Have you thought about your new year’s resolutions yet? If you’re a nurse, self-care needs to be a priority in the new year, given the amount of hours you work and the rigor of the work you do. Here are seven self-care ideas for nurses to make 2023 the best year yet, both on and off shift.
Reflect on your past year
An underrated form of self-care is reflection. When we reflect, we’re taking the time to process our lives and decide what is and isn’t working. For nurses, part of this reflection could include how fulfilled you are with your job.
Are you experiencing signs of burnout, and should you start looking for a new nursing role? Or are you mostly fulfilled at work and could just make a small change or two to be happier professionally?
Create a goal around a non-work hobby
Many nurses have trouble separating their work and personal lives. This can lead to burnout and overall dissatisfaction with both personal tasks and during your nursing shifts. Practice self-care and make your free time more meaningful by setting a goal around a non-work hobby.
This goal could be for anything you're passionate about, including fitness, travel, and art. Here are some ideas, though you should customize this goal to your individual interests:
Sign up for a weekly pottery class
Save up money to hike Mount Kilimanjaro later in the year
Create an annual reading goal and buy books you’re excited to read
Invest in your emotional health….for free
Investing in your emotional health is always a great self-care idea...especially if it is free! LeadForCare is a free feature in the HireMe Healthcare app that provides lessons in emotional health, resiliency, and bedside leadership for nurses. After going through the LeadForCare lessons, nurses are equipped with the necessary skills to combat burnout and survive stressful shifts. Once you make a HireMe account, you can reserve a free LeadForCare seat using the bottom right tab in the app.
Get enough sleep
Good things don’t only come in small packages, they come from small actions. While having a big, lofty goal like running a marathon is great, deciding to regularly get eight hours of sleep a night can be just as transformative to your mental and physical health.
Add self-care to your shift breaks
When you’re taking a break during a nursing shift, you should be engaged in something you love, something that brings you energy, or something that relaxes you. It is your break, after all—make it something that helps you feel good!
Some ideas could include:
Going for a walk
Catching up with a coworker over coffee
Eating a yummy, healthy snack
Make time for friends and family
Especially if you’re suffering from nursing burnout, it can be hard to make time for social events and to see those you love. Actively schedule time into your calendar with friends and family, whether that looks like a monthly night out with your partner, brunch with the girls, or organizing a family dinner.
Change up your work: Self-care for nurses doesn't always look the same for everybody
Whether this looks like switching up your drive to work or switching roles altogether, making a change to your work routine can do wonders for your mental health. If you are looking for a new nursing job, consider using our free app to connect directly to employers in the Charlotte, North Carolina area looking for nurses with your specific skill set.
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