Exhausted… But Not Depleted

Do you feel optimistic about work?

How do you feel when you think about doing this work next week… next month… next year?

Or even just walking in next Monday morning 😒

For many of us in healthcare, “optimistic” isn’t the first word that comes to mind. It can feel unrealistic—maybe even out of reach.

It’s not that we don’t want it. We do. We want to feel good about our work, our patients, our teams.

But it’s hard. And most days, we don’t even know how to make it better.

There is a way—whether you’ve always been glass-half-empty or glass-half-full.

Optimism can be trained.

And the path is simpler than you might think:

Gratitude. More specifically, reflective gratitude.

Let’s define it clearly.

Gratitude is noticing positive factors and outcomes in life.

                    Optimism is expecting positive outcomes in the future.

So how do we move from noticing good things… to actually believing in a better future?

At the end of a hard day, do you just feel relief that it’s over? Or do you pause—even briefly—to reflect on what made it possible?

Maybe it was your resilience. Your team. A small moment that didn’t go wrong.

What if gratitude isn’t just a personality trait—but a practice? What if it’s a skill?

And what if we stopped dismissing it as “woo woo” and started treating it like something we train—like exercise? Because when something can be done anytime… it often doesn’t get done at all.

Here’s the practice:

Set a time. Before work, after work, before bed—just make it consistent.

Take 3 minutes.

Write down 10 things you’re grateful for—without repeating items day to day.

At first, it might feel forced. Over time, something shifts. You start noticing things during your day—because your brain is looking for them.

One more step—this is where it really expands:

Share it.

Say it out loud. Thank someone. Point out what went well.

It takes a little social courage—but it changes the tone of your environment.

And yes—this isn’t just theory.  There’s a growing body of research behind gratitude practices. But more importantly, it’s simple enough to test yourself.

This worked for me recently.

It wasn’t a dramatic day—no crisis, no staffing emergency. Just one of those long, draining clinic days where everything feels a little harder than it should.

We were running behind. A few patients were frustrated. The inbox kept growing. By the end of

the day, I felt spent.

But here’s what I wrote that night:

• A patient who genuinely thanked me

• Laughter with a coworker between visits

• Having a difficult conversation with compassion

• My charts I thought would take forever…done

• 7 minutes of getting outside at lunchtime.

• Coffee, always coffee.

• A patient feeling so much better they were able to do something they hadn’t done in years.

• Driving home in silence

• Making it through the day

I was exhausted, but I wasn’t depleted.

I was exhausted from a job well done. That’s what the list showed me.

Some days, the list is simpler—coffee, quiet moments, getting through the day. But the effect is the same.

I feel different. I think differently. I’m more optimistic about continuing this work.

Gratitude isn’t automatic.

But it is available.

And if you choose to practice it consistently, it will change how you experience your work, your days, and your future.

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P.S. If you’re tired of feeling drained and want a different experience of your work, I offer 1:1 coaching to help you build habits that actually shift how you think and feel day to day. Message me to start. Megan@NursingBeyondtheJob.com