Renewal of the spirit - Editorial

AORN Journal,  March, 2003  by Nancy J. Girard

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Recently, I took my three-year-old granddaughter to the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It is about a wild horse and his life experiences. Attending a matinee with what seemed like 100 high-energy little people younger than the age of five was not something I looked forward to doing. Grandparenting does come with some requirements though--cartoon movies being one of the major ones--so I was fulfilling an obligation.

I was tired, mentally and physically. The semester had been very hard, the budget figures were down, workload was up, and faculty members and students were irritable--some were downright angry. The stress was taking its toll on everyone. In addition to emotional and mental effects, work stress affected everyone's immune system, and people were getting sick--not a great thing to have happen during the holidays. In short, everyone's spirit was low, including mine.

This was my state of mind when we entered the movie theater. To my surprise, I found myself getting into the plot. My granddaughter was enthralled and sat with her mouth half open, barely breathing at the wonder of the horse and his adventures. I found myself relaxing into the realm of imagination. When the little horse got his tongue stuck on an icicle, I found myself laughing along with the tickled children. At the end, after some travesty and pain, things turned out okay for the horse, but, at one point, he noted that "they" could not break his spirit. This hit home when I realized I was not as tired; in the brief period of time I sat in the theater, my spirit had lifted.

SPIRIT

What is spirit and how does it interact with hardiness? The spirit I am talking about here does not necessarily have a religious connotation. Rather, it is the inner strength of an individual. It is the force that drives someone to seek wisdom, persevere, or overcome obstacles to survive or succeed. A strong spirit can help an individual overcome adversity. (1) Core attributes of the spirit have been identified as intuition, passion, love, hope, and faith. (2) Individuals who have a strong spirit are resilient and hardy. The fast pace of today's health care marketplace, along with sicker and older patients and the decreasing number of nurses, means that even the hardiest of nurses are in danger of burnout and loss of spirit.

Although sparse, most of the information regarding spirit comes from psychological literature. In a cruel psychological study I once heard about, mice were put into an inverted pyramid filled with water. The mice tried several times to climb out but always slipped back under the water. After a period of time, they simply gave up and sat on the bottom waiting to drown. Their spirit was broken because they perceived their effort was hopeless, and they had no other options left. This happens to us when we feel trapped in our jobs. More recent studies examine the resilience of people in different stressful or difficult situations. The hardier the person's spirit, the greater his or her self-esteem, self-efficiency, and life satisfaction. (3)

CONGRESS' EFFECT ON SPIRIT

I could not help comparing my improved spirit after the movie to what I get from attending AORN's annual Congress. I usually arrive tired and depressed about the state of nursing in general and my own situation in particular. The energy of Congress, however, is almost palpable. I have seen those who have lost their spirit on arrival at Congress; the difference in them at the beginning of the week and the end of the week is dramatic. Meeting colleagues and friends starts to rejuvenate us. The excitement of the week soon begins to permeate our spirit. The mental stimulation of the presentations, the visual excitement of Opening Session, the interesting new technology, and the fun of the social events soon replenishes us. This renewal of spirit is an unidentified benefit of Congress, and I believe it is a major benefit.

Perioperative nurses have tremendous spirit, which, understandably, may be low at times, but Congress helps renew us. "You cannot break my spirit" should be perioperative nurses' new motto. See you all soon.

NOTES

(1.) M R Miller, "The role of the human spirit in recovery from injury," Occupational Health & Safety 63 (October 1994) 167-168, 170, 193; K A Brown-Saltzman, "Tending the spirit," Oncology Nursing Forum 21 (July 1994) 1001-1006.

(2.) K L Johnson, "Measuring the spirit and spiritual attributes of resiliency," Dissertation Abstracts International 59 (May 1999) 6113.

(3.) R J Walker, "Resilient reintegration of adult children of perceived alcoholic parents," Dissertation Abstracts International 57 (August 1996) 596.

NANCY J. GIRARD
RN, PHD, FAAN

EDITOR

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