Nurses: Building Resilience Through Self-Care and Wellness is Your Superpower
As you know, nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, but it is also one of the most demanding. Long shifts, high patient loads, and emotionally-charged and stressful situations can all take a toll on your well-being and your ability to perform your job at the highest level. While you can’t eliminate challenges and stressors from your life or your workplace, there is a superpower you can cultivate to help you navigate them: Resilience!
Resilience is an essential trait in the nursing profession, which demonstrates your ability to be flexible, bounce back, and grow in the face of a difficult situation. It is the mental fortitude that empowers you to navigate through the pressures and challenges of your job, deal with setbacks, and provide top-quality patient care even in the most demanding circumstances. Resilience in nursing is critically important for several reasons.
First, it enables you to maintain mental health and well-being. Stressful situations can adversely affect your mental health, leading to conditions like anxiety, depression, frustration and compassion fatigue. Being resilient allows you to navigate these situations and reduce the impact of stress.
Second, resilience affects the clarity of the care you provide. Studies show that nurses who are resilient are more likely to deliver high-quality care, even in challenging circumstances. I will share with you an example of my own resilience a few years ago. I was at my grandson’s football game sitting midway up on concrete bleachers watching the game. I heard commotion 4 steps up above us. I turned around and saw an elderly lady had fallen forward on the concrete bleachers face down. Another lady was screaming “Help!” I was sitting with my daughter and son-in-law. I jumped up and rushed up the steps to attend to the lady. Her husband helped me turn her over, and she was bleeding from a gash on her forehead. I asked her husband to call 911. She was alert but scared. I had a cotton jacket that I used to put pressure on her forehead, and luckily 911 arrived very quickly. My son-in-law was standing next to me and said, “I have never seen you move so fast and be so calm as when you helped that lady.” This is an example of how being resilient can help nurses act calmly and without hesitation in an emergency!
Third, resilience supports effective teamwork. Being able to manage stress and bounce back quickly ensures that you can function effectively as part of a team, which is crucial in a collaborative profession like nursing. In high-stakes environments, disagreements can arise. Resilient nurses handle conflicts professionally, communicate effectively, and work towards solutions without letting emotions escalate tensions within the team.
How Can You Cultivate Resilience?
Resilience is not something you’re born with—it must be strengthened over time. Below are some strategies you can implement to help you develop this superpower:
Prioritize self-care. Taking the time to care for your mind and body by eating healthy meals, exercising and practicing stress-management techniques helps you develop the stamina to face the demands of nursing and show up stronger for your patients.
Develop emotional intelligence. Pausing to process your emotional reactions to challenging experiences—and seeking professional support when needed—are key to cultivating resilience.
Set healthy boundaries and delegate. Recognizing your limits, learning to say “no” without guilt, delegating tasks when appropriate, and maintaining a work-life balance will help you avoid burnout and become a more “present” nurse.
Develop a growth mindset. Learning to look at challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth instead of failures will help you build a more positive attitude and a problem-solving mentality.
Build a support network. Having a solid support network is very important because the nursing profession can be, as we have discussed, physically and emotionally taxing. Without the right support from peers, it may be difficult to bounce back.
Foster peer relationships. Peers can serve as sounding boards for questions or concerns you might have. Building strong relationships with peers can lead to lasting friendships and professional connections that can help throughout your career.
Seek out mentors: Nurses with experience can provide invaluable guidance. They have walked the journey before and can offer insights and advice you may not find elsewhere.
Becoming more resilient doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to implement these strategies and shift your mindset, but it is worth the effort. When you develop resilience as your superpower, you can face the challenges of a nursing career, become a more capable and compassionate caregiver, maintain your passion and protect your well-being.
Connect with me on social media to share what steps you are taking to build resilience.