There are eight key areas of self-care for nurses (and anyone else who wants to practice self-love and self-care). Self-care concepts fall into one of the following categories: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial.
1. Physical Self-Care:
Physical self-care includes how you take care of your body. The amount of sleep you get, the type of physical activities you engage in, and how your physical needs are met are a few examples of things to consider when implementing physical self-care strategies for nurses.
Our Tips?
Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your health. Small amounts of exercise add up, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t do 30 minutes at one time.
Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Also, limit caffeinated beverages such as soft drinks or coffee.
Make sleep a priority. Stick to a schedule, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Blue light from devices and screens can make it harder to fall asleep, so reduce blue light exposure from your phone or computer before bedtime.
2. Psychological Self-Care:
Psychological self-care involves thinking, learning, and growing. This type of self-care involves activities focused on personal and professional development.
Our Tips?
Practice mindfulness
Take a break
Play video games
Listen to music
Read a book
Listen to a podcast
Reflect on things you are grateful for
3. Emotional Self-Care:
Emotional self-care means being aware of your thoughts and feelings and allowing yourself to experience your feelings in a way that honors yourself and your emotional well-being.
Our Tips?
Keep a reflective journal.
Seek and engage in external supervision or regularly consult with a more experienced colleague.
Engage with a non-work hobby.
Turn off your email and work phone outside of work hours.
Make time for relaxation.
Make time to engage with positive friends and family.
4. Social Self-Care:
Building strong relationships is the key to social self-care. This type of self-care for nurses includes being mindful of how nurses manage relationships while balancing personal and professional lives and preventing burnout.
Our Tips?
Set Boundaries
Practice Reaching Out to Others
Focus on Quality Time
5. Professional Self-Care:
Professional self-care involves finding a healthy work-life balance. Because so much of a nurse’s job is a huge aspect of our daily lives, implementing this type of self-care takes practice.
Our Tips?
Start With Small Changes
Differentiate Work Time from Personal Time
Stay Organized
Take Breaks Throughout the Work Day
Create a Healthy Work Space
Evaluate Your Work Load
6. Environmental Self-Care:
Environment is the surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates. A person's environment can influence motivation and behavior. Environmental self-care is about creating an atmosphere that fosters peace, tranquility, creativity, and productivity.
Our Tips?
Organize Your Space
Designate Where Work Happens
Make Your Space Comfortable
Add a Personal Touch
7. Spiritual Self-Care:
Spiritual self-care does not necessarily have to involve religion. Spiritual self-care includes anything you do that helps develop a deeper sense of meaning, connection, or understanding with God or the universe.
Our Tips?
Deep Breathing
Mindfulness Meditation
Visualization
Repeat a mantra
8. Financial Self-Care:
Financial self-care is the practice of developing habits that reflect what you want to accomplish with your money. To practice financial self-care, it is necessary to acknowledge any bad money habits you have and conquer them.
Our Tips?
Create a budget
Track your spending
Make room for treats
Set goals for your future spending habits
Start an emergency fund
Start investing toward your goals
Looking for a nursing career that promotes self-care? Learn more about PlanA - British Columbia.
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