Episode 5 - Learning & Evolving with Dawn
By Jessica Garrison
This week’s guest on the F.E.E.L podcast, Dawn, is a wonderful reminder that there’s always something to learn by listening to the experience of others, no matter how different they may seem from us. Hearing Dawn speak about what she has learned (and continues to learn) throughout her life really changed my perspective on the way I view certain things. She weaves these lessons into the story she is telling, and it’s like listening to someone you have known for a lifetime.
Dawn approaches each day with positivity as she tries to remain open-minded when it comes to new experiences and ideas. She says she’s still working on taking care of herself, but being a nurse in the NICU, she’s used to putting others above her. The advice she gives to parents is to look after themselves so they can be 1000% for their child, but this isn’t always what she tells herself. After being a caregiver for so long, it can be difficult to get out of that habit of ignoring your own needs, but prioritizing self care is a skill Dawn continues to work on, which isn’t the first (and certainly not the last) time we will hear this on the podcast.
Boundaries are also a work in progress for Dawn. She is a people pleaser through and through. Whenever someone needs help, she’s there to lend a hand without asking for much in return. Her method to bettering her boundaries is “focusing on the moment and making [herself] present in the moment.” Instead of multitasking, she sets time aside for what she needs to focus on and puts her phone on Do Not Disturb when she doesn’t want the distraction. Little things like this have been helping her to establish what is most important and what she needs to feel fulfilled.
Dawn shares the direct correlation she has noticed when it comes to her physical and emotional health. She has a workout routine that involves light exercise and walking, and when she skips her routine, she feels it in her body and her soul. By not keeping her body healthy, it negatively affected her mental state. Everyone has a different routine they follow when it comes to keeping their body active, but the two are definitely tied together stronger than we may think, even when it comes to the smallest details.
Working in an all female NICU, Dawn has noticed the way women have been treating each other, and there’s a lot more work to do. She says we need to focus on “pick[ing] each other up and hav[ing] one another’s backs,” rather than tearing each other down. Dawn says approach is everything, and we need to be approaching one another differently. Rather than being cruel to one another, which she has witnessed greatly in her workplace, she wants to see a change where women support and congratulate one another. Competition can be very positive, but the way that Dawn has seen it recently, it can be an ugly thing to witness.
It was so interesting to hear Dawn talk about being a people pleaser and living out of others’ expectations. However, once she became a mother, she realized that needed to change. She realized that if she cannot advocate for herself, how will she ever be able to advocate for her child? How will she be able to take care of another human being if she isn’t taking care of herself? Of course she is still making progress, but by sharing her fears so candidly, she’s able to continue her journey through this. She refused to let other peoples’ expectations of her control the way she wanted to raise her children, and it’s quite admirable.
Lately, Dawn has been peeling back her layers and is discovering new parts of herself. She is aware that she needs help and needs to continue to discover herself, no matter how difficult it may be. She says it has been a humbling experience and is still figuring things out, but even the smallest ounce of progress is better than not even trying. Her advice, which I will be keeping with me, is to make a hard day a good day; it’s all about the approach. You can’t help if others want to accept what you bring to the table, but no matter what happens, you can always bring kindness.