Nursing Self-Care Learning Library
Our lives and nursing careers have been anything but ordinary since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Drastically changing lifestyles provides an opportunity and in some cases a necessity to rethink your mental wellbeing strategies and add some self-care activities to your toolbox.
Self-Care Digital Downloads
Download one or more of the following images to help you find a relaxing moment as you work through your day. Some ideas on how to utilize these posters are to hang in a central place on your unit, use them as a screensaver for your computer, or as a digital background for virtual meetings. We have included a post-it size (3x3) option if you would like to add it after your email signature or print and affix to a notebook or next to your computer screen.
Get the: Screensaver image; Zoom Background; 11"x17" poster; 8.5"x11" poster; 3"x3" note
Get the: Screensaver image; Zoom Background; 11"x17" poster; 8.5"x11" poster; 3"x3" note
Get the: Screensaver image; Zoom Background; 11"x17" poster; 8.5"x11" poster; 3"x3" note
Get the: Screensaver image; Zoom Background; 11"x17" poster; 8.5"x11" poster; 3"x3" note
Take some time to assess your own well-being and identify those areas in your life that you would like to mend or prioritize activities that you already know bring you joy and promote healing. If you are not quite sure what those areas are, try a variety of these methods to see what works best for you. Use the list below to help you with ideas.
Self-Care Activities
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Self-Care Activity |
Learn how to practice by reading this article |
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Practice storytelling |
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Get organized |
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Listen to music |
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Journal |
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Share a smile |
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Sleep |
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Plan a vacation |
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Stretch |
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Get creative |
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Recognize your humanness |
Take These Healthy Steps to Come Back From an Unexpected Event |
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Set boundaries |
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Prioritize your time |
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Take care of your feet |
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Laugh |
Other self-care ideas:
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Yoga |
Meditation |
Read/write poetry |
Share a laugh |
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Watch a funny video |
Guided imagery |
Positive affirmations |
Breathing exercises |
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Storytelling |
Journaling |
Exercise |
Tai Chi |
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Make a social connection |
Intuitive eating |
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Look at pictures of places that bring you joy |
Write down 3 things that you are grateful for |
Talk to a loved one |
Practice mindfulness |
Unit-based Approaches for Staff Well-Being:
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Recognize a coworker |
Unit pause after a difficult event |
Dose of resilience |
Make vision boards |
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Random acts of kindness |
Themed lunches |
Staff birthday calendar |
Neck/shoulder massages |
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Team time with the Chaplain |
Welcome bags for new grads |
Bulletin boards with positive messages |
Share kudos at staff meetings |
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Self-care champions |
Start and end day with a team huddle |
Gratitude tree |
Take one and leave one – positive message sticky notes |
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Mindfulness corner |
Book club |
Tea for the soul |
Team building |
Institutional Approaches for Staff Well-Being
Learning Tools
ONS Podcasts (includes free NCPD)
- Episode 27: How Self-Care Can Impact Your Nursing Practice
- Episode 85: Nursing Resilience and Self-Care Aren’t Optional
Congress Sessions
Articles
ONS Voice articles:
- Practice These Five Self-Care Strategies in Less Than Five Minutes
- Cope with Moral Distress by Focusing on the Possibilities
- Use These Personal Development Strategies for Self-Improvement
- Here’s How You Can Confront Workplace Violence in a Healthcare Setting
- Reduce Compassion Fatigue on the Unit
- Death Happens Every Day
- Enhance Nursing Practice and Patient Care by Fostering Wellness and Self-Healing for Nurses
- Leaders Need to Walk the Talk When It Comes to Self-Care, Too
- Harness Stress for Focus and Productivity
- Supporting Second Victims Will Make Your Practice Safer
Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
- Songs for the Soul: A Program to Address a Nurse’s Grief
- Stress Levels of Nurses in Oncology Outpatient Units
- Nursing Burnout Interventions
- Perceived Benefits and Challenges of an Oncology Nurse Support Group
- Stress Among New Oncology Nurses
- Helping Nurses Cope With Grief and Compassion Fatigue: An Educational Intervention
COVID-19 Self-Care Resources
ONS Voice articles
- The Emotional Burden of COVID-19 Almost Made Me Leave Nursing
- Emotional Coping Strategies for COVID-19
- The Evidence for Herbal Supplements for Immunity and Supplements for Immunity and Stress During COVID-19
- Palliative Care Resources Comfort Nurses Through COVID-19 Stress, Dilemmas, and Grief
- Cope With COVID-19 Through Mind-Body Therapies for Oncology Nurses
External Resources
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Organization for Nursing Leadership
American Nurses Association
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Emotional PPE Project
- The Emotional PPE Project connects healthcare workers in need with licensed mental health professionals who can help.
Related Topics
Self-Care Learning Library Sponsor
Thank you to Eisai for their sponsorship of the ONS Self-Care Learning Library.