that make you feel better when you're around them, the people that you always look forward to seeing. I know for me, I'm an extroverted introvert and sometimes like I just can't deal with people anymore and I used to feel bad about that and sometimes I still do a little bit. But it's about knowing your own limits. And there are those people that when you see them in the grocery store from far away, that you think, oh, you know what? I haven't seen her in a long time, but I just can't today. Those acquaintances that maybe they're great people, you genuinely like them, but you just don't have it in you. And then there's those people that when you are super happy, when you are tired, it doesn't matter what's going on. If you're happy, you're tired, you're stressed out, you're sad. Those are the people that you would love to see them and talk to them for a few minutes. You don't have to be your best self when you see them. Those are your spark team kind of people.

Speaker 1: 4:28

So next week we're going to be talking about putting it all together and in the meantime, just consider these things. Reflect on your current life and identify what feels like it's missing in terms of body, mind and spirit. Create a list of people who energize you and consider them part of your spark team and then choose one small, intentional action to improve your daily life, whether that's setting boundaries, practicing saying no, or at least I'll get back to you when asked to do something or you know some other activity that's going to add a little bit of margin to your schedule, into your schedule, or maybe it's just taking a little bit of time sometime throughout your day to sit and breathe and just kind of reflect quietly for a minute or two. Until next time, take a little time for yourself and remember that self-care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and live our best lives.