Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1273352
44 NURSING SPOTLIGHT 27 nurses share their best self-care tips By Anuja Vaidya A s the pandemic rages on, the nurse community is at the forefront of the crisis, putting their physical and mental health at risk. Here, 27 nurses share advice on how they protect themselves against burnout and handle stress during this unprecedented public health crisis. Note: e following responses were edited for length and clarity. Kimberly Ortmayer, RN. Clinical Supervisor at Atrium Health's Levine Children's Hospital (Charlotte, N.C.): I personally have three self-care tips while working on the front lines of this pandemic. First, I take 10 minutes aer I park my car to just take some deep breaths and think of three positives in my life. is helps center and calm me before I walk into work. Second, when I am off, I have at least one "no phone day," as my 8-year- old daughter calls it. ird, the Peloton [exercise bike]. I can just put my headphones on and for a short period of time I can just clear my mind and sweat it out. Leigha Fallis, RN. Chief Nursing Officer at Piedmont Rockdale Hos- pital (Conyers, Ga.): My advice to nurses or healthcare staff is to always take good care of yourself first so that you can provide good care to your patients. It is always important to eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest, but this is even more important during this pandemic. Kristin Christophersen, DNP, RN. Chief Nursing Officer at Fountain Valley (Calif.) Regional Hospital & Medical Center: e best self-care is to take time for yourself — to mentally and physically regroup. Nurs- es are not good at caring for themselves. We are givers and forget about ourselves. Self-care might be exercise, meditation or simply spending time with family. My personal self-care is being with family on the beach (when it reopens!). e sound of the waves and bright sun remind me how in the anger of the surf, the calm always follows. And who can't be happy when there is a big bright sun smiling at you and giving warmth! Jade Flinn, RN. Nurse Educator for the Biocontainment Unit at Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore): e best self-care tip while working on the front lines is to know that is OK to not be OK. I think we as nurses feel the need to stay strong and unwavering so as to keep up this "hero" image. Although us standing resolute in the midst of crisis does give those around us a sense of security that someone has things under control, we must remember that we are still human. Our kryptonite may be hubris and our need to be any- thing and everything for our patients and team. However, to be able to show up and give all of ourselves day in and day out, we have to be able to turn that inward and fill ourselves up. We must take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others. Tracy Stark, RN. Nurse at St. Luke's Health System (Boise, Idaho): I find that in any crisis situation it is a natural response to quickly do what you can to address the crisis. In our situation here in the medical/surgical unit, I made sure I paused before acting, to take safety measures [into account] first. If I'm not safe, it's not going to help others or myself. I realized that I wasn't paying attention to my basic needs: water, nu- trition, rest and exercise. I made sure I stayed hydrated by keeping a bottle of water nearby and made healthier food choices in snacking, even with the generous outpouring of food from the community. I took the stairs instead of the elevators — part of my exercise routine — and got out in the fresh air every day aer work. Michelle Patch, PhD. Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (Baltimore): I find that stepping away and power walking, if only for five minutes, helps me clear my head and refocus on priorities: our patients, families and staff. Also, humor is incredibly powerful and has really lied me up during difficult moments. Robyn Beall, RN. Nurse at St. Luke's Health System (Boise, Ida- ho): Take one minute to intentionally pull your shoulders back and take three to five deep breaths. [is] resets my attitude. Kristen Frost. Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist at Adven- tHealth Shawnee Mission (Merriam, Kan.): I would encourage people to reach out for counseling services. So oen, people are too proud to ask for help with mental health and are concerned about the perceived stigmas that asking for help may carry. Nurses are always working to care for others but oen forget to care for themselves. Jessica (Danielle) Major, RN. Nurse in the Medical/Surgical Unit at AdventHealth Hendersonville (N.C.): My best self-care tip while working on the front lines of the pandemic is to work outside in the yard. Cheryl Connors, DNP, RN. Patient Safety Specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore): e best self-care tip while working on the front line is paying attention to your emotional, psychological and/or physical stress response. I do this by identifying how I am responding to stress. Many of the feelings that have been show- ing up for me at various times include feeling sad, angry, anxious, tired, frustrated, agitated, scared and disengaged. Once the feeling appears, I find a space to acknowledge the feeling. I will do this with myself or with a colleague. Once I acknowledge the feeling, I can apply a grounding strategy to help me relieve some stress. Almost daily, I remind myself of my potential stress responses and the strategies that I find effective to help me address my stress. Some examples of grounding strategies are breathing and noticing what you feel as you take time to intentionally fill yourself with air. Breathing can help me get back to a state of less intense emotion. My favorite strategy is to think about a resource in my life, such as my cat. She makes me feel so happy. Knowing that at the end of the day, I can go home and snuggle with her brings me comfort. I also look forward to having a cup of coffee on my porch in the morn- ing. Knowing that I can do that tomorrow floods me with feelings of joy and relaxation. So, my self-care tip would be to pay attention to yourself. Identify your stress responses and accept them as normal. en list some grounding strategies that you can use anywhere at any time to lessen your feelings of stress. Monica Powers. Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at Advent- Health Shawnee Mission (Merriam, Kan.): In order to provide whole-person care during my time at work, I need to take time for myself. It is amazing what a few minutes alone to breathe deeply, say a prayer or just listen to the birds outside can do for my mind.