12 Self Care Ideas for Nurses

It was just Nurses’ Week, and I am worried for nurses. I myself am not okay post-covid, and I know many others who feel the same way. Instead of writing about the outdoors like I normally do, I decided to brainstorm some self care ideas for nurses.

Covid wrecked us nurses, didn’t it? We battled covid at work, desperately wanting to help our patients, but often watching them deteriorate. And then when we had a vaccine – to help prevent people from dying terrible deaths – it felt like we had to go to battle to convince people to get it. The disinformation that was spread, the distrust in the medical community, and the lack of compassion in this world has left many nurses to grapple with hopelessness. We’re trying to recover.

Nurses had mental health issues BEFORE covid, but it’s worse now. I googled “nurse mental health” to do a bit of research for this blog and cried. Every article includes studies showing the increased anxiety, depression, and burn out of nurses. These are people who went into this profession to help people, and we ourselves are struggling SO MUCH. It hurts my soul.

Hospitals are offering ways to help our mental health. But are they? I’m tired of hearing that I need to develop “resiliency.” It feels inauthentic. It feels like nurses’ valid feelings of exhaustion are being neglected and overlooked. It feels like they only want us to have resiliency so we will keep working and up their patient satisfaction scores. (Sorry, I’m bitter.)

The definition of resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.”

What if we don’t want to be resilient? What if we want to take our time recovering from this trauma and allow ourselves to not be “tough” for a bit? Don’t nurses deserve that after all we’ve been through?

We have experienced trauma over the last 2 years. It’s hard to just “develop resiliency” from an online training and move on. Especially when hospitals continue to be short-staffed and lack the resources we need to do our jobs. If work conditions aren’t improving, it can’t just all be put on nurses to improve ourselves instead.

There is a lot that needs to be fixed in regards to healthcare in the United States, and I’m not going to dive into it. It’s necessary to acknowledge it, though, when so much is being expected of nurses. However, the point of this post is to talk about self care ideas for nurses to prioritize their mental health.

I don’t think we – humans – talked enough about mental health for a very long time. Life is freaking hard. It always has been, and covid made it harder.

Maybe we should all collectively take a deep breath and assess what is important to us. What we need. What we love. And then do more of that. Maybe that’s how we recover.

Here are 12 self care ideas for nurses to prioritize their mental health:

** I am not a mental health professional nor do I want you to think I have all the answers. I don’t. I’m just a fellow nurse who happens to have a blog and who wants to help in the tiniest way. I encourage you to see #2 below and talk to someone who can help more than I can.

#1: Get outside.

In any way possible. Walk around the neighborhood, go camping, visit the local pool, sit in your backyard and sip coffee, rent a kayak, take your kid to the farm, go to a brewery with a great patio… the options are endless, and I promise the fresh air will help.

There are many studies that show that time spent outside increases our happiness. If you can mindfully be outside – a quiet walk with your thoughts – that’s ideal. Think about what brings you joy, process what you’ve gone through the last 2 years, and take some deep breaths.

#2: Therapy.

Talk to a therapist. Be honest. Tell them what you are struggling with, tell them what you want your life to look like, and let them help you.

There is very little that can replace this one. The other ideas on here are great, but if you are really struggling, this is where you should start. Talk to someone who is trained to help. I know a lot of hospitals have set up ways to get nurses connected with mental health professionals, sometimes for free. Look into it.

Here’s an article on How to Find a Good Therapist to get you started.

#3: Write down what is important to you.

It’s probably not work. It’s likely your family, friends, nature, maybe some form of exercise, church, painting… who knows.

Focus on these things. Make them a priority.

If you are a Christian and are open to coaching or challenges to slow down and focus on what is important, check out Jesus Fit, an awesome non-profit.

#4: Change jobs.

You don’t have to quit nursing altogether. I worked at an infusion center for a bit, and it was better/less stressful than bedside nursing. Or maybe you’re still reeling from how you were treated at your current hospital; apply at a different one. Change is good sometimes.

If you can quit nursing and want to, do that.

#5: Try Travel Nursing.

I don’t know if this will help your burn-out, but you’d at least know you’re getting paid for your worth. Save that money and take some much-deserved time off.

I have a few posts on Travel Nursing to get you started – How to Adventure More as a Travel Nurse, Advice for Travel Nurses, and more.

#6: Ask if you can take a leave of absence.

If you can afford it, maybe ask your manager if you could have a month off. I have no idea if they will say yes, but if you are really struggling it might be worth asking. Time away from work is so important right now.

#7: Go backpacking.

I have a backpacking trip planned next month, and just the thought of escaping literally everything to be in nature is helping my mental health. I have a bunch of blogs on backpacking and ideas for places to go, or you can just email me and say DANIELLE I NEED TO GO BACKPACKING, and I will help you – [email protected].

Hard to worry about nursing when you’re in nature like this…

#8: Talk to your coworkers.

Regular humans do not understand what we have gone through. They can be compassionate, but they don’t “get it.” Have some heart to hearts with your fellow nurses. Try to be productive in your talks. Complaining doesn’t get you as far as “hey, I’m struggling with the last 2 years, can we talk about it and discuss how to move toward a more positive space?” Ok, that sounds like something no one says in real life, but keep it along those lines. I complain at work. A lot sometimes. But it doesn’t usually make me feel better. Real conversations with people you trust will help.

#9: Try to leave work at work – self care ideas for nurses.

When you clock out, let that be the end of your shift. Try not to think about what you could have done better, the stupid soda that you forgot to bring to your patient, or the way your patient demanded that you massage his legs. If you’re working at a hospital in The US, you were likely short-staffed. Know that you did your best with the resources available, and let. it. go. Back to #2 for this one – a therapist can help you manage this better.

#10: Know that it is okay to not be okay.

For a long time I operated under the idea that if I wasn’t happy I was doing something wrong. Then I would feel guilty for not feeling happy, making myself even more unhappy.

Sometimes we need to feel what we feel. Whether that’s anger, sadness, frustration, etc. It is okay to feel negative emotions.

#11: Avoid things that bring you down.

If scrolling social media leaves you feeling anxious, limit your time on Facebook or delete it altogether. If watching the news pisses you off, watch it less or get rid of cable. Really think about what affects your mood and try to eliminate things that cause you to feel unhappy.

#12: Get involved.

Could you try to get your hospital to unionize? There have been recent marches for nurses demanding better treatment, would attending one of those help you? Or maybe volunteering in a non-nursing way would fuel your soul.

If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, please get help. The suicide line in the USA is 800-273-8255. You matter. 

Self Care Ideas for Nurses

Do you have more ideas? Are you a nurse and you’ve found ways to cope and improve your mental health? Please share below. We’re in this together.

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