Why I started The Mindful Nurse Australia
My name is Lucinda van Buuren. I have been a Registered Nurse for over twenty seven years. I have always loved my nursing career. Thirteen years ago, my personal life fell apart. I had loss and grief as well as loss of a marriage and then the disarray of children between two families. There was this constant sense of chaos and drama. Everywhere I turned for help seemed to be a dead end. I didn’t realise at the time that this was the opening of a new door and a new way of life and I just had to walk through it. I longed for peace and tranquillity. I always thought it was outside of me. As I learnt to calm myself through mindfulness and meditation and self-help books, I began to realise that I was the one in control of my choices and actions. My state of mind was an inside job. This revelation was very powerful. This constant desire to grow led me to look for further self-growth. I found Life Coaching. Being coached is something that I love. My coach helped me to understand myself, my strengths and my challenges, and this inner knowledge allowed me to create strategies that continue to support my values and continue to create a happy, fulfilling life that I love. That freedom and growth I found in my own coaching led me to study a Diploma of Life Coaching which I completed December 2016, so I could share this freedom and passion for my life with others. I continued to study and completed my Masters in Life Coaching in August 2017 .
To complement my coaching, I practice mindfulness and meditate daily. I am part of a meditation group which I have grown to love so much. I have learnt the power of meditation. It brings a sense of clarity, focus and purpose to your life. Calm is a true super power.
As I moved forward on my inner path I was drawn to learn Reiki (Japanese Energy Healing ) to further heal and nourish myself. I love the combination of Values Based Life Coaching, Mindfulness Meditation and Reiki Energy Healing, so I studied and became a Reiki Master Practitioner / Teacher.
Burnout, stress and anxiety is so common in nursing, the healthcare sector and the world at large. I am passionate about helping everyone to love and respect themselves first. We can only gift to others what we have for ourselves. I love nursing. It is a part of me. I love having the tools to control my stress response, as I can see through clear vision, without judgement, to be in the present moment, and provide a response rather than a knee jerk reaction. I still get stressed. I’m aware of my perfectionist archetype and the pressures I place on myself. The difference is I now work with myself rather than fight against who I am. I accept myself totally and embrace authenticity and vulnerability. That is an empowered place to be!
I am so passionate about this feeling that this inner work provides. I want to help everyone that feels drawn to this way of being to feel these experiences for themselves and to contemplate if these Values Based, Mindful Actions and Behaviours, create a successful feeling within their own personal experience. This is ultimate Self Care and Self Love in Action.
I love coaching clients that find themselves a customer of our healthcare system. My focus is on empowering them to contribute to their own health and wellbeing in the most positive and healing way physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Again, by learning to control our stress response, we provide a much more conducive environment for healing. This can be used for patients pre-operatively and post-operatively or any situation. It can benefit all. I love to compliment this with teaching Reiki if the client is drawn to this ancient practice, as this too can give the individual a great sense of contribution and empowerment to their own health and healing. I had surgery a few years ago and I got to embody these strategies for my personal journey. I spent the six weeks at home healing utilising relaxation and meditation techniques. I felt empowered and a sense of success knowing I was committed to being an active contributor on my healing journey. It felt great to mindfully work towards healing and health.
Values Based Life Coaching, Mindfulness , Meditation and Reiki are all complimentary therapies that can be used with a positive effect collaboratively whilst having your medical treatment. Reiki is used widely in American hospitals as a complimentary therapy and hopefully Australia will soon follow. My vision for Australian Healthcare is to see the collaboration and education of Integrative Medicine, Complimentary Therapies and Allopathic Medicine working collaboratively, respectfully and harmoniously together, with the sole, soul focus on advocating for the individual person centred holistic care as a partnership with the consumer of that care.