Self-care for Nurses: 5 Essential Habits to Prioritize Yourself

Nurses devote themselves to working and taking care of others. Tirelessly working around the clock and even putting in overtime. They perform a wide range of responsibilities that are not limited to assisting doctors and tending to patients. Their duties include ensuring a safe patient environment, proper usage of medical equipment and facilities, administration of medicines, etc.

Unfortunately, this sometimes results in nurses neglecting themselves, their health, and well-being without necessarily intending to. It may be because of their workload and responsibilities that sometimes take too much of their time. Thus, they can’t spare time for themselves, which can be an issue for nurses in the long run if it persists.

Overworking and exhaustion may undermine a nurse physically, mentally, and emotionally. In turn, it may also affect their performance significantly while working. Similarly, burnout is one of the many job-related concerns that can lead to serious negative repercussions. Conversely, indulging in the things wholly removed from work helps one maintain a work-life balance.

Hence, it is essential that nurses also value and care for themselves in a way that preserves their well-being.

Self-care for Nurses

Fundamentally, self-care for nurses involves actively engaging in activities that promote one’s health physically, mentally, and emotionally. It involves steps individuals take to alleviate stress and to do these activities regularly to keep themselves from work-induced exhaustion and burnout. Self-care could also mean fulfilling one’s needs or what makes one happy and comfortable to blow off steam.

Due to the nature of their jobs, nurses’ vitality gradually depletes as their work can well and truly be exhausting. However, they should also remind themselves that they should also be the foremost recipient of their care.

Self-care Tips

Every person has their approach regarding personal care. Below are some examples of self-care tips best suited for nurses if you’re unsure where to start.

Keep a Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is one of the many ways to be physically healthy. The state of your body primarily dictates how you will be able to work on tasks—eating a balanced diet that nourishes and reinvigorates you. First, you must identify which food nutrients are suitable for your body to consume. For example, limit eating foods with too much-processed sugar, trans and saturated fat, and goods high in monosodium glutamate (MSG) like instant noodles.

Exercise or Meditate

Part of keeping our body healthy is to do exercise. Hence, it’s among the best self-care activity for nurses. Exercise, however, doesn’t have to mean an extensive one like, say, going to the gym and doing lifts. Instead, it can mean walking or jogging outside. Moreover, yoga, aerobics, or simple stretching does the trick. These activities allow your body to be active and avoid lethargy from being stagnant.

Stimulate the Mind During Leisure

Burnout takes its roots in our minds. Defined as a loss of motivation, gradual energy depletion, and cynicism, burnout is classified as a serious “occupational phenomenon.” Your mental health plays an influential role in the way you function. Therefore, ensuring that you are mentally prepared to take on tasks should be a priority. 

Your profession requires the tenacity and patience to accommodate patients and assist doctors. So, during your leisure, engage in mentally stimulating activities or creative hobbies like painting, reading, cooking, or board games—anything to entertain you and take your mind off of work. 

Avoid Overextending Yourself

Another great self-care tip for nurses is to try not to overextend yourself if it’s not necessary. There is a difference between working hard and overworking; the latter wouldn’t do in the long run. Thus, it’s good to understand and know the limits of the workload and responsibilities you can bear. So, practice valuing yourself and your well-being by determining your limits.

Compartmentalize 

Compartmentalizing means isolating the thoughts and emotions that stress you out and instead focusing your mind on the tasks at hand. When your job gets exceptionally high stress, learn to set boundaries before, during, and after work. For example, block out work stressors and let yourself stay in the moment after work. 

Additionally, your profession may or may not involve exposure to patients’ illness and suffering. Finally, engaging in other people’s trauma may result in vicarious trauma, so be careful not to let emotions cloud your mind for more than they should.

Summing-up

Being a nurse is indeed a daunting profession. It requires them to be prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally to maintain and provide exemplary service. However, while stress is imminent in their line of work, there are certainly ways in which they can take care of themselves.

The significance of self-care for nurses should always be considered critical as it directly affects a nurse’s work. Nurses must be able to take care of themselves as well to be able to effectively provide their care to patients and perform their tasks.

We at IPASS have your back! IPASS Processing offers its service to nurses who wish to apply for the NCLEX in the United States. We ensure to provide and deliver you a smooth and hassle-free NCLEX application. For more inquiries, contact us now!