28. Are You Running on Empty? How to Recharge Your Body, Mind, and Spirit

Nursing is a demanding profession, and it’s easy to put yourself last while caring for others. But when you’re constantly running on empty, burnout isn’t far behind. In this episode of The Nurses' Break Room with Jenny Lytle, RN, I explore the power of small, intentional changes that can have a big impact on your energy, mindset, and overall well-being.

We’ll dive into:
✅ The small habits that drain your energy—without you even realizing it
✅ Simple self-care strategies for body, mind, and spirit that fit into a busy schedule
✅ How to course-correct before stress and burnout take over
✅ Why rest, movement, and mindful reflection are essential for sustainable well-being

Action Steps

1. Identify one small energy-draining habit in your day and replace it with a self-care practice.
2. Schedule a 5-minute mindfulness or movement break into your shift—every bit counts!
3. Reflect on how you feel at the start and end of your workweek to notice patterns and make necessary adjustments.

If you’ve been feeling drained, disconnected, or just not yourself lately, this episode is for you. Tune in and take the first step toward feeling recharged and refreshed.

🎧 Listen now and start making small changes that lead to big results!

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

Chapters

• 0:00 Impact of Small Daily Choices
• 8:09 Building Supportive Connections for Self-Care

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:29

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Nurse's Break Room with Jenny Lytle RN. Today we're going to focus on the impact of the little things that we do or don't do. So often I talk to clients or potential clients or just people out in the world about self-care and about stress relief, and there's a lot of talk about not having enough time for taking care of ourselves, not having time to do the things that we want to do, and this morning, as I was doing my devotionals and my journaling, it got me thinking about it's often the little things that really have a big impact on our lives, whether it's something financial, and you think, oh, doing this little bit, getting even a cup of coffee out every day. Yes, maybe it's only a couple of dollars if you get a really cheap cup of coffee, but if you do that regularly, then that adds up to quite a bit. And it's the same with the foods that we eat. If you're having a little bit of an indulgence one day, then maybe that's not a big deal. But if you find that you're treating yourself every meal in between meals, then that's going to have a much different impact. And so the point of today is just thinking about the areas of our lives and just asking where am I in terms of this? Are there little things that I'm doing that are impacting me negatively? Or maybe are there things that I'm doing that are impacting me positively, and it's not meant to make you feel bad, but it's just meant to bring awareness because, going on, because those little shifts in I don't know in the atmosphere, in the way that the rocket is going, if there wasn't that constant course correction, then it wouldn't end up at the moon. And so it's the same way with our lives. If we're just going along on autopilot and not reevaluating the way things are, then we can end up in a place that we don't want to be at. So we're just going to do a quick body, mind and spirit run through.

Speaker 1: 3:28

So, body-wise, what are you doing in terms of fuel? What are you eating? Are you planning meals? Are you eating meals that support your health goals, or are you just grabbing something quick and easy and on the go, or something that maybe tastes great in the moment but isn't really getting you where you want to go? I know for me personally. I dialed in my nutrition in a way that was it was working well for me, and then I just stopped. Life got a little bit busy and I thought, oh, I'll get back to it, and that's been about a month and a half, and so this is definitely me calling myself out as well. I have noticed that I'm not feeling as healthy, as clear-minded as I was. I'm not quite as energetic. I've got headaches that are starting to come back a little, and that's not the way that I want to be. So that's something that I know I need to address.

Speaker 1: 4:34

Exercise Are you getting enough movement? Are you doing the things that bring you joy? It doesn't have to be a chore. Is there something that you enjoy doing? And, if so, something that you enjoy doing? And if so, are you fitting that in? I know sometimes of a winter, it can be easier to stay in and maybe not do those things. I know that's again the case for me, and so this is me calling myself out as well. I haven't been moving as much as I know is beneficial for me. I know is beneficial for me.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Rest Now, that's one that I usually try to do pretty well on, but I do shift work, and so my rest can be chaotic. There's times when I'm able to sleep fairly well, and other times not so much, and it may be the same for you. So what does that look like for you? Are you taking time to prioritize sleep? That's when your body does its repair In terms of your mind.

Speaker 1: 5:32

What about journaling? Getting some of those things out of your head and onto paper and I know that some people aren't really comfortable journaling for one reason or another or don't like taking the time for that. Sometimes, for me, just processing things out loud can be helpful, and even if you're just talking to yourself in the car, that can be beneficial. Something that I like to do if I know that I'm doing kind of a brain dump, is I will use a voice recorder. App Otter is one that I've used for a long time. I just use the free version of it and I will talk myself through things and coach myself along the way, and then I'm able to you know download that. I can listen to it again, I can see a transcript of that and pull the things that maybe that I want to take from that, because I can come up with some really good ideas in doing that.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Also, along with our mind having downtime, stepping away from work, from productivity, we all need that time to just let our brains be, and I know this is really this is probably the hardest one for me, because I am really passionate about the things that I'm working on. I am really passionate about the things that I'm working on and I know that I can't go 24-7, but also there's so much that I want to do and there are so many things that I'm involved in that I have to make myself take a step back and when I do, I know that I'm more productive, because having that downtime, letting my brain rest instead of just go allows me to come up with new ideas and to rejuvenate and to feel better and then spirit and whatever that looks like for you. For me it's my God time. I like to start my mornings with time with my devotionals and with God and just journaling and praying and reading, and that's something that I know makes a big impact difference for me. I also like to be in nature, and I don't spend as much time in nature in the winter as I do in the spring and summer and fall, but I do try to enjoy just when I'm driving along and I see a sunrise or a sunset, and I love seeing deer and so things like that really and I love seeing deer, and so things like that really really can brighten my day and give me more energy and just also a feeling of calm and peace and contentment.

Speaker 1: 8:09

And then the people that you're around as well.

Speaker 1: 8:12

Thinking about that, who are you surrounding yourself with?

Speaker 1: 8:16

And it may be something where you're not able to control who you're working with every day, but having people that you're able to reach out to and connect with whether it be on the phone or after work on social media, the people that are really your people and in your corner that can make a big difference.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Connection is so important, and that is one of the things that I'm really excited about as the Nurses Break Room becomes more active and because I've just been doing this soft launch for it. We've only got a few members right now, but the goal is for there to be authentic connection in there, and so you can find out more about that at thenursesbreakroomcom. But just take a little time this week to touch on each of these areas and think about what can I do maybe a little bit more often or a little bit less often, if that's the case to get me closer to the life that I want to live and to a life of me caring for myself. And until next time, remember that self-care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and live our best lives.