You just have to find life's precious moments where ever you can . When you are away from work, do something you enjoy. Spend time with your family-your children. Give hugs all around. Get your mind on something else- Don't bring your work home with you.

aura14: go to Library and read the article Burn Out. It is quite lengthy, but may be helpful to you.

kat88: gotta love you!!!

arua14: you can't take everything to heart( in your work )-you just can't. You'd be in a strait jacket! It's hard at first, to know how much of yourself to give. But you have to save something for yourself and your family. After a while, you'll come to know how much to let in and how much to keep out. Alot of things you see are heart wrenching. You have to give the best of yourself that you can when at work but don't let your work come home with you. It stays there. There is but so much you can do in a given situation. Do what you can, then let it go. It will not help you or the patient to become too emotionally involved. When I was in nursing school, viewing surgeries, I thought the Dr. and nurses were callous because they were joking and laughing while life saving surgery was taking place. Now I know it was just their way of dealing with it. You won't be any good to your self, your family or your patients if you give everything you've got to your work. That doesn't mean not to care. You wouldn't be in nursing if you weren't a caring person. Of course you must care, just don't care too much. Chin up!