As an Integrative Nurse Coach, you live, breathe and love supporting yourself with self-sustaining self-love practices. It’s become part of your DNA. And I also know you really love sharing self-love practices with everyone you meet.
So, in today’s blog, I’d like to share and discuss some of the amazing resources the American Nurses Foundation has to support fellow Nurses through their Well-being Initiative.
In 2020, the American Nurses Foundation put together many resources to support the mental and spiritual well-being of Nurses around the world. This was in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even though the pandemic was over 2 years ago, the stress, strain and trauma from the experiences we lived through are lingering in our bodies, minds and spirits.
2021 Pulse of Nation’s Nurses Health Survey
The 2021 Pulse on Nation’s Nurses Health Survey showed the impact of the pandemic:
- Nurses reported high levels of feeling stressed (71%), frustrated (69%), exhausted (65%), burned out (49%), and overwhelmed (58%).
- Millennial and Generation Z nurses (age 34 and under) conveyed these feelings more than their older counterparts: stressed (81%), frustrated (76%), exhausted (77%), burned out (69%) and overwhelmed (69%).
- Nurses of color echoed these feelings. They report feeling stressed (73%) and burned out (55%).
Just last week, I held space for a young cardiac-care Nurse named Sara, who worked at the bedside during the pandemic. Her body physically shuddered as she spoke about how the pandemic has affected her and how it lingers in the depths of her heart and soul. The ravages of the COVID-19 environment, the patients she saw suffer and die, and the institutional betrayal she experienced still angered her to her core.
Sara’s combining Nurse Coaching and talk therapy to support her voyage to well-becoming. Of course, she can’t be in therapy or coaching sessions every hour of the day, so I directed her to the free resources found within the Wellbeing Initiative, so she can continue to support herself in the in-between session times.
The following are some of Sara’s favorite wellbeing resources, and I quite like them too and hopefully you’ll find something helpful from their many helpful resources.
Sara’s Wellbeing Resources
Guide to Sleeping Better and Restoring Energy
Sara loved the tips within the Guide to Sleeping Better & Restoring Energy, especially the ‘manage light’ section, as this was something she hadn’t thought of before.
After Work Checklist
She’s been exploring the after work checklist– and has found the ‘Reflect’ R to be insightful, and helping her recognize the good from her day, and to also acknowledge the not-so-good too, so to maybe begin to let some of that go before she gets home.
This tool has elevated the self-love tool of journaling her thoughts and has created many a topic for Nurse Coaching sessions.
Gratitude Podcast
This special gratitude podcast discusses how developing gratitude practices can significantly improve your health and well-being, while also improving your work, safety, relationships, self-care, growth, and joy.
Sara especially liked the episode called, Why Gratitude is a Struggle since it helped her see she’s not alone, and learned some science to support gratitude too!
Stress Self-Assessment Quiz
This anonymous Stress Self Assessment Quiz opened up the discussion about how stress was affecting Sara and brought her more awareness to factors about stress and how she could consider addressing stress in her work and life.
Plus, once you’ve completed the quiz, it’ll give you personalized resources based on your responses. Here’s one question from the quiz…
I’m thankful to the American Nurses Foundation Well-being Initiative for gathering these resources together for all us Nurses! There are many more resources on the page, and I hope you’ll explore them for yourself and for your clients, patients and communities as we all work together to help heal our world, local to global.
Xo Nicole
Need more inspiration from fellow Integrative Nurse Coaches? Download and listen to the Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION! podcast anywhere you get your podcasts- or just click here
Nicole Vienneau MSN, RN, NC-BC is a recovering burned-out ICU Nurse. Through Integrative Nurse Coaching and holistic modalities, she’s on the daily voyage to well-becoming.
Nicole is founder Restoration Room and Blue Monarch Health, an author, podcast host of the Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION!, holds a board certification in Integrative Nurse Coaching and combines 20+ years of Nursing with 30+ years of fitness, health coaching and energy work to partner with mid-life women and healthcare workers who want to THRIVE!
She loves her husband, her two crazy cats and enjoys being in nature and having fun.
