Self-Care

A critical Pathway to Excellence® standard

Initiatives promote nurses’ well-being during the pandemic.  Ensuring nurses’ well-being isn’t just a concept for healthcare systems and organizations that have—or want to gain—the Pathway to Excellence® designation.…

Achieving a work-life balance

Almost everyone agrees that achieving a work-life balance is a good thing. Without it, we risk long-term negative effects on our physical and mental health, our relationships, and…

An algorithm to help you manage your stress

Nurses face tremendous stress in their daily practice. Various environmental and personal factors can exacerbate or mitigate stress. High stress levels impair cognitive and psychomotor functioning, leading to…
nusre-health-safety

ANA advocates for nurses’ health and safety

Collaborating in the new year to address pandemic challenges together As nurses contend with the pandemic and its multi-layered effects into 2021, the American Nurses Association (ANA) continues…
AnimalAssistants

Animal assistants in healthcare

An animal may provide just the benefit patients need. Prepandemic, I had the pleasure of traveling to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a month-long workshop. I…
Balancing

Balancing the wheels of life

Have you ever ridden a bicycle with a wobbly wheel? The ride isn’t smooth, and you notice every bump in the road. As you focus on your discomfort,…

Bonding over body image

For many college students, the ever-present pressure to be thin has trumped the goal of being healthy. Females face body-image issues throughout their life­span. Our society glorifies thinness.…
caring-during-covid-19

Caring during COVID-19

Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the April 2021 issue of American Nurse Journal. At the bottom of the article, the…
UofL

Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk?

For many of us, nursing isn’t just what we do; it’s who we are. Most of us became nurses because we care about people and want to make…
Examing nurse comfort eating

Eating better to help manage chronic stress

Like many nurses, you may experience stress frequently, both on and off the job. Chronic stress can alter your equilibrium (homeostasis), activating physiologic reactive pathways that cause your…
Examing nurse comfort eating

Examining nurse comfort eating

Many years ago I found myself standing in the frozen food section flirting with the prospect of buying a mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake. I rationalized buying it by convincing…

Exercise your right to be fit!

Nearly all of us—especially nurses—know exercise is good for our physical and mental health. But incorporating it into our busy lives can be a challenge. The only types…
The art of self-disclosure

From our readers: The art of self-disclosure

One aspect of the “art” of nursing is appropriate self-disclosure. Nurses and other healthcare providers often have an opportunity to share information about their own health to help…
self nurture shake off breathe exercise

From our readers…The secrets of self-nurturing

The foremost Secret to nurturing yourself is to practice caring for yourself. This article focuses on self-nurturing techniques for the body and mind. The more you practice these…

Give yourself the gift of self-affirmation

We’ve all had days that push us toward the edge. The chaos likely starts around mid-shift and may go something like this: Radiology calls for bed 3, bed 6…
mourn-dead

How shall we mourn our dead?

Take your time and follow the path that’s right for you. Since May 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required nursing homes to provide data…

How to get off the anger-go-round

One of the most complex emotions, anger is a normal response to certain situational triggers. It’s associated with physiologic changes, including increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and…
Maintain Weight Loss

How to maintain weight loss successfully

Suggestions based on a 20-year national study. Body weight is a key factor to protect us from chronic disease. Although obese people can lose weight through healthy diet, exercise…

Living a healthy lifestyle

As nurses, we know how to check blood pressure, administer medications, and counsel patients about healthy living. But let’s face it—some of us don’t practice what we preach.…

Look for inspiration in your fellow nurses

In a perfect world, we nurses would be inspired daily by our patient experiences. They would come in such abundance that overtime, computer crashes, and 10-minute meal breaks…
fitness exercise routine health

Make fitness fit into your daily routine

You know exercise should be part of your daily routine. But who has the time or the energy? After all, you can hardly find time for the demands…
mindful breathing exercises

Mindful Breathing

Tip 1 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down, and pretty much anywhere at any time. If…
nurse-suicide

Navigating the loss and grief of a nurse suicide

Nurses are drawn together through shared patient experiences, staffing challenges, stressful situations, and positive patient outcomes. Working long hours together, nurses learn about the lives of their coworkers…
_NurseFatigue

Nurse fatigue: The silent epidemic

Are you getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period? According to ANA Enterprise’s new Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation® survey results, 40% of…
nurse-suicide

Nurse suicide attempt survivors

Easing back safely to the work environment Frequently, suicide ideation is a manifestation of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorder. However, even without a history or…

Nurses rising

Recognizing, elevating, and caring for RNs during a pandemic As we celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of…
school nurses

Nurses struggling on the frontline of COVID-19

Innovation is important in maintaining an open-minded perspective on the frontline of healthcare, particularly in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a practicing ICU nurse, I know…

Nurses with disabilities: Know their rights

Registered nurses (RNs) with physical disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace. Researchers have found that nurses with disabilities often leave the nursing profession because they feel discriminated against…

Nursing Apps—For Work and Home

The season of gift-giving is upon us, and don’t you think you should start with a few gifts for yourself? The folks at MAS Medical Staffing have put…
Nutrition for night-shift nurses

Nutrition for night-shift nurses

Pam has worked the night shift for more than 30 years. Over the last 3 years, she has lost 100 lb—and kept it off. She describes the challenging…

Promoting nurse mental health

Nurses are experiencing an unprecedented amount of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Stressful work environments, workplace bullying, and workplace cultures unsupportive of personal well-being play a role in the…

Recovery lessons from the Sandy Hook trauma

Children are people with small hearts and big emotions that often come from the people around them, particularly family members. As a pediatric nurse and mother of two…

Resting not regretting

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” — William Shakespeare As informal mentors, coaches, and preceptors to…
self-management

Self-management = a balanced life

Follow this formula for success. Takeaways: • Self-management coupled with a wellness approach can mitigate the stress associated with nursing and improve individual nurse health. • Procrastination is…

Simple steps to improve your retirement readiness

PERHAPS, like many nurses, you’ve become quite business savvy over the past few years. Increasing numbers of nurses are responsible for creating unit budgets, forecasting expenses, and calculating cost effectiveness. Yet…

Staying healthy: Advice for telehealth nurses

Telehealth, telemedicine, and home-based telehealth work have grown dramatically in recent years. These programs enable nurses to provide patient care remotely from a medical office or their own home.…
relief emotional freedom technique tap

Tap your way to fast relief

Can symptomatic relief from fear, stress, anxiety, and a laundry list of other ailments really be at your fingertips? The many people who use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)…
Mindfulness

The mindful nurse

Mindfulness is an increasingly common topic in both popular and professional literature. In clinical populations, evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce symptoms linked to various conditions, including…
wisdom renewal sign fear

The wisdom of renewal

We all know people who have become discontent with their careers. And we know people who remain energized, excited, and fully engaged in their profession. So what makes the…

Tips for long-term exercise success

Walking, swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. They all cause you to feel warm, perspire and breathe…

Unpacking the pounds that weigh you down

How long have you dreamed of losing weight and keeping it off—of what it would feel like to be healthier and have more energy for your nursing job…

Uplifting nurses

Associations respond to member needs in a pandemic. In 2020, what kept me up at night was nurses’ well-being and how they’ve been dealing with the impact of…

Use it or lose it: Physical fitness for nurses

Chronic lifestyle-related diseases account for most deaths today, with cardiovascular disease the leading cause of all deaths. As you know, a sedentary life­style contributes to development of cardiovascular…
night shift nurse survive sleep tired cancer awake

What do nurses want?

Twenty-two percent: That’s how many frontline RNs in the United States said, in a response to a recent McKinsey survey, that they may leave direct patient care within…

What the mirror doesn’t tell you

“I hate my body.” “I’m such a fat, worthless cow.” “Where did all these gray hairs and wrinkles come from?” “I have total thunder thighs.” “How could anyone find me attractive when I look like this?”…

Who are you?

You probably have many labels—nurse, wife, mother, sister, aunt (or husband, son, father, brother, uncle), neighbor, or volunteer, for instance. But who are you—really? When the day is…

Why quitting is hard

Kate Sheldon is the director of acute care services in a medical center that’s part of a larger system. She recently completed her doctorate and is ready to…
journaling your health nurses

Writing for good health

If you asked nurses how they reduce job stress, you probably wouldn’t expect them to reply, “By writing.” In fact, a recent research study of nurses’ preferences for…

A critical Pathway to Excellence® standard

Initiatives promote nurses’ well-being during the pandemic.  Ensuring nurses’ well-being isn’t just a concept for healthcare systems and organizations that have—or want to gain—the…

Achieving a work-life balance

Almost everyone agrees that achieving a work-life balance is a good thing. Without it, we risk long-term negative effects on our physical and mental…

An algorithm to help you manage your stress

Nurses face tremendous stress in their daily practice. Various environmental and personal factors can exacerbate or mitigate stress. High stress levels impair cognitive and…
AnimalAssistants

Animal assistants in healthcare

An animal may provide just the benefit patients need. Prepandemic, I had the pleasure of traveling to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for…
Balancing

Balancing the wheels of life

Have you ever ridden a bicycle with a wobbly wheel? The ride isn’t smooth, and you notice every bump in the road. As you…

Bonding over body image

For many college students, the ever-present pressure to be thin has trumped the goal of being healthy. Females face body-image issues throughout their life­span.…
caring-during-covid-19

Caring during COVID-19

Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the April 2021 issue of American Nurse Journal. At the bottom…
Examing nurse comfort eating

Eating better to help manage chronic stress

Like many nurses, you may experience stress frequently, both on and off the job. Chronic stress can alter your equilibrium (homeostasis), activating physiologic reactive…
Examing nurse comfort eating

Examining nurse comfort eating

Many years ago I found myself standing in the frozen food section flirting with the prospect of buying a mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake. I rationalized…

Exercise your right to be fit!

Nearly all of us—especially nurses—know exercise is good for our physical and mental health. But incorporating it into our busy lives can be a…
mourn-dead

How shall we mourn our dead?

Take your time and follow the path that’s right for you. Since May 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required nursing…

How to get off the anger-go-round

One of the most complex emotions, anger is a normal response to certain situational triggers. It’s associated with physiologic changes, including increases in heart…

Living a healthy lifestyle

As nurses, we know how to check blood pressure, administer medications, and counsel patients about healthy living. But let’s face it—some of us don’t…
mindful breathing exercises

Mindful Breathing

Tip 1 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down, and pretty much anywhere…
_NurseFatigue

Nurse fatigue: The silent epidemic

Are you getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period? According to ANA Enterprise’s new Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation®…
nurse-suicide

Nurse suicide attempt survivors

Easing back safely to the work environment Frequently, suicide ideation is a manifestation of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorder. However, even…

Nurses rising

Recognizing, elevating, and caring for RNs during a pandemic As we celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first…

Nurses with disabilities: Know their rights

Registered nurses (RNs) with physical disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace. Researchers have found that nurses with disabilities often leave the nursing profession because…

Promoting nurse mental health

Nurses are experiencing an unprecedented amount of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Stressful work environments, workplace bullying, and workplace cultures unsupportive of personal well-being play…

Resting not regretting

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” — William Shakespeare As informal mentors,…
self-management

Self-management = a balanced life

Follow this formula for success. Takeaways: • Self-management coupled with a wellness approach can mitigate the stress associated with nursing and improve individual nurse…

Staying healthy: Advice for telehealth nurses

Telehealth, telemedicine, and home-based telehealth work have grown dramatically in recent years. These programs enable nurses to provide patient care remotely from a medical office…
relief emotional freedom technique tap

Tap your way to fast relief

Can symptomatic relief from fear, stress, anxiety, and a laundry list of other ailments really be at your fingertips? The many people who use…
Mindfulness

The mindful nurse

Mindfulness is an increasingly common topic in both popular and professional literature. In clinical populations, evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce symptoms linked…
wisdom renewal sign fear

The wisdom of renewal

We all know people who have become discontent with their careers. And we know people who remain energized, excited, and fully engaged in their…

Tips for long-term exercise success

Walking, swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. They all cause you to feel…

Uplifting nurses

Associations respond to member needs in a pandemic. In 2020, what kept me up at night was nurses’ well-being and how they’ve been dealing…
night shift nurse survive sleep tired cancer awake

What do nurses want?

Twenty-two percent: That’s how many frontline RNs in the United States said, in a response to a recent McKinsey survey, that they may leave…

What the mirror doesn’t tell you

“I hate my body.” “I’m such a fat, worthless cow.” “Where did all these gray hairs and wrinkles come from?” “I have total thunder thighs.” “How could anyone find me attractive when…

Who are you?

You probably have many labels—nurse, wife, mother, sister, aunt (or husband, son, father, brother, uncle), neighbor, or volunteer, for instance. But who are you—really?…

Why quitting is hard

Kate Sheldon is the director of acute care services in a medical center that’s part of a larger system. She recently completed her doctorate…
journaling your health nurses

Writing for good health

If you asked nurses how they reduce job stress, you probably wouldn’t expect them to reply, “By writing.” In fact, a recent research study…

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