KNOW YOUR VALUE – ISSUE NO. 496

Remembering your own value is important. We often lose ourselves in the day-to-day of living, forgetting to take care of the person who plays the biggest role in our realities - ourselves. We deserve the same sort of expectations and praise we give to those around us. By expectations, I mean we shouldn't forget what we're capable of. For example, those in the sterile processing department have a critical role in patient health and safety. Still - the central service team doesn't always receive their deserved praise or recognition. Just because sterile processing professionals aren't romanced the way doctors are in General Hospital doesn't make their value to patient outcomes any less. If the sterile processing department suddenly decided they didn't matter, if they forgot their worth to the point of not caring about their work, hospitals wouldn't be able open their doors, let alone treat patients. By remembering our value and investing into it, we're able to use our gifts in a way that's beneficial to ourselves and to others. It doesn't matter whether or not someone else sees, recognizes or knows your value; they aren't the person living your life. What matters is YOU seeing (and knowing) your value. We should also sing our own praise. I don't mean we should be cocky or be egotistical, but that we should give ourselves credit for the work we do and for who we are. I'm sure you've heard the saying before, "be your own best advocate." Part of this, again, is knowing your worth. It's also believing in yourself and your endeavors. In order to do your best and to believe in yourself, you need to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. Your body is the vessel that moves you from place to place, that operates your brain, which allows you to interpret reality and that allows you to communicate in the real world. I know it's an over-preached message, that we hear it from doctors, loved ones and family, but they're right - it is important to be healthy, and that includes eating right. Vitamins are SO important to our bodies. Just to demonstrate the importance of one vitamin as an example, a lack of magnesium can cause confusion, poor memory, irritability, fatigue and nausea. Lacking even one vitamin can cause you to feel and think lesser than you are. Also, a lack of vitamins can lead to depression! Can you imagine - you only have one life to live, only one face to show the world, and that you risk living your best life on something as simple as nutrition? Of course, not everyone has access to proper nutrition, but to those who do, why not take advantage of what your fortunate enough to have? I am not advocating to never eat the delicious things like ice-cream and candy, but to make sure you also have adequate nutrition, rest and TLC. Long story short, to live your best life, remember that you're worth being appreciated and taken care of, even if you're your own caretaker. You wouldn't want a doctor operating on you while having poor memory and poor health, being irritable and fatigued (from a lack of vitamins); you expect more from a doctor. You wouldn't want someone in the sterile processing department to forget what they've cleaned and haven't; you'd want them to remember how important their role in patient safety is. In the same way, remember your value and expect the best from yourself, all while taking care of yourself in the process.