Nurse Well-Being Learning Library

Oncology Nursing Society Well-Being 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 well-being activities to your toolbox.

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.

Featured Resource

Immersive Wellness Breaks

Do you need a minute to refresh your mind and spirit?  Take an immersive wellness break.  These wellness breaks are short snippets of either breathing exercises or mindful escapes to help you refocus and recharge. Constant stimulation can cause our brains to lose focus.  Taking a mindful break periodically will help your brain relax and start your new task with renewed energy.   Take a minute to enjoy a break and return as often as you like!

  • Courses - NEW!
  • Nurses’ Stories of Spirit and Practice - NEW!

"Take a Minute for You" Resources

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.

Joy poster sample
Breathe poster sample
Happy Place poster sample
Grateful poster sample

Immersive Wellness Breaks

Do you need a minute to refresh your mind and spirit?  Take an immersive wellness break.  These wellness breaks are short snippets of either breathing exercises or mindful escapes to help you refocus and recharge. Constant stimulation can cause our brains to lose focus.  Taking a mindful break periodically will help your brain relax and start your new task with renewed energy.   Take a minute to enjoy a break and return as often as you like!

Personal Well-Being Activities

Physical Well-Being  Linked resources will take you to the source on how to implement these activities
Sleep/Rest & Rewind Rest, Unwind and Reflect
Nutrition

Tea Soothes Your Soul and Supports Your Well-Being

Intuitive Eating Creates Healthy Food Rituals
Take care of your feet Self-Care for the Soles
Plan a Vacation

Checklist For a Stress-Free Vacation

Why You Need to Use your Vacation Benefits
Spring Cleaning

Spring Clean Your Home and Heart

Clear the Clutter with this Chinese Discipline
Emotional/Spiritual Well-Being  
Smile Amazing Power of a Smile
Laugh/watch funny videos

Laugh Every Day for the Health of It
Meditation/Guided Imagery/Mindfulness

How to Mediate

5-Minute Meditation

10-Minute meditation
Set boundaries/prioritize your time

It's Okay to Put Yourself First Sometimes

Establish Healthy Boundaries

Prioritize Your Time
Recognize your humanness Take These Healthy Steps to Come Back from an Unexpected Event
Make a social connection ONS Members' Patient and Nurse Wellness Programs Embody Black History Month
Positive affirmations Use a Self-Care Mantra to Boost Compassion
Intellectual/Creative Well-Being  
Storytelling Use Storytelling to Hear your Patient's Voice
Read You Are What You Read
Journaling Writing for Wellness
Art/coloring/painting

Color Out Your Stress and Anxiety

Coloring Mandalas for Stress Relief

Self-Care Coloring Page

Art of Paper Folding
Music/listen/play

How Music can Soothe your Savage Beast-Stress

Music Reminds You of the Love You Deserve
Learn a new skill/take a free course Search for Learning Opportunities with ONS

 

Unit-Based Well-Being Activities

Recognize a coworker program Unit pause after a difficult event Team building exercises
Random acts of kindness Themed lunches Staff birthday calendar
Team time with the Chaplain Welcome bags for new grads Boards with well-being activities
Well-being champions Team huddles Create a gratitude tree
Create a mindfulness corner Make a vision board Share kudos at staff meetings
Well-being challenges  Massage pad/chair Positive message board

 

Systems-Level Approaches to Well-Being

Resource What You Will Find

Oncology Nurse Retreat: A Strength-Based Approach To Self-Care and Personal Resilience

 This CJON article discusses an oncology nurse retreat that focuses on self-care

Massage Chair Sessions: Favorable Effects on Ambulatory Cancer Center Nurses’ Perceived Level of Stress, Blood Pressure, and Heart Rate

 This CJON article discusses the effectiveness of using nurse breaks for self-care.
The Thrive Program: Building Oncology Nurse Resilience Through Self-Care Strategies

This CJON article discusses the THRIVE© program and its outcomes on nurse resilience. The program consists of an eight-hour retreat focusing on self-care strategies, a six-week private group study interaction on social media, and a two-hour wrap-up session.
A Call to Action: Exploring Moral Resilience Toward a Culture of Ethical Practice p. 12 includes recommendations for organizations across practice settings to cultivate and support moral resilience. Other parts of the document include recommendations for individuals and leaders along with the research findings around moral resilience.
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health, Chapter 10: Supporting the Health and Professional Well-Being of Nurses

This resource describes the implications for nurse well-being and presents a well-being framework that can be followed that which approached for addressing nurses’ health and wellness.

Learning Tools

Huddle Cards

ONS Podcasts (includes free NCPD)

ONS Congress Sessions

Articles

ONS Voice articles:

ONS Voice has a column dedicated to nurse well-being.  For additional articles, you may search ONS Voice, by typing well-being in the search bar.

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:

You may search for additional articles in CJON at https://www.ons.org/journal-article-search

Resiliency Resources from the Oncology Nursing Foundation

The Oncology Nursing Foundation has developed resources to support oncology nurses in developing healthy routines, learn stress management techniques, and practice self-care. This curated content includes a Wellness Wisdom video series, breathing exercises, calming yoga offerings, and much more.

For a full list of resources, you can visit their Resiliency Resources page.

Supporting Nurse Well-Being Also Supports Magnet Recognition

Your well-being is essential—for you, for ONS, for the entire nursing profession, and now for ANCC’s Magnet recognition program. 

Well-being has long been a priority for the American Nurses Association (ANA), ANCC’s parent organization. Now, the ANA Enterprise asks healthcare institutions to join its commitment, making foundational support of nurses’ well-being an application requirement in its 2023 Magnet Application Manual. Nurse well-being is essential at both the organizational and unit levels, and Magnet-designated organizations’ nurse leaders must advocate for and acquire resources to support nurses’ well-being through strategic planning and involving both leaders and nurses in direct patient care across the organization.  

ONS’s well-being resources support you, personally and professionally, and your organization on its journey to Magnet recognition.  

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