Self-Care for Nurses

Self-care for nurses is not something new. Even before this pandemic, burnout in nursing, depression, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress have been studied extensively. As nurses, we tend to put the needs of others before our own self-care. It’s part of who we are, yet there has been no greater test of our resilience than the challenges we have been facing during COVID-19. We can’t continue to ask so much of ourselves and our colleagues, and it’s time to prioritize self-care and learn ways to prevent burnout in nursing. Time is running out; we need to protect and support one another. When the pandemic is a memory and COVID-19 is something we jot down in a patient’s history, we will still need nurses.
 
Below you’ll find words of understanding and wisdom from other nurses, strategies to improve self-care and resilience, along with tools and methods to help prevent burnout. Remember, leadership and institutions also must prioritize Solutions to Nurse Burnout.


 

Nurses’ Well-Being Blogs and Articles


Nurses – Are you Journaling? You Should Be!
Journaling is a private conversation that provides a safe place to express oneself without disapproval or judgement. The health benefits are numerous and include reduced stress and anxiety, lowered blood pressure, and improved immune function.

5 Steps to Help Find Your Joy
Pick up a mirror and take a look at yourself; joy and happiness from within changes your entire perspective.

It’s Time for a Timeout!
Take a timeout daily to reflect on what went well, how you could handle things differently that didn’t go as planned and identify what you can cast off because it’s toxic. It’s time to invest in ourselves and find our balance. 
 

Nurse Wellbeing
AJN, American Journal of Nursing Collection
Prioritizing nurses’ mental health is essential. Browse this collection for journal articles on using storytelling as a tool, antidepressants, yoga, and more.

Self-Care for Nurses
Nursing made Incredibly Easy! Collection
The articles in this collection discuss and promote self-care for nurses.

Giving Meaning to Resilience during COVID-19
Lippincott NursingCenter
Resilience is often identified as an attribute to describe clinicians who face challenges time and time again, but are we doing a disservice by setting the expectation that we must be willing and strong enough to keep facing adversity?

Resilience
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing
Often, we do not know who we are until we are tested; although we staggered at first, we have come through the worst of the pandemic stronger. Improving care requires respecting human abilities by designing processes that recognize human strengths and weaknesses.

My Nursing Care Plan
Lippincott NursingCenter
Use this quick care plan to make sure you are on the right track to meet your professional goals and optimize work/life integration.

Nurse Well-Being Tools from Professional Organizations