“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit- you choose.” Proverbs 18:21 (MSG)
Choose Joy. Those two words I wear on my badge every day at the hospital. The most common compliment that I receive is that I am always smiling. The hospital is full of emotional highs and emotional lows. Being a caregiver at the bedside, it is my job to at least look like I am having a good day. A smile can brighten the room, and hospital rooms can be quite dark- both literally and figuratively. From new terminal diagnoses to upcoming procedures, the patient and family are not at their highlights of life. The least I can do is smile, and show genuine compassion.
I choose joy everyday because my patients cannot afford much less. In the midst of low blood sugars, falling blood pressures, calls for pain medications, family phone calls, each patient has the right to be treated individually with kindness, autonomy, and respect.
Whether speaking to yourself or to someone else, the words spoken have either the power to heal or the power to kill. There is a time to be sad and a time to be happy, however words must be carefully thought before they are spoken. Here are a few examples:
- A doctor rushes into the room to share the plan without asking for any clarification, questions, or concerns. – Speaks death
- A doctor shares unwanted test results at the bedside at an appropriate time. – Speaks life
- A prayer before a procedure. – Speaks life
- A word of encouragement and hope at discharge as a patient transitions to rehab after experiencing deficits from a stroke. – Speaks life
- A dying patient breathes their last breath after a loved one says that it is okay to go. – Speaks life
- Nursing retention rates are low at places where bullying is prominent. – Speaks death
- Powered by People is a service utilized to recognize caregivers by their coworkers for their hard work- Speaks life
- The minute a person gives up, is the minute their body starts to decline; “I can’t…” – Speaks death
- You would never speak to someone else like you speak about yourself/ your own abilities. – Speaks death
Are you speaking with kindness today? Do your words speak life into a person or do they speak death? You decide.
Until next shift,
Shania