Connection as Wellness: A Nurse’s Perspective on Burnout and Belonging

When we talk about wellness, we often think about the things that contribute to our health, such as nutrition, sleep, mindset, and movement.

All are important because wellness is about caring for the whole person.

For me, that also includes making space for our mental and emotional well-being; something I’m especially passionate about.

Over the years, through my work as a nurse, leader, and humanitarian, I’ve seen incredibly strong and capable people become exhausted and experience burnout.

And I’ve learned that it isn’t always the workload, the burdens, or even the hardships that wear us down.

Exhaustion and burnout can take hold in the absence of connection.

That’s why connection has become such an important part of what wellness means to me.

Our relationships, our sense of safety and belonging, and knowing we can reach out and be there for each other are also essential to our well-being.

That is also why I am excited to be part of the very first South Carolina Wellness Weekend.

I love the opportunity to broaden the conversation around wellness and remind everyone that mental health matters, and that in caring for one another, we are also caring for ourselves.