Thomas Sargent, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Published
Nurse uses physical activity to overcome mental and emotional fatigue
Growing up, #healthynurse Dr. Thomas Sargent always participated in sports and physical activity. Soccer, tennis, and other sports played important roles in his childhood.
“Staying active in sports was a fun part of my life,” he recalls. “I never considered how physical fitness might impact other aspects of my health until much later.”
Now a parent, husband, and full-time psychiatric nurse practitioner, Dr. Sargent sees the connection between physical health and mental well-being — for himself and his patients.
“Nursing is demanding,” he says. “It requires enormous mental and emotional energy and strength. We’re humans just like the patients we care for, and we need to do the same physical and mental ‘work’ we guide them to do.”
The Mental and Emotional Cost of Nursing
Dr. Sargent began his nursing career in a fast-paced emergency department. He experienced firsthand the highs and lows of caring for people in critical moments. Providing life-saving care is very rewarding, but it can come at a cost, he notes.
“ER nurses see many traumatic events and situations,” he says. “But the job requires us to compartmentalize our feelings and stay in ‘go mode.’ We often don’t get a chance to process our trauma, because we need to remain focused on our patients.”
Dr. Sargent says that over time, unprocessed stress and trauma can have a cumulative effect on a nurse. “It wasn’t until I moved into mental health care that I realized how much my internalized stress affected all aspects of my life,” he says.
He didn’t know it at the time, but Dr. Sargent was heading toward the first stages of nurse burnout.
Stress Takes a Toll
When he began his current role as nurse practitioner for an addiction psychiatry clinic, Dr. Sargent discovered a different kind of work stress.
“My patients have serious challenges in their day-to-day lives,” he says. “Many have housing and food insecurity. They often lack social support. While I can help them with referrals to social workers, there are certain areas I can’t do anything about. It can feel pretty bleak.”
Though he tried to leave stress at the office and stay present in his personal life, Dr. Sargent says it wasn’t possible. “I started to experience severe fatigue,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to talk to people. I wasn’t as engaged with my wife and children, and I grew distant from my friends.”
A Turning Point
Dr. Sargent knew his exhaustion and withdrawal from family, friends, and activities were signs of burnout. “At first, I tried to fake it, but I knew that wasn’t the answer,” he says. He reflected on ways he could improve his energy levels and mental health, and 1 key item jumped out at him: physical activity.
“I had stopped exercising because I didn’t feel like I had the time or energy,” he says. “As a nurse, I’ve always educated patients about the importance of exercise. It was time to put my words into practice.” For Dr. Sargent, this renewed focus on fitness was a turning point in his wellness journey.
Self-Care for the Caregiver
Dr. Sargent chose first to bicycle his way back to fitness. “I bought my wife a Peloton® Bike during COVID-19, and I ended up really enjoying it,” he says. He added running to the mix and plans to incorporate tennis into his regimen.
“I’ve always loved tennis, and I hope to share that love with my daughter by teaching her the game,” he says.
The fitness began to pay off, and Dr. Sargent felt more energy and less stress. His next act of self-care was journaling.
“In 2024, I committed to writing in a journal every day,” he says. “I wrote down 3 blessings per day and ended up with 1,098 blessings by the end of the year.”
For Dr. Sargent, focusing on 3 blessings allowed him to practice daily gratitude without a large time commitment. “It sounds small, but when you’re tired or stressed or really busy, it’s a pretty big task. I was proud of myself for sticking with it.”
Dr. Sargent found that waiting until the end of the day made counting his blessings easier. “I could reflect on my day. I always found 3 things, even when it was a tough day.”
Never Give Up
Exercise and journaling had a big impact on Dr. Sargent’s well-being. “I feel so much better now that I’ve prioritized those 2 things,” he says.
He admits that he hasn’t been perfect in his self-care practice but feels the benefits all the same. “A lot of people feel if they miss a day, they’ve failed,” he says. “They might give up on themselves. I gave myself some grace. I allowed myself to stumble along the way. Then, the next day, I would pick it back up.”
Dr. Sargent says that working through feelings of self-defeat or self-sabotage is an important part of self-improvement. “Some days, just showing up is good enough,” he says. “We don’t have to strive for perfection.”
Pivoting for Better Work-Life Balance
The last step of self-care for Dr. Sargent was making a career change. He will soon transition to a full-time faculty position at a university, helping to develop future nurse leaders.
“After some reflection, I realized that it was time to pivot to a role that allowed me to pursue my passion for health care while maintaining a better work-life balance,” he says. “My children are 4 years old and 8 months old, and I want to be involved and present with them. These are days I’ll never get back.”
Dr. Sargent says it’s important for nurses to prioritize their health and well-being. It’s OK to get “unstuck” and make a change that nourishes the spirit.
“We have to take better care of ourselves,” he says. “Many people think wellness is a luxury. It’s not. We can achieve wellness with small actions that add up to the larger goal. If we’re not caring for ourselves, we can’t properly care for others.”
Thomas Sargent, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
How have you overcome feelings of burnout in your career? Share your #healthynurse triumphs with us in the comments.
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Blog #healthynurse Spotlight
05/29/2025 8:45am CDT
The #healthynurse Spotlight is a shout out to nurses who are making changes in their lives to improve their health and wellness. You can too! Read their stories for inspiration here.
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