Hiya, Sarah here
A few years ago I had a MOMENT. We were deep in the pandemic so the kids were still home trying to do virtual learning, and I was at work in the hospital trying (unsuccessfully) not to freak out. Which was a new feeling for me. As an RN for 18 years I have experienced numerous unpredictable, traumatic, shaming, scary events, so why was this moment any different?
I was standing in the dressing room with a chai tea latte in my hand, listening to the Charge RN lead the Huddle, when an absolute wave of terror washed over me.
I felt like I was going to die, throw up, or pass out.
If I was going to do any of these things, I needed a bathroom. STAT (lol, I rarely hear this word actually said in the hospital)
I found a bathroom & I had my first anxiety attack in the hospital. It sucked so bad. I think it lasted about 10 minutes, but of course, felt like a lifetime. I emerged from the bathroom looking very gray with a stomach ache, but I did what all nurses have to do at the start of a shift. I took report on my patients.
That day was a big wake-up call for me. I ended up having 3 more anxiety attacks at work and I decided something had to GIVE. I needed to figure out why my nervous system was going haywire, why I had bone-deep fatigue, and why my body hurt so much.
So, I finally started taking care of myself again after years of only caring for others.
I learned how to eat for actual nutrition, how to meditate, and how to identify the triggering situations & thoughts leading to my body wanting to freak out.
I found so much relief through meditation, walking, laughing, reading all the books, and TALKING to others who are experiencing similar events.
We can only neglect taking care of ourselves for so long. At some point, the body and mind will rebel.
I’ve been through my rebellion, and now I am here to say I’ve got you. Let’s get to work on this together. You will feel so.much.better.
I found so much relief through meditation, walking, laughing, reading all the books, and TALKING to others who are experiencing similar events.
How I got here: The adventures of an RN turned functional health coach
Competing at the Division I level was a blast. But the overtraining, dorm food and handfuls of ibuprofen for aching swimmer-shoulders damaged my literal guts, leading to leaky gut symptoms like headaches, joint pain & severe GI distress.
My favorite class in high school was human anatomy. My brother and sister-in-law said I would be a great nurse with my love for how the body works and working with people. So, off to the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing I went!
Being an RN is a total honor and a rewarding career. Some of my favorite memories include singing with a coworker to patients, working on voice exercises with a patient who had botulism poisoning, and holding untold numbers of hands.
I became a momma to 3 spicy kiddos. I forgot about my own self-care while giving my all to my family and patients. I thought I was functioning “fine”, except I was miserable and irritated in my body and my thoughts. I turned toward healing my gut and nervous system to start feeling better. The improvement was wild!
The amount of relief I experience through lifestyle changes like daily morning sun, meditation, and eliminating inflammatory foods is too good to keep to myself. I went back to health coaching school to learn how to help my hard working nurses & mommas feel better too. My vision is to create a Caregivers’ School, where we learn from and inspire each other to find our own ways to be healthy while also caring for everyone else.